The name Pan in Motion came about in 2014 as the title of a concert that marked the end of a fellowship opportunity that CEO Kendall K. Williams was awarded through the American Composers Orchestra (ACO). However the idea of such a company happened over a lifetime with a need to sustain the art of steel pan as a career for himself as well as so many others that shared the same love and desire. That idea developed and commenced on October 29th, 2014 and became a signature for the years to follow.

 

Pan in Motion began aiding in the promotion and awareness of steel pan as a whole through its social media outlets while creating merchandise on a small scale to begin its financial sustainability. Pan in Motion strived for quality and excellence as we explored ways of helping others and bringing people together to curate unique concepts in steel pan. We continued to grow our social media presence as we hosted a number of conversations posted to youtube, highlighting people from the Brooklyn steel pan community who had a history in steel pan while excelling in other fields.

 

In 2017, Pan in Motion performed as a small steel pan ensemble for the annual Bang on A Can Marathon, debuting an original contemporary composition adapted for steel pan. Pan in Motion ventured into education in steel pan realizing we could fill a void if enough people were aware of the history, culture, and importance steel pan has overall. We began by hosting a number of workshops at varying colleges including Brooklyn College, SUNY Westbury, and St. Francis College. The workshops were a success as we received positive feedback and excitement from our participants. It was there that we started to understand our value and purpose, both in the present but more so for our future.

 

Throughout the past year we have continued to provide outreach and assistance with organizations as we developed fun and engaging steel pan educational programs. During the pandemic, we created our first-ever free virtual steel pan workshop for children. This event was a huge success amongst our participants and was well received by their parents and members of the community. We were also featured performers at the 2020 Macy’s Day parade and produced our first annual Pan in Motion Christmas Special which introduced our first scholarship opportunity. Pan in Motion continues to strive for higher heights as we shape our organizational beliefs, our strategies and our effectiveness within our community. We are only as good as our reach. For more information, head to our website www.paninmotion.com.