Step Afrika!’s Magical Musical Holiday Step Show has its first sold-out run at Arena Stage

Nearly 8,000 people attended the sold-out 2022 return of Step Afrika!’s Magical Musical Holiday Step Show at Arena Stage in Washington, DC. The performances featured fabulous furry friends from the Arctic Kingdom–Popper the Penguin and Polo the Polar Bear–along with DJ Nutcracker who ensured a fun and exciting experience for the entire family! This was Step Afrika!’s first year bringing the annual holiday spectacular to Arena Stage, and the run was a resounding success.

Step Afrika! performs sneak peek of holiday step show

FOX5, December 7, 2022 10:51am EST

Step Afrika! Holiday Show Brings Soulful Seasonal Cheer

by Micha Green, Washington Informer, December 14, 2022

With countless renditions of “The Nutcracker,” on stages across the world this time of year, Step Afrika!’s “Magical Musical Holiday Step Show,” at Arena Stage offers an engaging, energetic welcome into a fantastic winter wonderland full of festive characters, mystifying moves and the spirit of the season.

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Despite sounding like a “Bah! Humbug! Betty,” I promise I’m not Ebonisha Scrooge or Micha Grinch. Just writing this article is making me pull out my Christmas To Do List, because, quite frankly, I’ve been bitten by the holiday cheer bug ever since seeing Step Afrika!’s opening night performance on Dec. 9.

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From the moment I noticed the audience members were being handed noisemakers like clappers and shakers, I knew I was in for a treat for the show directed by the company’s Artistic Director Mfoniso Akpan.

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And when those stage lights come up, Step Afrika! not only performs, the multifaceted artists bring the audience into the action, sharing the magic, cheer, and soulfulness of the season.

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It’s 70 minutes of nonstop holiday cheer and the performers are putting their all into the entertainment, executing moves with precision and extreme energy. Though the show is full of captivating complicated choreography, stunts, and splits, the artists make it look easy.

As a former dancer and stepper, current Zumba instructor and occasional stroller– as a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.–I know firsthand, what they’re doing is far from easy. It requires focus, a good memory, exact timing, technical training, a lot of energy and even more heart.

“It takes so much work to bring this joy,” said C. Brian Williams, who founded Step Afrika! in 1994.”

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