Official logo of Step Afrika!
Official logo of Step Afrika!
Step Afrika! during a visit in Israel, April 2016

Step Afrika! is a dance company dedicated to the African-American tradition of "stepping".[1] It is a non-profit organization that tours nationally and internationally, presents residencies and workshops worldwide, and uses "stepping" as an educational tool.[2] Their dance style is a fusion of South African gumboot dance and African American stepping.[3]

History

Step Afrika! was founded in 1994 in South Africa through a collaboration between dancers from the United States and dancers from the Soweto Dance Theatre of Johannesburg, South Africa.[4][5][6] The company moved to the United States in 1996, and relocated to its current headquarters, in the Atlas Performing Arts Center, on H Street NE, in 2006.

Since 2006, Step Afrika! has produced a Home Performance Series (HPS), and in 2011 the Company designed a HPS themed along the lines of Jacob Lawrence's Migration Series.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ WETA Black History Month Resources
  2. ^ Norris, Michele (28 Nov 2003). "All Things Considered". National Public Radio.
  3. ^ Peabody, Zanto (20 Oct 2000). "Greek Week Steps Up to Challenge". Los Angeles Times.
  4. ^ Jenkins, Marilyn (20 December 1994). “Stepping to Soweto”. The Citizen (Johannesburg).
  5. ^ Ulen, Eisa Nefertari (June 1997). “Bringin' It Home”. The Source. pp. 87.
  6. ^ Fine, Elizabeth C (2003). "Soulstepping: African American Step Shows". Chicago: University of Illinois Press. pp. 117. ISBN 0-252-02475-3.
  7. ^ Brown, DeNeen (3 June 2011). "Step Afrika Dance Inspired by Phillips Collection Migration Series". Washington Post.

External links

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