The African Queens Dance Company was founded in 1989 by artistic director and choreographer Leslie Carter. Ms. Carter's vision for the company was not just to produce great dancers but great young women, who finished high school and went on to contribute to their communities. The Queens have performed professionally all over the Bay Area, from Oakland's Festival at the Lake to the highly prestigious Ethnic Dance Festival in San Francisco.

In 2002 and 2007, the Queens were invited by the Chinese government to perform in Beijing for their International Tourism Festival. Ms. Carter's efforts have been greatly successful over two decades. She has produced generations of dancers who have gone on to earn college degrees, teach in inner-city schools, work in politics, start families and start dance companies of their own. Today the Queens still dance strong with a new generation of dancers coming into the world.