Photos: The Black Student Alliance ends Black History Month with hosting a Step Afrika!

Performance

The second time in four years Step Afrika!

has performed at Virginia Tech. Immersing
students in African culture and Greek life.

By Jordan Lozama | ljord96@vt.edu | 703-606-0126

BLACKSBURG, VA, February 28, 2016 Step Afrika!, a national and international dance company providing many students attended the
performance at Virginia Tech in the Squires Student Center, Haymarket Theatre at 7:30p.m.

Located on the second floor of Squires in front of the commonwealth ballroom near the back entrance at 7:30 p.m.The event showed the African
dances of Zulu, Gumboot, and Soukous as well as steps from American Greek-Organizations. With stepping in 50 cities around the U.S each year the
company has become one of the top 10 African American Dance Companies in the U.S. and Washington D.C.s largest African American arts
organization. Anesia Sandifer (far left) states the companys definition of stepping, a highly arrhythmic polytechnic stepping form from Africa.

The organization was founded Howard University graduate, of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, brother and a DC resident for over 25 years,
C. Brian Williams is the founder and executive director of Step Afrika!.
The members of Step Afrika! performed the historical dance of Gumboot. (From left to right in red) Anesia Sandifer, Deatrice Clark, and Kiera Harley
Gumboot was adopted when Africans worked in the mines and wore battle it out in a men versus women in a step battle. They tied for first place.
Gumboots to protect their feet from gold. With the many countries in
Africa, the people were from all over the continent and did not speak the
same language. They use boots and the act of stomping as a province
language.
Performing The Traditional Zulu dance of South Africa. Step Africa performers expose the public to traditional African dances and
modernized stepping from Asian, Latin, and America Greek- Letter
organization such as Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, Zeta Phi Beta
Sorority Incorporated, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, Phi Beta
Sigma Fraternity Incorporated, and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Incorporated
(member to the right).
Those who attended the Step Afrika! performance were
automatically eligible to apply for the Step Afrika! Scholarship in the
amount of five hundred dollars for college students attending any of
the shows.
Member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. Jeeda Barrington (front)
instructed volunteers through a routine. Black Student Alliance, Director of
Special Event, Ann-Marie Mingle-Taylor, (far left) performed the practices
routine in front of the crowd. Black Student Alliance (BSA), Co-director of
Marketing, Jonah Mitchell (between Mingle-Taylor and Barrington) stood
in the set position while learning the routine.