CES at FSU to Host Step Afrika! in Percussive Dance Performance

As part of Family Weekend at Frostburg State University, the FSU Cultural Events Series and the Department of Student Engagement will present Step Afrika! on Saturday, Sept. 30, at 7:30 p.m. in the Alice R. Manicur Assembly Hall of FSU’s Lane University Center.

Step Afrika! merges the dance styles practiced by historically African American fraternities and sororities with traditional West and Southern African dances and an array of contemporary dance and art forms to create a compelling performance that integrates song, storytelling, humor and audience participation. The New York Times raved, “In the bodies of these skilled performers, the beat is obviously unstoppable. Again and again, the dancers pick it up and pass it around with clapping hands and stomping feet, through the legs, behind the back, defiant and unified and inspiring.”

Before the performance, at 3 p.m., in the Lane Atkinson Room (232) community members are invited to attend a free step dance workshop with the artists of Step Afrika! In stepping, the body becomes an instrument, using footsteps, claps and spoken word to produce complex polyrhythms. Attendance is limited and registration is required.

Founded in 1994 by C. Brian Williams, Step Afrika! is the first professional company dedicated to the percussive dance tradition of stepping. The company has evolved to become one of America’s greatest cultural exports, touring to more than 60 countries across the world, and is featured prominently at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture with the world’s first stepping interactive. In 2017, Step Afrika! made its off-Broadway debut with the critically acclaimed production, “The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence.”

Performance tickets are $5. For more information, visit the CES webpage at ces.frostburg.edu or contact the University box office at 1-866-849-9237 or 301-687-3137. The box office, located in the FSU Lane University Center, is open Mondays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

CES is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council (msac.org) and receives financial support from the Allegany Arts Council and the City of Frostburg.