Step Afrika! brings the rhythm home: the Company’s very first Home Performance Series takes place in Washington, DC

Washington’s Step Afrika! Brings the Rhythm Home

Written by Lisa Traiger for the Washington Post, published June 2, 2006

“There’s nothing understated about the dance or the dancers of Step Afrika!, the District-based troupe that brings step dancing, the percussive form created by African American fraternity brothers and sorority sisters, to the concert stage. Their animated programs place stepping in a historical and cultural context that includes tap, South African gumboot dancing, Zulu tribal dances, vogueing and hip-hop.

Wednesday evening’s performance at Gala Theatre was a homecoming — back in Washington after a year on the road with a number of new and unrelentingly energetic company members, they put on a lively, sometimes ear-splitting show.

Akin to tap but with a heavier flat-footed attack on the floor, stepping also features upper-body embellishments — body percussion of sorts, with hitting, slapping, and clapping along with singsongy vocal chants, calls, and responses.

South African native Lesole Maine is effervescent in “Sebenza (Work),” a theatrical and funny take on the traditional gumboot dance. Bent forward, slapping the sides of these boots, the men find a sense of playful camaraderie. The trickery of many step dances shines in “The Pledge Scene” as four men — bulldog tough on the outside but soft-hearted beneath — try to strut before a line of sassy sorority sisters and an overbearing pledge master, who mocks the guys’ awkward, rough-around-the-edges steps.”

VIEW THE FULL 2006 ARTICLE HERE