Written by Tanya Terry, with photos courtesy of FIM
Step Afrika! has toured 60 countries across the globe and is one of the largest African American dance companies in the world today!
The show will soon take place at FIM Whiting Auditorium to exhilarate audiences, at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 13.
“There really is no other performance quite like ours in the world today,” said C. Brian Williams, founder and executive producer for Step Afrika!
Williams recently saw for himself the show the way many audience members may see it in San Antonio, Texas, during a 20-25 city tour across the country.
“I was just watching these world-class dancers with Step Afrika! and what they’re able to do with their bodies – and what they have done with the art form of stepping,” he said. “The art form is so special to the African American community, proudly introduced to the rest of the world – and to the American theater. If you love the art form of stepping, this is a show you absolutely have to see. If you’re a member of a historically Black fraternity or sorority, you absolutely have to come see what Step Afrika! has done with the art form of stepping and how far we have taken it. And if you’ve never seen the art form of stepping, you want to see this performance because stepping and Step Afrika! have become a part of our nation’s cultural heritage.”
Williams is a graduate of Howard University in Washington, D.C., a historically Black school. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, he learned to step by pledging his fraternity: Alpha Phi Alpha, Inc.
“I first saw the art form of stepping when I walked on the campus of Howard University over 40 years ago. I’ll never forget seeing all the sororities on campus doing their thing, all the fraternities stepping and expressing love and pride in their organization. It was something I immediately became drawn to and wanted to explore.”
After his college graduation, Williams lived and worked in Southern Africa. It was there that he decided he wanted to combine stepping with the African continent.
“For the performance at Whiting, we’re going to be performing a dance that people rarely get to see performed in the United States, which is a South African Zulu dance.”
Williams describes stepping as a “highly energetic, percussive dance form, created by African American college students.”
“In stepping, we use the body to make music, together.”
Williams stated that Step Afrika! has 17 full-time dances who are not just wonderful on stage, but also amazing teaching artists and “world class athletes.”
“The costumes, the movement, the music that they produce, it’s really, really quite special. So, I’m excited to see families and people from all backgrounds at the Whiting Auditorium to celebrate this uniquely American art form with Step Afrika!”
Williams also hopes Step Afrika! serves as a reminder to African Americans of the origins of their rich culture.
“We have a long, challenging, but resilient history here in this country. Stepping was purely born on American shores. But because it was created by African Americans, it reminds us of our Africanness. The drum is such an essential part of our African culture. Even though African Americans lost the drum (as they knew it) when they came to this country in the 1500s and 1600s, the drum never left our bodies. Those rhythms were made inside of us. In stepping, we bring those internal rhythms that we brought over here from the continent of Africa, and we play it in a very different way.”
Williams said when he sees someone stepping, he often imagines someone in West Africa drumming on a djembe percussive drum.
“He may beat the drum, but here in America, we may use our body as an instrument.”
Some Step Afrika! dancers are classically trained in ballet, and others pledged on college campuses across the country. Others may be drummers, tap dancers or even gymnasts.
The result is a highly interactive show people of all ages and cultures can enjoy.
For details call the ticket center box office at 810-237-7333, or visit www.stepafrika.org.
For tickets, visit Tickets.thefim.com
