Visit the Black Girls STEAMing Through Dance Website

Black Girls STEAMing through Dance (BGSD) is a transdisciplinary after-school and co-curricular program for 7–12-year-old Black girls in (the West Philadelphia Promise Zone) that engages Black Girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math-related activities. BGSD was founded by four Black women faculty and is supported by Black women graduate and undergraduate students with the intention to merge our disciplinary expertise in urban education, dance, product/industrial design, and computing to discover new knowledge about Black girls’ STEAM learning and self-concept formation.

We combine Coding, Design, and Dance to motivate the Black Girls in the West Philadelphia Community to explore STEAM skills and connect with their bodies. Through Dance, Design, and Coding activities, the girls experience STEAM in a culturally responsive environment that encourages them to cultivate their STEAM identities.

Partner(s): West Philadelphia Promise Neighborhood, Drexel University Westphal College of Media Arts and Design, Drexel University College of Computing and Informatics

Funder: West Philadelphia Promise Neighborhood

Publications

Allen-Handy, A., Ifill, V., Schaar, R. Y., Woodard, M., & Rogers, M. (2021). The Emerging Critical Pedagogies of Dance Educators in an Urban STEAM After-School Program for Black Girls. Journal of Urban Learning, Teaching, and Research, 16(1), 58-88.

Allen-Handy, A., Ifill, V., Schaar, R., Rogers, M., & Woodard, M. (2020). Black girls STEAMing through dance: Inspiring STEAM literacies, STEAM identities, and positive self-concept. In K. Thomas & D. Huffman (Eds.). Challenges and opportunities for transforming from STEM to STEAM education. IGI Global.