After School

Step It Up NYC

Step-It-Up NYC 2024

Step It Up NYC provides young movement artists the opportunity to leverage their on-stage talents to create social change in their communities. Over 1,000 young performers participate in this citywide dance and step for a cause competition. Throughout the course of the school year, teams will compete in qualifying rounds with a series of in-person performances and online social media activities. The top ten teams will be chosen to move forward and perform at the final showcase in June. 

           

           2024 THEME               


For this season of Step, It Up NYC, DYCD calls upon all groups to exhibit the diversity of New York City. New York City is a patchwork of people representing cultures, communities and nations from across the globe. This year we call upon Step It Up teams to represent the cultural diverisity of their groups, both through dance and music, in addition to the cultures of others found within their communities. 

       

           Civic Engagement         

Step It Up NYC is not only a dance competition, but a social impact competition. Each group must create a social impact campaign that does the following. In your first audition, your group must be able to explain the following on stage, after your ninety-second performance.•  Identifies a quality of life issue.•  Provides justification as to why this particular issue is of utmost importance.•  Offer comprehensive and creative solutions to these issues.

Audition dates will be released in the coming weeks and take place after 3/2/24. If you are submitting an application, please have a 90 second routine prepared by 2/23/24.

Additionally, your group will be expected to explain your social impact campaign during your audition and its next steps, should your group advance in the competition.


You can also learn how youth have activated in their communities during past Step It Up NYC competitions on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter using the hashtag #StepItUpNYC, and watch videos from each year’s campaign on DYCD’s YouTube page: