Step Afrika! is one of the few locally based dance companies that always makes me feel happy and invigorated.
"Part body percussion and part poetry slam, step dancing has been popular for decades on the African American fraternity and sorority circuit. Today stepping has marched off the college yard and into middle schools, high schools, churches, and community centers. Think Spike Lee's School Daze or Sylvain White's Stomp the Yard, two Hollywood takes on college kids who break it down, dance it out, rhyme, and play the dozens to win credibility (and, because it's a movie, get the girl).
Step Afrika!, the 15-year-old troupe that led stepping from the campus to the concert hall, was founded by a young college grad who had hardly seen a dance concert."
I spent a few days with the company this past summer for an article in the February 2009 issue of Dance Magazine. What? You don't subscribe? Well, then sign up here.