DUBUQUE, Iowa –University of Dubuque’s Heritage Center continues its fourth annual Live at Heritage Center Performing Arts Series with Step Afrika! on Tuesday, Nov. 15, at 7:30 p.m. The first professional step company of its kind, Washington, D.C.’s Step Afrika! explores the tradition of stepping, its roots on historically African American college campuses, and its future as a growing art form. The company began in 1994 as an exchange program with the Soweto Dance Theatre of Johannesburg, South Africa, and has expanded to become an international touring performance phenomenon worldwide.
WHAT: Live at Heritage Center Performing Arts Series – Step Afrika!
WHEN: Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2016, at 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: John and Alice Butler Hall, Heritage Center
TICKETS: $25-$30 adults, $21-$25 UD alumni, $10 students
Like tap dance without shoes, or a band without instruments, stepping is a percussive art form that uses kicks, stomps, claps, and chants – all linked to traditional African dance. Step Afrika! brings a high-energy performance to the stage and proves to be much more than a dance show by integrating songs, storytelling, humor, and audience participation. The blend of technique, agility, and energy makes each performance unique and leaves audiences spellbound.
Over the past 20 years, Step Afrika! has grown to become one of the Top 10 African American dance companies in the United States and the largest African American led arts organizations in Washington, D.C. Each year, the company performs in 10 countries for more than 50,000 people and reaches 23,000 youth through its arts education programs. The company will also perform for local school audiences at Heritage Center during its residency on the UD campus as part of the SchoolBus Performance Series.
Prior to the evening public show, a member of Step Afrika! will deliver a free pre-show lecture in Babka Theatre, adjacent to Butler Hall, offering insights on the company from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m.
Tickets for Step Afrika! can be purchased now at the Farber Box Office Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Heritage Center, University of Dubuque, 2255 Bennett Street; by phone at 563.585.SHOW; or online at www.dbq.edu/heritagecenter.
This engagement is supported, in part, by the William P. Woodward Visiting Artist-in-Residence Endowment.
Telegraph Herald serves as the Heritage Center 2016-2017 season presenting media partner.
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