The Kimmel Cultural Campus presents the culturally rich, history-based, performance dance troupe, Step Afrika!, the first professional company dedicated to the tradition of stepping, at the Miller Theater (formerly the Merriam Theater) on Friday, April 28, 2023, at 7:00 p.m.
The group, founded in 1994 by C. Brian Williams, blends percussive dance styles practiced by historically African American fraternities and sororities, traditional West and Southern African dances, and an array of contemporary dance and art forms into a cohesive, compelling artistic experience. The instruments are the artists’ bodies, and their performances are much more than dance shows – integrating songs, storytelling, and humor, and blending technique, agility, and pure energy to make each performance unique. Step Afrika!’s signature performance shares the step tradition of audience participation and closes with a complex, polyrhythmic percussive symphony that brings audiences to their feet with their hearts pounding.
“From performing off Broadway to the White House to almost 50 countries across the globe, Step Afrika! is one of our country’s top five African American dance companies, born in the early 90s from an exchange program with Johannesburg’s Soweto Dance Theatre,” said Frances Egler, Vice President of Theatrical Programming & Presentations on the Kimmel Cultural Campus. “We’re excited to bring this awe-inspiring group to our stage, sharing their incredible artistry with Philadelphians and in particular our littlest arts lovers attending this show as part of their Family Discovery Series package.”
Step Afrika! promotes stepping as an educational tool for young people, focusing on teamwork, academic achievement, and cross-cultural understanding. The company reaches tens of thousands each year through a 50-city tour of colleges and theaters and performs globally as a U.S. Cultural Ambassador. Founder C. Brian Williams is also featured in Soulstepping, the first book to document the history of stepping, and several documentaries discussing the art form.
Step Afrika! has earned the Mayor’s Art Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Arts Education (2005); Innovation in the Arts (2008); and Excellence in an Artistic Discipline (2012); and performed at the White House for President Barack Obama and the First Lady. Step Afrika! is featured prominently at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History & Culture with the world’s first stepping interactive. In 2017, Step Afrika! made its Off-Broadway debut with the critically acclaimed production, The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence.
Step Afrika!
Friday, April 28, 2023 at 7:00 p.m.
Miller Theater (formerly the Merriam Theater) on the Kimmel Cultural Campus
Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999 or online at www.kimmelculturalcampus.org.
