Step Afrika! will open IU Auditorium’s 2023-2024 season with an electrifying performance at 8 p.m. Oct. 7 at the auditorium on Seventh Street. The show will feature a lively production of songs, storytelling, humor and audience participation.
Founded in 1994, Step Afrika! is the first professional dance company dedicated to the tradition of stepping: a percussive, highly energetic art form practiced by historically African American fraternities and sororities. The company has toured more than 60 countries across the globe and is ranked as one of the top 10 African American Dance Companies in the U.S, according to the Step Afrika! website. Their mission is to preserve, expand and promote appreciation for stepping.
In stepping, dancers use footsteps, claps and spoken word to create complex rhythms. Step Afrika! mixes these movements with traditional African dances and contemporary art forms to create compelling, elaborate productions.
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Step Afrika!’s performance at IU comes as part of their annual 50-city tour of colleges and theaters across the U.S., where they engage over 50,000 college students nationwide, according to the Step Afrika! website. This tour introduces audiences to stepping through both a traditional and contemporary lens – with a combination of technique, agility and pure energy.
After the show, IU Auditorium will hold a moderated conversation and Q&A with Step Afrika’s Founder and Executive Producer, C. Brian Williams. The conversation will discuss the evening’s performance as well as detail Step Afrika’s journey to becoming a global sensation.
Tickets start at $16 for students and $29 for the public, and no additional ticket purchase is necessary for the Q&A. For more information about Step Afrika!’s performance, visit the IU Auditorium website.
