Step Afrika, a professional step dance company, made a stop at USC Thursday and wowed audiences with its powerful movements and beats. Despite a delayed 8:20 p.m. start, the Step Afrika performers took to the Russell House Ballroom stage to begin a night of highly energetic entertainment filled with audience involvement.
The Washington, D.C., steppers are one of a kind — the first professional company in the world dedicated to stepping — and are truly the best at what they do. Through sharp, synchronized movements, they pay homage to the dance tradition that originated with African-American college students.
Step Afrika came to USC as part of its annual 50-city tour of colleges and universities to showcase their talents and educate students about the culture and meaning of stepping.
Carolina Productions brought the company to campus wanting an Africa-related event, which it hadn't had yet this semester, said Eric Telford, third-year management science student and member of the Cultural Awareness Committee of CP.
"We needed something really big, not just for African-American students but to show others their culture and history of dance," Telford said.
By combining footsteps, claps, pats, snaps and words, stepping transforms the body into an instrument capable of complex rhythms and harmonies. The Step Afrika performers have perfected this art form and use dynamic formations and creative numbers to put on an impressive show.
The dancers never forgot their audience, however, and continually encouraged students to get out of their seats and clap with as much energy as possible. They had some parts of the room clapping fast, others slow, sometimes just the girls, other times just the guys, but everyone was smiling and laughing.
At one point in the show, the Step Afrika performers separated themselves into boy and girl teams and asked the crowd to judge who did the best. Both teams received a booming applause for their perfectly coordinated steps, but the girls team won after two rounds.
Later on, the dance company asked 12 students onto the stage and walked them through a series of steps in front of the crowd. Two were selected to be part of a tribal number that occurred later in the show.
Though stepping originated with African-American college students, specifically fraternities and sororities, its roots lie in Africa. For the near-final number of the night, Step Afrika performed a dance of the Zulu people, donning traditional clothing and moving to the forceful beat of drums.
The combination of unique sound and passionate movements was enough to transport anyone to that small Zulu village and was a favorite of the night.
Kintéshia Scott, a first-year environmental science student, said the tribal dance was a personal highlight.
"I loved it. I thought it was very creative and loved how they incorporated Africa into stepping," said Scott, who used to step for a recreational team as well as her church.
The community feel stepping provides was more than enough to unite showgoers in a shared night of enjoyment. The energy and cheeriness of all the Step Afrika performers overflowed into the audience and created a fun, relaxed environment that educated as well as amazed.