Step Afrika!

FRI, MAR 29, 8 PM

Colden Auditorium

“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.”

The New York Times

Experience the lively rhythms of Step Afrika! and its legendary stepping. World-renowned for its percussive dances and blend of African sounds, Step Afrika! has performed in more than 60 countries since its founding in 1994. With 18 full-time artists, the troupe uses the stage as a means of expression, combining songs, stories, and humor in its rhythmic dances. Bring your whole family and come ready to clap, stomp, cheer, and participate in call and response with the artists; it’s a thunderously complex, polyrhythmic symphony that will bring you to your feet.

More About the Artists

10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT STEP AFRIKA!

1. Founded in 1994, as an exchange program with the Soweto Dance Theatre of Johannesburg, Step Afrika! is the first professional Dance Company in the world dedicated to the tradition of stepping.

1. Step Afrika! is one of the top 10 African American dance companies in the United States, the largest African American-led arts organization in Washington, DC, and Washington, DC’s only cultural ambassador.

1. Step Afrika! has 17 full-time dancers—all college graduates—many who attended Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and are members of Historically Black Greek Fraternities and Sororities.

1. The Company reaches tens of thousands each year through a 50-city tour of American colleges and theaters and performs globally as an official U.S. Cultural Ambassador.

1. Step Afrika! engages 50,000 college students across the nation, teaches teamwork and discipline to 100 kids as part of the Summer Steps with Step Afrika! summer camp, and expands culture-based arts education for more than 20,000 Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia school students each year.

1. As part of the world’s first interactive stepping exhibit, thousands experience Step Afrika! at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture each day as part of the museum’s Explore More! interactive gallery.

1. In 2021, Step Afrika! entered into a three-year partnership with Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater that provides elevated design support, rehearsal space, dramaturgical and artistic support for the company in our home of Washington, DC.

1. Step Afrika! Founder C. Brian Williams was named a 2022 National Heritage Fellow and is featured in Roots of American Culture: A Cross-Country Visit with Living Treasures of the Folk and Traditional Arts(2022).

1. Step Afrika!’s most recent international tours have promoted cultural dialogue and exchange in Jordan (2018), Ghana (2018). Croatia (2019), Ukraine (2019), Zambia (2019), Angola (2019), South Africa (2019), Dubai (2020), Poland (2022), Slovenia (2022), Bolivia (2022), and Kuwait (2023).

1. In 2023, Step Afrika! was inducted into the National Association of Campus Activities (NACA) Hall of Fame, the first Dance Company to earn this honor.

Ticket Info

$35 (No Fees)

(718) 793-8080; Box Office Hours: TUE-FRI, 12-6 PM & one hour before event time.

Discount Offers: 50% off for Queens College students! Various discounts available for groups, students, seniors, first responders, healthcare workers, and Queens College alumni, staff, and faculty members. Have an offer passcode or discount code? Find out how to use it here.