Step Afrika!

ARCHIVE: April 4-5

"Step Afrika stole the show with a skillfully arranged rhythmic combination of clapping, body slapping, stomping and shouting." -Kirsten Bodensteiner, The Washington Post

See them in action on YouTube!

Step Afrika is the first professional company in the world dedicated to the tradition of stepping. Founded in December 1994, the company is critically-acclaimed for its efforts to promote an understanding of and appreciation for stepping and the dance tradition's use as an educational tool for young people worldwide. Step Afrika reaches tens of thousands of Americans each year and has performed on many stages in North & South America, Europe, Africa and the Caribbean.

Growing out of the song and dance rituals practiced by African American fraternities and sororities in the early 1900s, stepping comes from a long and rich tradition in African-based communities that use movement, words and sounds to communicate allegiance to a group. In stepping, the body is used as an instrument to create intricate rhythms and sounds through a combination of footsteps, claps and spoken word.

"Step Afrika seized the stage… drove the crowd to whoops and hollers."—Lisa Traiger, The Washington Post

Based in Washington, DC, Step Afrika has been featured on CNN, BET, PBS & NPR as well as numerous books, documentaries and articles that seek to explore the tradition of stepping. Step Afrika serves as a cultural ambassador for the United States, representing the nation at events around the world through special invitations from American embassies. Its signature event, the annual Step Afrika International Cultural Festival in Johannesburg, South Africa, is the fruit of a ten-year collaboration with the Soweto Dance Theatre that unites artists from around the world in dialogue and dance performance.

"Stepping is tap dance without tap shoes, James Brown without the music of the JBs, Cab Calloway sans piano, a marching band without John Philip Sousa. It is jazz, funk, rhythm and blues, and rap without instruments. Stepping is lean and mean. The music comes from the synchronized interplay of hands and feet, from chants and hollers. It is a way to make music using the body as instrument."
—Jill Nelson, The Washington Post

Step Afrika Master Classes

See a class in action on YouTube!

In these unique master classes the range of curriculum includes basic step choreography, style and techniques in stepping; South African gumboot dance techniques; contemporary step techniques; and traditional tribal dance. Step Afrika! mixes the power of stepping with universal lessons in teamwork, discipline and commitment. From Appalacia to South Africa, from stepping gumboot to Zulu, Step Afrika! seeks to build connections between people and to highlight the similarities different dance forms, lives and communities. Their motto is “if we can dance together, then we can work together.”

"Taking Master Classes from the performers changes the whole experience. Having them explain their movement and getting to interact with the ones that create the art, gives you a whole new appreciation of what you are watching. The performance becomes all the more powerful when you have connected with the performers and the material."
—Leigh Caruso, Director of Dance Education