University of Florida Performing Arts presents Step Afrika! Friday, April 7, 2017 7:30 p.m. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
Step Afrika! PROGRAM Tribute Choreographed by Jakari Sherman Tribute pays homage to the African-American step show. Based on steps and styles seen in step shows across the U.S., Tribute expands on stepping s roots by increasing the length of the step from the traditional two minutes to 10 minutes. It combines the distinct stepping styles from different fraternities and sororities and blends them together to showcase the incredible variety of stepping. Tribute includes all the exciting elements found in the step show the use of props, ripples and floor work, creative formations and audience participation. Ndlamu Choreographed by Jackie Semela Ndlamu is a traditional dance of the Zulu people. For more than 20 years, Step Afrika! has studied the dance form through the Company s long-standing partnership with the Soweto Dance Theater of Johannesburg, South Africa. Isicathulo Choreographed by Jackie Semela Isicathulo or the gumboot dance is a tradition created by South African workers who labored in the oppressive mining industry of then-apartheid South Africa. Isolated from their families for long periods, the miners transformed their rubber boots into percussive instruments to not only entertain but to share secret messages with each other. Isicathulo is one of the most popular dance forms in South Africa and contains striking similarities to the African-American tradition of stepping. Solo Choreographed by Christopher Brient Chicago Choreographed by Jakari Sherman Chicago finds the rhythm in everyday situations. It is a percussive symphony using body percussion and up to five complex polyrhythms performed simultaneously in order to narrate a percussive dance story. Inspired by a summer spent in the Windy City, this groundbreaking work transforms the 100-year-old, folkloric tradition of stepping into contemporary performance art. Special Note: Audience participation has been a part of the step tradition since its inception in the 1900s. Throughout any Step Afrika! performance, the audience is invited to clap, stomp, cheer and participate in call and response with the artists. The Company may also bring members of the audience onto the stage to learn a step with the company.
step afrika! company biography Founded in 1994 by C. Brian Williams, Step Afrika! is the first professional company dedicated to the tradition of stepping. It now ranks as one of the top ten African- American dance companies in the United States. The company blends percussive dance styles practiced by historically African-American fraternities and sororities, traditional South African dances, and a wide variety of contemporary and folkloric art forms. Performances are much more than dance shows; they integrate songs, storytelling, humor and audience participation. Step Afrika! promotes stepping as an educational tool for young people, focusing on teamwork, academic achievement and cross-cultural understanding. The company reaches tens of thousands of Americans each year through a 50-city tour of colleges and theatres and performs globally as Washington, D.C. s one and only Cultural Ambassador. Step Afrika! has earned Mayor s Arts Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Arts Education (2005); Innovation in the Arts (2008); and Excellence in an Artistic Discipline (2012); and most recently performed at the White House for President Barack Obama and the First Lady. Step Afrika! is featured prominently at the Smithsonian s new National Museum of African-American History & Culture with the world s first stepping interactive. To learn more, visit www.stepafrika.org. THE COMPANY C. BRIAN WILLIAMS FOUNDER / EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR C. Brian Williams is a graduate of Howard University in Washington, D.C. and a native of Houston, Texas. Brian first learned to step as a member of his fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Beta Chapter in 1989. After a fellowship in Southern Africa, he began to research stepping, exploring the many sides of this exciting, yet under-recognized American art form and founded Step Afrika! in 1994. Williams has performed, lectured and taught in Europe, South and Central America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, the Caribbean and throughout the United States. He is a co-founder of the historic Step Afrika! International Cultural Festival in Johannesburg, South Africa. Under Brian s leadership, stepping has evolved into one of America s newest cultural exports and inspired the designation of Step Afrika! as Washington, D.C. s official Cultural Ambassador. Brian has been cited as a Civic/Community Visionary by NV Magazine and Nation Builder by the National Black Caucus of State Legislators. He is featured in Soulstepping, the first book to document the history of stepping, and several documentaries discussing the art form. Brian is also a recipient of numerous awards including the Mayor s Art Award for Innovation in the Arts and the Pola Nirenska Award for Contemporary Achievement in Dance. Most recently, Brian received an appointment from Mayor Muriel E. Bowser to serve as a Commissioner for the D.C. Commission on Arts and Humanities.
MFONISO AKPAN ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Mfon Akpan has trained extensively in tap, ballet, jazz, modern, African dance and step. While attending the State University of New York at Stony Brook, she majored in biochemistry and cultivated her stepping skills as a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Mfon began her training at the Bernice Johnson Cultural Arts Center and has performed at Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, the Apollo Theater, the Brooklyn Academy of Music and Lincoln Center. Mfon toured with the off-broadway show Hoofin 2 Hittin, where she was a featured stepper and dancer. CHRISTOPHER BRIENT ASSISTANT ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Christopher Brient, from Houston, Texas, performed in his first step show in the ninth grade, and has been addicted to the stage ever since. His love of dance began while attending Texas A&M University, where he taught hip hop classes, served as Step Master for the Potent Pi Omicron Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and earned a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Journalism. Chris spent two seasons dancing with Team NRG, the dance team for the WNBA Houston Comets, and was a member of G Force, the step team for the NBA Houston Rockets. He joined Step Afrika! in 2009. DIONNE ELEBY Dionne Eleby is a graduate of Elon University where she majored in Musical Theater and minored in African-American Studies and Business Administration. A native of Atlanta, Ga., Dionne has performed with the African American Dance Ensemble, ArtPark Regional Theatre, and Rotterdam s Lef in Holland. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. JOE MURCHISON Joe Murchison comes to Step Afrika! from Lawton, Okla. He has trained at the Dallas Black Dance Academy, the official school of the Dallas Black Dance Theatre. Joe was a scholarship recipient at the Debbie Allen Hip Hop Intensive, led by Hip Hop great, Dave Scott. Joe began stepping in junior high school but it was not until he attended the University of Central Oklahoma, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology, that he bloomed as a performing artist. As President and Step Master of the Zeta Sigma chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Joe led his chapter to numerous step show competitions, earning both district and regional awards. ANESIA SANDIFER Anesia Sandifer is a native of Augusta, Ga. She attended the University of Georgia where she received a BBA in Finance with a minor in Dance. She is a member of the Zeta Psi chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., where she served as Step Master. Anesia studied and performed at the 2015 Debbie Allen Summer Intensive in Los Angeles, Calif. She has danced with O.A.R. and Siedah Garrett for ESPN s Special Olympics 2015 World Games. JORDAN SPRY Jordan Spry, from Philadelphia, Pa., joined Step Afrika! in 2012. He was first introduced to stepping in high school, when he joined the Progressive African American Cultural Society. Jordan attended Howard University and graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing. While at Howard, he stepped with the Drew Hall Step
Team, where he served as Head Coach and choreographed many award-winning steps. Jordan is a freelance photographer, capturing moments from Step Afrika! s tours around the world, and an aspiring model. ANDREW VINSON, JR. Andrew Vinson, Jr. attended Elizabeth City State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design and Computer Science with a concentration in Business Administration. He is a proud member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. Lambda Gamma chapter, where he served as Basileus and Hop Master. Andrew began playing drums at an early age and has since mastered styles ranging from marching band to jazz. Andrew is a native of Enfield, N.C. He joined Step Afrika! in 2009. TA QUEZ WHITTED Ta Quez Whitted is a proud alumnus of Elizabeth City State University where he captained the step team and graduated with a B.S. in Criminal Justice. Ta Quez started stepping in high school where he founded Mu Omega Psi Fraternity Step Team during his junior year to develop leadership and promote brotherhood and academic excellence. JEREL L. WILLIAMS Jerel L. Willliams, from Jacksonville, Fla., has been stepping for more than 18 years. Dance and theater became a part of his life when he joined the Florida A&M University STRIKERS in 2007, where he trained to be a professional performer. Jerel studied Education at Tallahassee Community College and has served many years as a student advocate, mentor, stepping and dance instructor. He joined Step Afrika! in 2016. JOHN ALEXANDER PRODUCTION / STAGE MANAGER John Alexander s recent designs include Yellowman by Dael Orlandersmith, directed by Thembi Duncan; Riches by Lee Blessing, directed by Paul Douglas Michnewicz; Blackberry Winter by Steve Yockey, directed by Michael Dove; Darius and Twig by Calette Jennings, directed by Eleanor Holdridge; the national tour of Anne and Emmett by Janet Langhart Cohen, directed by Tom Jones II; Leto Legend by Kristen LePine, directed by Helen Pafumi; and Happiness and Other Reasons to Die by Bob Bartlett, directed by Gregg Henry. He also designed for the Eugene O Neill Theatre Festival, Source Theater Festival, George Mason University, Georgetown University, and Bowie State University. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.