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West Virginia State University

01/29/2023 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/30/2023 12:55

Step Afrika! Dance Company Bringing Step Show Back to WVSU for Black History Month

Step Afrika! Dance Company Bringing Step Show Back to WVSU for Black History Month


1/29/2023 Contact: Jack Bailey (304) 766-4109
[email protected]

January 19, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Step Afrika! Dance Company Bringing Step Show Back to WVSU for Black History Month

INSTITUTE, W.Va. - West Virginia State University (WVSU) invites the public to enjoy an energetic and modern African step show next month in celebration of Black History Month. Step Afrika! is returning to WVSU's Davis Fine Arts Theater stage this year on Thursday, Feb. 2. The dance company is dedicated to the art form of stepping, and integrates dance, song, storytelling, humor, and audience participation. The company will perform at 7 p.m. The performance is free and open to the public.

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. Step Afrika! blends percussive dance styles practiced by historically African American fraternities and sororities; traditional African dances; and an array of contemporary dance and art forms into a cohesive, compelling artistic experience. The blend of technique, agility, and energy makes each performance unique and leaves audiences with their hearts pounding. The dance company's full-time dancers are all college graduates, and many attended Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). Many are also members of Historically Black Greek Fraternities and Sororities.

Step Afrika! promotes stepping as an educational tool for young people, focusing on teamwork, academic achievement, and cross-cultural understanding. The dance 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.

To learn more about Step Afrika!, visit www.stepafrika.org.

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West Virginia State University is a public, land-grant, historically black university, which has evolved into a fully accessible, racially integrated, and multi-generational institution, located in Institute, W.Va. As a "living laboratory of human relations," the university is a community of students, staff, and faculty committed to academic growth, service, and preservation of the racial and cultural diversity of the institution. Its mission is to meet the higher education and economic development needs of the state and region through innovative teaching and applied research.

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