Without the initial introduction, it is easy to confuse the art of stepping with step dancing, or even stomping. The differences, however, will be perfectly clear to audiences after a visit this evening to Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center where Step Afrika!, a group of 100-plus accomplished student dancers, along with their mentors, become both teachers and entertainers of this fascinating, almost mind-boggling discipline. “I started Step Afrika! in 1994,” said founder and director, Brian Williams. We are the first company in the world dedicated to the tradition of stepping. And we celebrate and perform this [dance] around the world.”
Historian Jacqui Malone, in her book, “Steppin’ on the Blues” refers to this movement as “one of the most exciting dance forms to evolve in the 20th century.” And the 21st as well, since each year it becomes more and more popular and an important part of America’s artistic and cultural heritage.
