12 Things to Know About Step Afrika!

12 Things to Know About Step Afrika!

  1. 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.
  2. Step Afrika! is one of the top 10 African American dance companies in the United States, the largest African American-led arts organization in Washington, DC, and Washington, DC’s only cultural ambassador.
  3. Step Afrika! has 19 full-time dancers—all college graduates—many who attended Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and are members of Historically Black Greek Fraternities and Sororities.
  4. Step Afrika! founder C. Brian Williams was named a National Heritage Fellow by the National Endowment for the Arts—our nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. This prestigious award celebrates individuals whose artistic excellence and cultural contributions have had a profound and lasting impact on America’s heritage. Williams is also featured in Roots of American Culture: A Cross-Country Visit with Living Treasures of the Folk and Traditional Arts (2022), a publication that showcases the stories of those who preserve and elevate the diverse traditions that shape our national identity.
  5. The Company reaches tens of thousands each year through an annual tour of American colleges and theaters and performs globally as an official U.S. Cultural Ambassador.
  6. Step Afrika! engages 50,000 college students across the nation, teaches teamwork and discipline to 100 kids as part of the Summer Steps with Step Afrika! summer camp, and expands culture-based arts education for more than 20,000 Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia school students each year.
  7. As part of the world’s first interactive stepping exhibit, thousands experience Step Afrika! at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture each day as part of the museum’s Explore More! interactive gallery.
  8. In 2021, Step Afrika! entered into a three-year partnership with Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater that provides elevated design support, rehearsal space, dramaturgical and artistic support for the company in our home of Washington, DC.
  9. In 2023, Step Afrika! was inducted into the National Association of Campus Activities (NACA) Hall of Fame, the first Dance Company to earn this honor.
  10. Step Afrika!’s most recent international tours have promoted cultural dialogue and exchange in Croatia (2019), Ukraine (2019), Zambia (2019), Angola (2019), South Africa (2019), Dubai (2020), Poland (2022), Slovenia (2022), Bolivia (2022), Kuwait (2023), South Africa (2024), Lesotho (2024), Eswatini (2024) and Senegal (2024).
  11. As of February 2025, Step Afrika! is the new GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title holder for the “largest STEPPING dance”.
  12. Step Afrika! recently appeared on the TODAY Show and The Kelly Clarkson Show.