Monmouth University's Center for the Arts presents Step Afrika

Published by New Jersey Stage
07/26/2023

(WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ) -- Monmouth University's Center for the Arts presents Step Afrika on Monday, October 2, 2023 at 6:00pm in the Pollak Theatre. This show introduces audiences to stepping through both a traditional and contemporary lens. 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.

Performances are much more than dance shows; they integrate songs, storytelling, humor, and audience participation. The blend of technique, agility, and pure energy makes each performance unique and leaves the audience with their hearts pounding.

Tickets are $40 and available for purchase online. Monmouth University students can get in for free with ID.

Founded in 1994 by C. Brian Williams, Step Afrika! is the first professional company dedicated to the tradition of stepping. Under Mr. Williams’ leadership, stepping has evolved into one of America’s cultural exports, touring more than 60 countries across the globe, and the Company now ranks as one of the top ten African-American dance companies in the United States.

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 theaters and performs globally as Washington, DC’s one and only Cultural Ambassador.

Step Afrika! has earned Mayor’s Arts Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Arts Education, Innovation in the Arts, Excellence in an Artistic Discipline and headlined President Barack Obama’s Black History Month Reception at The White House. The Company is featured prominently at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African-American History & Culture with the world’s first stepping interactive exhibit.

The Pollak Theatre is located at 400 Cedar Avenue on the campus of Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey.  It is a recently renovated 700 seat theatre that presents live music, theatre and dance by national touring artists such as Rosanne Cash, Jason Isbell, L.A. Theatreworks, and Ailey II Dance Company. In addition, the Pollak Theatre also screens HD broadcasts of the MET Opera, National Theatre of London, and The Bolshoi Ballet, along with children’s theater and other programming presented by the Center for the Arts.