Step Afrika! Returns to Soweto: Celebrating 30 Years of Cultural Impact

August 26 – September 7, 2024, Step Afrika! celebrated its 30th anniversary and South Africa’s independence with a two-week tour that re-engaged the Company’s unique origin story. This journey included artistic collaboration, cross-cultural workshops, and performances in the city of Johannesburg, namely at the Centre for the Less Good Idea, and the historic township of Soweto, South Africa, where C. Brian Williams, Thembinkosi Hlathswayo, Moeketsi Koena, and Mbuyiselwa “Jackie” Semela founded the Step Afrika! International Cultural Festival in December 1994.

STEP AFRIKA! Co-founders C. Brian Williams and Moeketsi Koena on South Africa’s Jozi FM (AUGUST 22, 2024)

The two anchoring performances at the Soweto Theatre (September 4 – 5, 2024) showcased a collection of works from the United States alongside returning and newly commissioned pieces by South African artists; Moeketsi Koena, Vusi Mdoyi, Thabiso Manare, Matshidiso Ndinisa, and Thuli Semela. One of the featured South African choreographers, Vusi Mdoyi, had been connected to the Company since participating in the 1998 Step Afrika! International Cultural Festival. The world premiere of his work “Izithukuthuku: the tattered soul of a worker” at Step Afrika!’s 30th Anniversary Celebration gained recognition from the New York Times:

“Growing up in a Black township, Vusi Mdoyi found a sprinkle of joy under apartheid in a street-dancing style known as pantsula. As a choreographer, he has elevated it into high art, injected with ideas.” – John Eligon for the New York Times

This Anniversary tour highlighted the profound connections between South African and American art, transcending cultural boundaries to uniting people through the universal language of dance and rhythm.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW STEP AFRIKA!’S 30TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION’S PROGRAM

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE “Using Dance to Provoke, Delight and Tell South Africa’s Stories”