Good times will be afoot when international touring company Step Afrika! delivers a spicy show for step-dancing fans at The Grand in Wilmington on Saturday.
Guests must show proof of full vaccination or a negative PCR test within 72 hours of the event in order to attend this show.
The event is presented by the Gamma Theta Lambda Education Foundation (GTLEdF) in Wilmington.
How good is Step Afrika!?
The company, founded by C. Brian Williams, headlined President Barack Obama’s Black History Month reception at the White House. But their clout doesn’t stop there.
The team has toured more than 60 countries and was featured at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African-American History & Culture with the world’s first stepping interactive exhibit, according to stepafrika.com.
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Performances by company’s like Step Afrika! are important to Kevin Richardson, vice president of GTLEdF, because it gives his organization an opportunity to bring culturally relevant programming to the community.
“It helps to promote [GTLEdF] and inspire kids,” said Richardson, a graduate of Delaware State University. “One of the benefits of going to college, other than working hard and studying hard, is there’s a fun part to it.”
What is stepping?
It’s an art form that originated in the early 1900s when African Americans began attending colleges in greater numbers and decided to create their own fraternities and sororities, as per the Step Afrika! website.
This tradition has become a way that members of these student groups (recognized today as the Divine Nine) have shown love and pride for their organizations.
Step Afrika! offers more than a dance show.
The company mixes a blend of percussive dance styles practiced by fraternities and sororities from historical Black colleges and universities. They also toss in traditional African dances with a variety of contemporary dance and art forms into a high-energy experience.
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Founded in 1994, the Step Afrika! is touted as the first professional dance company dedicated to the tradition of stepping.
Stepping has grown in popularity over the years and Hollywood has played a big role in that because of popular movies like “Stomp the Yard” and “School Daze.”
Not to mention, today’s version of stepping isn’t the same kind as someone’s granddaddy or grandmamma might be used to doing.
The tradition has evolved, and Step Afrika! is the product of that.
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“Early on, [stepping] was a lot more about singing like … people sang songs. Now there’s chanting and strolling,” Richardson said.
“There’s all these different elements. And with anything, as new people come in, they want to put their spin on it.”
Step Afrika! will launch at The Grand (818 N. Market St., Wilmington) at 6 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $33-$63. Visit thegrandwilmington.org or (302) 652-5577.
Andre Lamar is the features/lifestyle reporter. If you have an interesting story idea, email Andre Lamar at alamar@gannett.com.
