University Academy PE classes participated in a new two-step unit that wrapped up in early April. At the end of this unit, students performed in front of the entire Upper School.
The unit was two months long, and Ms. De Barker came every Tuesday and Wednesday to instruct the classes.
Ms. Barker was the two-step dance instructor for UA PE students, which included mostly freshmen and also a few sophomores. According to The Voice, Kansas City calls Ms. Barker “The Queen of the KC Two-Step.” She told students she thinks each generation should pass the two-step down to the next generation to keep the dance tradition going.
University Academy freshman Ameena Jones said, “When Ms. Barker was teaching me the steps, she made it more interesting because I already knew how to two-step before she came and taught us, but Ms. Barker taught me how to do the spin while two-stepping.”
Jones wasn’t the only one who enjoyed it. One of the students even signed up for more dancing lessons with Ms. Barker outside of school.
Coach Aaron Clark, the Upper School PE teacher, said, “The Kansas City Two-Step is a tradition and legacy I do not want to die off in our community. I wish I had learned how to do two-step when I was younger because I have many friends who can do the two-step. I wholeheartedly believe that the two-step can connect generations of people in a way that we need in Kansas City.”
In addition to teaching the actual steps, Ms. Barker also talked to all the students about the history behind two-stepping. Two-step originated in Kansas City, Missouri, in a small building in the 1960s, she said. Due to being in a building that did not have enough room, the dancers could not do full on dance routines and move around as much, so they had to adjust to their surroundings and make simpler steps. These simple steps made two-step easier for younger and older generations to learn.
As two-step brings people together, it also brought the UA PE classes together. Students were laughing and engaging with each other while on stage performing.
This was especially encouraging to the instructors since some students did not want to dance at first because they were too afraid to dance in front of the rest of the school. They thought they would embarrass themselves.
But on April 5 at 2 p.m. in the UA auditorium, Coach Clark and Ms. Barker led students to perform the dances they’d learned in front of the entire Upper School.
Coach Clark said, “I was very pleased with every class’s effort because everyone stepped up to the plate and put on a performance for the school.”
The dancers had the crowd energized and hyped. Everyone in the crowd was up on their feet dancing with the performers when it came down to the “Can’t Get Enough” line dance. Students’ parents even came to the performance to see their students dance.
Ms. Barker taught the two-step dance and brought all the PE classes together, teaching them the history behind the two-step dance in the process.
