Step Afrika! is a
dance company
A dance troupe or dance company is a group of dancers and associated personnel who work together to perform dances as a sport, spectacle or entertainment. There are many different types of dance companies, often working in different styles of dan ...
dedicated to the African-American tradition of "
stepping". It is a non-profit organization that tours nationally and internationally, presents residencies and workshops worldwide, and uses "stepping" as an educational tool. Their dance style is a fusion of South African
gumboot dance
The gumboot dance (or Isicathulo) is a South African dance that is performed by dancers wearing wellington boots. In South Africa these are more commonly called ''gumboots''.
The boots may be embellished with bells, so that they ring as the dance ...
and African American stepping.
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. The company moved to the United States in 1996, and relocated to its current headquarters, in the
Atlas Performing Arts Center
The Atlas Performing Arts Center is a multiple space performing arts facility located on H Street in the Near Northeast neighborhood of Washington, DC. Housed in a renovated Art Deco movie house, the facility is home to several arts organizatio ...
, 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.
Brown, DeNeen (3 June 2011). "Step Afrika Dance Inspired by Phillips Collection Migration Series". Washington Post.
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See also
*Stepping (African-American)
Stepping or step-dancing (a type of step dance) is a form of percussive dance in African-American culture. The participant's entire body is used as an instrument to produce complex rhythms and sounds through a mixture of footsteps, spoken w ...
*Gumboot dance
The gumboot dance (or Isicathulo) is a South African dance that is performed by dancers wearing wellington boots. In South Africa these are more commonly called ''gumboots''.
The boots may be embellished with bells, so that they ring as the dance ...
References
External links
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Dance companies in the United States
African-American dance
South African dancers
Dance in Washington, D.C.
Performing groups established in 1994
2006 in Washington, D.C.
Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C.