Montreal Steppers teach Black history through movement

The Montreal Steppers are teaching Black history through movement.

Students at Harold Napper elementary in Brossard learned about the origins of stepping.

It was a way for the Black community, for slaves, to communicate and to express themselves, explained Kayin Queeley, who led the workshop for a group of Grade 5 and 6 students.

"Their drums were removed. They wanted to break the spirit of these people, but it didn't. They used their bodies to create," he told the students.

Queeley and a group of steppers walked the kids through the movements, letting them learn about history along the way – and he wants the message to be strong.

"Yes, we're going to tell you about this wonderful art form, how you stomp and clap and use your bodies, but we're also going to tell you how it happened," he said. "It pushes us to think about critically about how we can explain certain concepts and issues that should be discussed to younger students."

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