STEP AFRIKA!

Review by Noah Witke Mele

Step Afrika! took the Skirball stage by storm, drawing robust cheers and claps from the audience that matched the percussive rhythms of the dancers’ hands and feet. In fact, this relationship with the audience was an integral part of the performance as we were led in playful call-and-response chants or syncopated clapping exercises by the performers.

While many of the audience members were familiar with the jovial attitude that surrounds a stepping show, newcomers weren’t left out and were guided through a brief history of the dance by company members speaking between numbers. They defined stepping as a “highly energetic, poly-rhythmic, and percussive dance style” originating from African-American fraternity and sorority community organizing on college campuses in the early-mid 20th century.

Traversing various stepping styles, the program moved from the tightly choreographed traditional group performances to the equally bombastic contemporary variations where the individual personalities stood out as each dancer took solos featuring dynamic poses and complex rhythms. The stage was outfitted with microphones to amplify the dancers’ stomps and taps, unaccompanied by music save for an interlude of thunderous drumming.

Additionally, the performers would occasionally shout, cheer, and rap in time with their high kicks and jumps. The program was punctuated with a short film celebrating the company’s 30th anniversary, documenting its presence in South Africa with footage that began with grainy VHS recordings and transformed into the crisp focus of the present day.

Following this, the ensemble performed the South African Gumboot Dance, the percussive nature of which is closely related to stepping although the titular rubber boots — worn by coal miners — added another layer to the history of the dance form.

The jubilant expressions of the performers filled the stage with life and energy, and despite the intricate and highly athletic movements, it was clear that they enjoyed performing the dances at least as much as the audience enjoyed watching them. With this Step Afrika! filled the important role of creating a space where new audience members can learn to appreciate the style without diminishing the experience for veteran viewers.

EYE ON THE ARTS, NY — Noah Witke Mele