‘The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence’ Returns for a Record-Breaking Run

On June 6, 2024, Step Afrika!’s The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence returned to the stage! Opening with a private performance at Arena Stage in Washington, DC., the show ran for six weeks, Step Afrika!’s longest-ever run, from June 7 to July 14, 2024. The work then toured to sold-out performances in Lincoln, NE; Chicago, IL; Richmond, VA; Berkeley, CA; and University Park, PA.

“…there are few victories as sweet as a production like this one, in which bodies are freer than ever to own their stories and tell their truths.” – Itai Yasur, BroadwayWorld

For this special rendition of The Migration, Step Afrika! was granted the opportunity to project images from both the even and odd panels of “The Migration Series,” a collection split between MoMA in New York, NY, and The Phillips Collection in Washington, DC. This was a rare opportunity for audience members to witness the unification of these panels through the power of dance.

Step Afrika! on Washington, DC’s NBC4 on June 16, 2024

Originally premiering in 2011, Step Afrika!’s signature work The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence is based on Jacob Lawrence’s iconic painting series that tells the story of one of the largest movements of people in United States history—when millions of African Americans moved from the rural South to the industrial North in the early 1900s to escape racial oppression. Each piece uses the images, color palette, and motifs in the painting series to tell this astonishing story through pulsating rhythms and visually stunning movement.

The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence was presented through generous funding from Reg Brown and Tiffeny Sanchez and made possible with additional support provided by B. Thomas Mansbach.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE MIGRATION: REFLECTIONS ON JACOB LAWRENCE‘S PROGRAM

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE MIGRATION: REFLECTIONS ON JACOB LAWRENCE‘S RESOURCE GUIDE