Ledger

Issue date: 2/2/10 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Media Credit: Trenton Jones Performers entertained the audience for Step Afrika! in Philip Hall on Wed., Jan. 27.

Step Afrika! drew a large crowd at UW Tacoma on Wed., Jan. 27 at 6:30 p.m. in the William W. Philip Hall. The free event was co-sponsored by the Student Activities Board, the Black Student Union, the Hip Hop Dance Crew, the Latin Dance Club, Student Affairs, and Student Involvement.
"[It] brought a lot of people from the community, especially high school students. [It] shows off the campus to prospective students," BSU President Bryan Neal said.
It was a night full of high energy and excitement. Some students even stopped to see the performance in between classes. "I came here for eight minutes. I had to come to see this," Linsey Singleton, a Social Work major, said.
Performances by UWT students kicked off the event. Cruz Credle, ASUWT President, warmed up the audience with the recitation of two poems that he had authored.
Credle was followed by Latin Dance Club President Ruby Tiburcio. Through her Latin dance performance to three choreographed songs, she got the crowd moving and clapping along.
The next group to perform took to the floor to dance to a mixture of hip-hop tracks. This group was Kontagious, a dance group from Lynwood, WA, who were invited by the Hip-Hop Dance Crew.
After the performers warmed up the crowd, Step Afrika! took the stage. The group consisted of seven dancers. The audience immediately started clapping.
Step Afrika! welcomed the audience and told a brief history about the founding of the group. Step Afrika!, which is based in Washington D.C., was founded in 1994, became the first professional dance company dedicated to the dance form of stepping.
Stepping is a highly energetic dance form pioneered by African- American college students. It has had a long history in African-American fraternities and sororities. Step Afrika! incorporates high kicks, feet stomping, and intricate rhythmic movements. Besides drums, the group does not use musical instruments, but instead uses their bodies as instruments through clapping their hands and stomping their feet.
The group tours throughout the U.S., often stopping at universities. Step Afrika! visits fifty campuses annually. They also tour the world, serving as cultural ambassadors.

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