Take a free hip hop lesson as part of Music Moves Us

I AM Academy is broadening its youth programs with the introduction of I AM Dance, a new initiative led by Lauren Beck. This August, Beck and the I AM Dance team will showcase their hip hop dance skills and offer a lesson as part of the Holland Symphony Orchestra’s Music Moves Us series.

The hip hop demonstration and class will be featured during Downtown Holland’s Street Performer Series at GDK Park on Thursday, Aug. 8, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

This event is one of 10 Music Moves Us activities in Holland from Aug. 6-10. All events are free and offer a variety of music and dance experiences, ranging from salsa to Polynesian and Big Band dance lessons, culminating in the symphony’s “Music Unites Us – Brazil!” concert at Kollen Park on Aug. 10.

The I AM Dance lesson, open to all ages, will provide participants an opportunity to learn more about I AM Academy, which is accepting registrations for its high school and middle school enrichment programs.

I AM AcademyI AM Dance is a new program by I AM Academy.

'Serving on the boards of both Holland Symphony Orchestra and I AM Academy, I see beautiful connections continuing for the greater Holland community with this latest collaboration between both groups,” says Tara Weymon Leonard, who will introduce the Aug. 8 event.

Making impact through creativity

When I AM Academy was launched by Beck’s older sister, Lindsay Cherry, and her husband, Henry, Beck stepped up to help. The couple, who are educators, created the nonprofit to empower Black and multiracial youth to recognize their potential, experience joy, become confident leaders, and drive positive community change.

As the nonprofit grew, Beck’s diverse skills became increasingly essential, leading her to leave her corporate job in health care to join I AM Academy full-time in 2021 as the director of operations of the nonprofit mentoring program.

“It became very easy for me to just step right into the role of taking on that Swiss Army knife position that was needed to do a little bit of everything, because you don't have a lot of hands, but you're trying to make a big ripple and impact throughout the community,” Beck said.

“I've always been creative. It's always been my sort of niche, and I've always gravitated towards anything creative. It doesn't matter if it's sewing, painting, photography, or dance.”

Lauren Beck, center, dances with students at I AM Academy's Juneteenth Freedom Festival.

During her time at Zeeland East High School, Beck was part of Dance Ensemble for four years, including a performance trip to Disney World. After earning her international business degree in college, she continued taking dance lessons and teaching classes.

“It's just always been a part of who I am,” Beck said, adding that the dynamic nature of dance is a perfect fit for I AM Academy’s STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) focus.

“We've always believed in the art forms, and so we've always pushed our students. To incorporate that into our education and actually be able to do that now was so exciting for me, especially being someone that has always gravitated towards that type of learning,” said Beck, who leads the nonprofit’s I AM Creativity initiative.

“As we continue to grow, we hope to add more art forms to provide to our students, working with community organizations and local businesses to provide those experiences. I AM Dance is one of hopefully many experiences.”

For more information about the Music Moves Us events, visit the Holland Symphony Orchestra’s website.

The Lakeshore WM is the media sponsor of Music Moves Us.