MILWAUKEE - Rhythm music, dance costuming and color: they all make up the Ko Thi Dance Company, a dance troupe which lets dancers feel the rhythm of life.

The beat goes on at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, as the members of the Ko Thi Dance Company hit the practice floor.

"Just learning about our history, our background, our culture, where we came from, that's the best thing,” Angela Jones said.

“It's not like tough discipline, it’s a fun discipline,” Phaedra Fearen said.

Troupe founder, UWM Professor Fern Caulker is committed to preserving the art of African and Caribbean dance.

TODAY’S TMJ4’s Carole Meekins: "You really do touch people of all ages, sizes, religions and cultures. That’s beautiful.”

"A touchstone…people of all races and all nationalities, particularly our young people...a chance to touch something they’ve never been exposed to that they are not being taught in the school system,” Fern Caulker said.

Fern started her Ko Thi Dance Company back in 1969 and in 2009 the company will turn 40 years old.

From the instruments, to the costumes, to the exotic moves, Ko Thi has a pulsating vibrancy all its own.

“It's a different form of dance. It’s really a lot more spiritual and it’s been a different experience and I really enjoyed that,” Fern Caulker said.

Caulker admits, raising money is not easy. Budget restraints keep the artists from getting paid. Still they come and they dance.

“It’s about those that are coming anyway because they see a value here that is touching them in a way you cant put a price on,” Fern Caulker said.

Dancers say Ko Thi grabs spirits and their souls.

“Just using the rhythm of drumming when I do other things, I always put a rhythm in it. It just combines together and just feels good,” Akinyomi Courtney said.

"I will carry on what we have, what Ko Thi has brought forth,” Sherice Charleston said.

As Ko Thi celebrates another year, it’s clear why Ko Thi still captivates audiences all over Wisconsin.

“If you learn about yourself in continuity, in terms of history and today, then maybe you can dream about a tomorrow,” Fern Caulker said.

Ko Thi will kick off Black History Month with performances at Lincoln School of the Arts.