Dance Your Science | Free After School Workshops for Teens

Explore scientific concepts and express yourself through movement at after-school workshops.

Sign up for the series or just one! All participants will receive a $$ gift card!

After a short lesson on green chemistry, you will get creative by interpreting what you learned from a local Hip-Hop, Popping, Bollywood or Afro Beats dance teacher.

Don’t miss this free workshop designed just for teens.

Get ready to dance...and learn! ??✨?

✅ This project is made possible by funding from the City of Portland through Portland Parks & Recreation's Community Partnership Program

https://www.portland.gov/parks/cpp

➳ FREE Entrance (donations welcome but not required)

➳ Upcoming Workshops:

Tuesday, March 7th | 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm

Tuesday, April 4th | 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm

Tuesday, April 11th | 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm

Tuesday, April 18th | 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm

Tuesday, April 25th | 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm

➳ Event OPEN to teenagers (13-18 years old)

➳ All participants will receive a $ gift card!

All the donations will go directly to our non-profit, Dance United.

77 NE Knott St, Portland, OR 97212

✅ All workshops will be held in the auditorium.

➳ Biomimicry Bollywood

➳ Color me Holi

➳ Mycelium Moves

➳ Fabulous Fabrics

Prashant is President of Dance United, a newly formed non-profit that imagines a world where people from all cultures, nationalities, ages, and backgrounds connect through music and dance to ultimately celebrate our unity in diversity and see each other as one.

TEDx Talk, New Music, and Dance Videos at https://linktr.ee/dreamprashant

Originally from Mumbai, India, Prashant is an ex-Intel engineer turned DJ and community organizer based out of Portland, Oregon. He founded Jai Ho! Dance Party in 2010 and Dance United in 2017, and tours them at nightclubs across the US on a regular basis.

Prashant's effervescent personality and charisma instantly strike a chord with an audience of any age group or background. He is known for an open-format DJ set highlighted by interactive dance lessons that compel everybody to rock the dance floor to an irresistible blend of the world's greatest dance music.

➳ http://instagram.com/dreamprashant/

Kakad had been teaching Bollywood-inspired dance classes for kids and adults for over a decade and has worked relentlessly to foster communities around a shared love for cultural music and dance. His programs are so inclusive and engaging that even the most unassuming folk cannot help but join the fun.

Donna is a performance artist, choreographer, director and educator, is the artistic director and choreographer for Vivan Los Elementos and Bang Bang Boogie. DonnaMation specializes in club and street dances from the USA including, Hustle, House, Popping, and Hip Hop as well as sacred and secular dances of Cuba and Brazil. She has performed and taught in various places around the world. Donna has danced most of her life and began her career as a performer and educator of dance in 1999.

Donna’s love of both the deeply rooted sublime dances of the Orisha as well as the infectious groove of street dance from the U.S. has led her to a creative process combining the rich cultures into a blend that brings them together in a full circle.

Minal Mistry: Science Teacher

Connector of dots in industrial ecology. Centering people, places and their lived experience into systems thinking. Voice for the Living Earth grounded in science, data, art, philosophy and ethics.

Ramey Adams: Science Teacher

A life-long learner who is passionate about science, the environment and being active. As an educator she wants to help her students to better understand the world they live in, to find their passions and to encourage them to become active and productive members of their community.

Lisa Cox: Science Teacher

Lisa is an artist, environmental educator and creative collaborator. For decades, she has developed and taught numerous youth, environmental education programs in Missouri, Kansas and Oregon.

Stella Garza: Science Teacher

Stella has been teaching secondary science for 15 years. She started her career at an arts magnet school (with an awesome dance program!) near Minneapolis, MN, and is now teaching 6th grade science at the Beaverton Academy of Science and Engineering in Beaverton, OR. Dancing, traveling, and reading are her favorite pastimes!

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MISSION STATEMENT

Dance United’s mission is to celebrate the lives of immigrants, the BIPOC community and all people by spreading the electrifying energy of love, unity, happiness and diversity across cultures through music and dance.

OUR GOALS

-Create multicultural events that bring participants together to celebrate our diversity through the universal language of music and dance.

-Connect people to nature through music and communal dance events that provide a safe and inclusive space for all participants.

-Inspire young learners to combine science, music and dance by providing educational opportunities for students that grow their artistic abilities together with their scientific understanding.

-Facilitate events that encourage dancing as a way to elevate confidence and improve mental and physical health.

OUR TEAM

Prashant Kakad, President

Prashant is a multi-disciplinary artist and cultural bearer living and working in Portland, Oregon. He has worked relentlessly to create cultural music and parties for thousands of people all over Oregon and beyond through his for-profit business, Bollywood Dreams Entertainment since 2009 and now through his non-profit, Dance United.

In 2018, he launched Dance United to create a mechanism to focus on producing events that are free and open to all ages, increase the visibility of South Asians and give Oregonians a taste of Indian music and dance, provide opportunities for immigrants to break free from oppressive social and career expectations and occur during daylight hours to provide access to many people. This initiative comes from his deeply held belief that creating a safe and inclusive space for music and dance can bring together people from every background and culture to celebrate our unity in diversity. In 2022, he officially established Dance United as a non-profit.

Lisa Cox

Dance United is a passion project where Lisa combines her love of art, nature and science while supporting all communities in Oregon. Her work focuses on building partnerships and improving access to the arts by connecting people to nature and science through movement and hands-on activities.

Snehal S. Bodke

Snehal is a passionate IT professional who loves contributing to building community. She is an artist and dancer who was inspired to explore artistic endeavors by her mother, aunt and older sister. As a recent immigrant from India, Snehal is adapting to a new life in Portland and loves spending time running in local parks, visiting the Rose Garden and riding her bike over the Tilikum Bridge. Her love of music, sharing the joy of dancing and educating kids fuels her to support Dance United’s mission and projects.

By purchasing tickets to our events, you acknowledge that there might be photographers and videographers and that these photos and videos could be used for promotional purposes on our platforms.

State of Oregon guidelines will be enforced. Mask-wearing is encouraged but not required.

We at Dance United seek to practice deep regard and respect for the Indigenous Peoples on whose lands we have the opportunity to live, work, and play.

We acknowledge that Dance United in Portland takes place at the unceded ancestral lands of the Multnomah people, a tribe of the Chinookan people.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Matt Dishman Community Center, 77 Northeast Knott Street, Portland, United States