Mark your calendar this month with the Brotherhood of St Laurence's film screening of Step, a powerful documentary following a girls' high school step dance group in Baltimore as they navigate their senior year and try to become the first in their families to make it to college.
The film screening will take place on Wednesday, October 17 and is part of Anti-Poverty Week (October 14 to 20), and the Brotherhood is a proud national sponsor. Since 1930, they have been helping Melburnians affected by poverty through a variety of grassroots initiatives and policy development.
The doco, which is as much about dancing as it is about education, was shown at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival where it won the US Documentary Special Jury Award for Inspirational Filmmaking. Never heard of step dance? The rhythmic dance is an infectious combination of footwork and clapping – the dance famously got included in Beyonce's Coachella choreography this year.
This event is more than just a film screening. The Brotherhood has curated an evening of storytelling with special guests. In addition to the screening of Step, the night will also include a guest speaker from the Brotherhood, who will speak about the experiences of young people breaking the cycle of poverty through education. A program participant will also share their personal story.
Tickets to the special screening are $30 and include drinks and nibbles before the film. To book your place visit the Brotherhood website.
"Thanks to witty, warm characters, ‘Step’ is as entertaining as it is worthwhile." - Anna Smith, Time Out London.