Step Afrika! comes to UMPI
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The University of Maine at Presque Isle will present one of the top 10 African dance companies in the United States, Step Afrika!, for a performance on Saturday, Oct. 1, at 8 p.m. in Wieden Auditorium.
The event is part of the university’s Homecoming 2016 celebration. This event is free and open to the public; donations to future cultural events will be accepted at the door.
With roots in Johannesburg, South Africa, this high-energy dance company has been featured on ABC News and is an official U.S. cultural ambassador. Step Afrika! has performed on stages throughout the U.S. and around the world from Madagascar to Morocco, and performs on Washington, D.C.’s biggest stages, including the Kennedy Center and in the White House.
The performance will take the audience on a journey from Chicago jazz to traditional Zulu to South African “gumboot” dancing. The company also has pieces that bring together different musical genres, pay homage to jazz masters Duke Ellington and John Coltrane, and serve as a tribute to the African-American step show. The group is known for its interaction with audiences.
According to C. Brian Williams, founder and executive director, “Step Afrika! transforms the theater into a space where everyone can make music and dance. The world is Step Afrika!’s favorite stage and the Company enjoys performing everywhere from opera houses to community centers.”
The troupe features a wide range of dances and costumes that capture African culture. The dancers deliver a performance that awakens all of the senses, using their bodies to stomp, clap, and yell, and using effects such as live musicians and special lighting to connect with their audience. The company has been recognized by the president and performed in the White House as a part of President Obama’s 2016 Black History Month celebration.
Step Afrika! is a charitable organization and the first in the world dedicated to stepping. The organization uses stepping – an art form that is an important part of America’s artistic and cultural heritage – as an educational, motivational, and nurturing tool for young people. Stepping involves using one’s entire body as an instrument. Footsteps, hand claps and spoken word are combined to create complex rhythms. This form of dancing began in the early 1900’s when African American fraternities and sororities would host song and dance rituals.
Step Afrika! brings this dance form to children across the country, teaching them about art through stepping. For the past 10 years, the dance company has participated in a week-long summer camp program sponsored by Washington Performing Arts.
“Step Afrika! is a wonderfully talented and renowned cultural performance group,” Beth Olsen, UMPI coordinator of campus engagement, said. “We are honored to be able to bring them to perform for the campus and entire northern Maine community.”
For more information, visit www.stepafrika.org/, or contact Olsen at 768-9582 or elizabeth.olsen@maine.edu.
