Step Afrika

This five-part virtual series for grades K-12 will introduce students to the history and tradition of stepping through instruction and performance.

Step Afrika! is the world’s first professional company dedicated to the tradition of stepping—a polyrhythmic, percussive dance form that uses the body as an instrument.

Based on Step Afrika!’s award-winning arts education programs and more than 25 years of performing and teaching student audiences, this five-part virtual series for grades K-12 will introduce students to the history and tradition of stepping through instruction and performance. For flexibility, videos in the series will be 15-20 minutes and will be available for use by teachers and students for a two-week period. While the videos may be used individually and watched in any order, our recommendation is to follow the five-day sequence outlined below.

Curriculum Connections: History, Character, and Arts

Grades K-12 | Runtime: Each video in the five-part series will be 15-20 minutes.

Day One: What is Stepping?
An Introduction to the history of stepping.

Day Two: Performance, Act 1
Step Afrika! Performance, Act 1.

Day Three: Performance, Act 2
Step Afrika! Performance, Act 2

Day Four: Stepping with Step Afrika!
A fun, interactive tutorial video to learn the tradition of stepping. Led by Step Afrika! instructors and based on Step Afrika!’s exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African-American History & Culture in Washington, DC, this video will get students moving.

Day Five: Meet the Artists of Step Afrika!
A Q & A in which students connect with the artists of Step Afrika! and learn more about their lives and dancers across the globe.

Step Afrika Resource Guide