Jackline+Rwigamba3252010

="STEPPING" ON CULTURE DAY=

By: JACKIE Rwigamba

(BANGOR) Last night Husson university, Nescom and faculty were entertained and ushered into a step dance culture by Step Afrika, a group all the way from Washington D.C.

According to their introduction, “ Step Afrika celebrates stepping, an art form born at African American fraternities and based in African traditions. As the first professional company dedicated to stepping, Step Afrika’s intricate kicks, stomps and rhythms mixed with spoken word pound the floor and fill the air. Whether you are a college student, a dance lover, a family of four, or a world culture enthusiast, find out more about Step Afrika!”

The group serves as “cultural ambassadors” for the United States. They travel around the country and the world sharing their culture and entertain people of all ages and background.

The turn out at the Gracie theatre was tremendous. The theatre was close to full. Students have just come back from spring break but they turned out in numbers. Since the group is [|Step Afrika] of people from different fraternities, the Husson and Nescom fraternity students were all in the house.

The fun part of the show was when volunteers went up the stage and were being taught how to step dance. Their friends in the audience cheered them and some laughed at them for not being able to get the steps right the first time.

The show went for one and half-hours but it seemed too short because they were so entertaining. They incorporated step dancing and some kind of theater when they did a South African gumboot dance.

They explained d to the audience in details about the gumboot dance, which they said the miners in South Africa initiated during the apartheid. It was their way of communicating with each other. They tapped their boots and different rhythms with a mix of spoken words.

The group is still in Bangor and they will be performing at Maine maritime today and tomorrow at the university of Vermont. http://www.stepafrika.com/home.htm