Step Afrika! partners with the Girl Scouts for the first time for their DC Step Showcase

On April 26, 2008, Step Afrika! partnered with the Girl Scouts for the first time, appearing in their DC Step Showcase. The event hosted 14 Girl Scout troops for workshops and special performances. An educational effort, the official program featured a “What is Stepping?” section displayed opposite the Girl Scout Promise:

What is stepping?

“Stepping, rooted in the cultural dance traditions of Africa and made popular in the United States by African-American fraternities and sororities since the early 1900s, is a form of percussive dance in which the entire body is used as an instrument to produce complex rhythms and sounds through a mixture of footsteps, spoken word, and hand claps.

The art form is universal and highly appealing to young people as they use movement, words and sounds to communicate allegiance to a group — in this case, the Girl Scouts! Today, stepping can be found in schools, churches and community-based organizations across the United States and the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital is proud to have our girls participate in this exciting tradition and community-building event.”

VIEW THE FULL 2008 PROGRAM

Fifteen years later, on November 11, 2023, Girl Scout friends and family joined Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana (GSGCNWI) joined Step Afrika! for a ground-breaking cultural stepping workshop! All participating Girl Scouts received a special Step Afrika! patch:

VIEW A REVIEW AND FOOTAGE FROM THE 2023 EVENT