Step’s Junk Funk was founded by Step Raptis, who began to experiment with junk funk in the late 1970s while living in New York City. He would find items in the streets that could produce tonal sounds, and would use those items for accompaniment in dance classes and performances. For several years he has collected a huge arsenal of found items for a real Junk Funk Orchestra. Since 2003, Step’s Junk Funk highlights have been performing with students from Sacaton Middle School on the Gila River Indian Reservation for the community’s “Sober Challenge Day,” the Andy Warhol (one man show) produced by Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMOCA) for their outreach program, and the Salt River High School performing arts class on the Pima Indian Reservation. Step’s Junk Funk has appeared in the Arizona Dance Festival since 2006, and was commissioned to perform at the Governor’s Awards Luncheon for the Arizona Office of Tourism in July 2008. On the Artist Roster for the Arizona Commission on the Arts, Step’s Junk Funk is available for community and school residencies, lecture demonstrations and performances.