Carolina Theatre Presents STEP AFRIKA Review — Rhythm Juiced with Volcanic Energy

Posted on by Amy Munice

“…Are there any Greeks here?”

Carolina Theatre STEP AFRIKA
Photo: Peter Kachergis
Carolina Theatre STEP AFRIKA
Photo: Huth, courtesy of Carolina Theatre

That question shot out from stage right.  We were all still vibrating from the energy explosion on the stage that is Step Afrika. Some of us are likely feeling vicariously winded— even though there wasn’t the slightest hint from the Olympian athlete level Steppers  on the stage that they were in any way exerting.  WOW!

Polling the audience for “Greeks” wasn’t a question about toga lovers or experts in Mediterranean cuisine.  Newcomers to Stepping  had just learned that this art was born in HBCUs, as a way for students to de-stress from academic challenges and to find each other and bond.

Indeed, the Mayor of Durham, Leo Williams, had just introduced the Step Afrika performance by showing us a few of his Step moves from back in the day. 

Tap, slap, and finger snaps…

Leaps, splits, more knees seeming as high as chins….

Rhythm that spirals with limitless crescendo….

Melting in and out of kaleidoscope like freezes that last but a nanosecond because the beat is driving on more quickly….

The stage feels more playground than theater,  We watch showdowns between the guys and the gals.  It’s a graceful rumble with each team assured that they won’t allow themselves to be upstaged for nary a moment.  Later we too are drawn into the fray, with our seating sections assigned to call and response merriment set to the beats. We clap, we snap, we try to keep up.

 We feel explosive joy right from the gitgo, as we bathe in Step Afrika’s rhythm so juiced with volcanic energy. HOW FUN!

STEP AFRIKA Teaches Too

About midway in the performance we see a film that shows the troupe visiting Soweto.  Movements are exchanged and mirrored.  Without words, we SEE how Stepping was born too of Africa and the folk dancing of that terrain.  The dancers re-emerge in African garb to spiral the energy and choreography up yet another notch— adding graceful jetés and other whiffs of ballet moves — as they both mirror the African dancers and also take it to the next level.

A somber note is added when the Gum Boots Dance is introduced with a dedication to Nelson Mandela. The cast now wear knee- high galoshes, which we learn were protection for the miners from the dangerous and miserable conditions in the mines.  These boots are slapped on the floor and slapped by the dancers’ hands. We learn that the multi-lingual workers used these boot rhythms to communicate with each other—- about the foreman coming or inviting to a lunch break.  

In this writer’s opinion, Step Afrika is a performance EVERYONE should juggle their schedule to see. 

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Images courtesy of Step Afrika, unless otherwise indicated.  Slider photos of Durham Mayor Leo Williams by Peter Kachergis.

Also, click for complete photo credits for the video Step Afrika at Carolina Theatre from the Picture This Post YouTube Channel. 

Find more Picture This Post dance reviews in the latest roundup — CHOREOGRAPHERS WE LOVE. Also, watch a short preview video here —

Amy Munice

About the Author: Amy Munice

Amy Munice is Editor-in-Chief and Co-Publisher of Picture This Post. She covers books, dance, film, theater, music, museums and travel. Prior to founding Picture This Post, Amy was a freelance writer and global PR specialist for decades—writing and ghostwriting thousands of articles and promotional communications on a wide range of technical and not-so-technical topics.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ARTICLES BY AMY MUNICE.

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