Who we are!
Slum to Stage creates preliminary and intermediate dance training for children and young adults in developing areas in Abuja through performing and creative arts programs that enhance both their academic and artistic performance, in cooperation with the Local Education Authority and Universal Basic Education Board in Abuja.
Our training program provide these students with the opportunity to explore their talents, while improving their socio-behavioural skills in class and at home.
We do this by
Training programs
Providing dance and art training program for children and young adults, all year round, free of charge.
Educational Workshops
Providing educational workshops in schools and community centers, encouraging children to follow their passion.
Thorough Curriculum
Working with schools to develop their teaching curriculum to inculcate social - emotional and behavioral skills, in other to create a better learning environment for children.
After school Programs
Creating After-School programs to follow up on and support the academic learning progress of our students.
mission
The mission for Slum to Stage is to build safe communities and capacities of children and young adults, equipping them with the artistic, social, behavioral and emotional skills needed to make them better creative and holistic individuals in their communities.
vision
We envision a society in which children and young adults are mentally safe, treated with respect and dignity, and have equal opportunities to activate, develop and pursue their talents and artistic abilities, while excelling in their academics.
Why we do it
There must be a way to ensure inclusive and diverse education for all. A shift must be taken to explore other non-conventional ways through which children can achieve better academic success.
Nigeria records the world’s highest rate of out-of-school children according to UNICEF. While the absence of financial support is the major contributor of this issue, there are several other factors for children’s’ low attendance and poor performance in schools.
While the world aims to achieve quality education for early years, children living in underserved areas and at-risk youth although are the focus, have low interests in going to academic schools. In times when these children have access to education, some of them drop out of school because of low attention span or the pressures from the outside world. Without any sort of programmatic intervention or support, such children have little self-sufficiency, and no chance of creatively participating in their communities.
Prompted by these challenges, Slum to Stage utilizes the power of dance to create safe creative communities, providing access to artistic opportunities and life-skills development while ensuring academic success.
Our Values
Our Story
2022.
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The Maiden Event Launch.The initiative was kicked off through a fundraising event which held on the 24th of July, 2022 at the Transcorp Hilton.This event encompassed of performances from child and adult ballet dancers, including beneficiaries of the STS training program, and an art exhibition / charity auction with photo prints illustrating the beauty of ballet, in conjunction with professional beauty and dance photographers like Seun Oderinde and Habila Sani
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Arts Exhibition.Exhibited original artistic artworks at the African Creative Market Global, raising funds for children to have free dance trainings.
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Dance Workshops.In collaboration with Adila Dance Acrobatics, Slum to Stage has successful trained over fifty children and young adults in Abuja.Furthermore, a special, free, intensive 3-month training program for more beneficiaries of the STS initiative will launch in January 2023
2023.
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First School Tour.As part of the goal develop the key cognitive and social - emotional skills vital to success in school and work, Slum to Stage embarked on a dance tour, visiting schools across Abuja to create enlightenment and work hand in hand with management & guardians to provide dance training for the students.The School tour started in October 2022, and will continue all the way to the first quarter of 2023.
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We had our second Slum to Stage Event, themed Dance through the Eyes of Humanity
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We partnered with the French Embassy and the French Institut in activism against SGBV, during the 16 days activism against SGBV.
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We lost our physical training space
2024.
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We performed at TEDx Maitama
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We partnered with SHUSHI to provide a space for the children and young adults to train in.
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We hosted our third annual event at the congress hall of Transcop Hilton Abuja, opening our doors and giving 30 dancers the chance to perform at the reimagination of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart.
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We performed to Ty Bello’s “Africa Awake” on invitation by the Olu of Warri to The Kings Banquet, a ceremony that marked the end of the grand opening of Elevate Africa.
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Our Executive Director taught dance through the Slum to Stage program to young adults from underserved areas in Benin Republic.
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We performed at the Transcorp Hilton Lighting Ceremony.
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We partnered with TDL Solutions.
Presently
- We opened the 2025 performance season with a performance at the World Bank Nigeria HQ, in artvocacy that northern girls be given improved access to education.
- We landed our second partnership with Create my Future Foundation to provide training spaces for children living in Garki axis of Abuja.
- We performed at the Int’l Women’s Day event organized by TEDx Maitama Opened for the World Autism Day