Review: STEP AFRIKA! at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center's Booth Playhouse

"Freedom! Freedom! And Before I Be A Slave, I'll Be Buried In My Grave!" This self-proclaiming song is referred to as an old "Negro" spiritual. It expresses the sentiments of many of our ancestors like Fannie Lou Hammer who stated, "I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired". Freedom has been at the forefront of our revolutions and quest for equality and civil rights from slaves who were stolen from their motherland and brutally exported to America and other countries to prominent civil rights activists to include Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Liberation has always been a common goal which has been repeatedly expressed through our creativity. Many of those messages and sentiments were relayed and dramatized in the songs and dances displayed by Step Afrika! so eloquently at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center's Booth Playhouse to a sold-out audience. Founded in 1994 by C. Brian Williams, Step Afrika! is the first professional company dedicated to the tradition of stepping. Under Mr. Williams' leadership, stepping has evolved into one of America's cultural exports, touring more than 60 countries across the globe. It now ranks as one of the top ten African-American dance companies in the United States.

Step Afrika! Drumfolk was inspired by The Stono Rebelion of 1739, an uprising initiated by enslaved Africans that originated in South Carolina. The harmonic acapella voices accompanied by drum beats and dance was truly a delightful sound. Not only was Drumfolk entertaining; it was also educational. I learned so much about our history that I didn't know - I was unfamiliar with the Negro Act of 1740 that prohibited slaves from using their African drums in America and also prohibited the right to assemble and read. Yet, the resilience of our ancestors was so strong that the absence of drums didn't stop them...they learned to communicate with their bodies and their voices became their drumbeats, too.

Another interesting fact was that our hairstyles, cornrows (braids) in particular were used as maps to find various locations. Drumfolk was very enlightening and seeing the evolution of various music from hambone to hip-hop was amazing to see on stage. I have a new appreciation for our culture now that I know more about the struggles we faced and the tools we utilized to overcome them. Yes, you can take away our drums...but you can't take away our songs. You can take away our drums, but you can't take away our dance. You can take away our drums, but there's still a beat in our head and a melody in our hearts. You may silence our drums, but you can't silence our voices. Born in America, it is so easy to acclimate to a society that we are so familiar with and forget to explore and learn about the ancestral path of those who sacrificed their very lives so that we can enjoy the freedom and rights we have today.

Music and dance has always been the center of our existence whether it was in the church, skating rinks, juke joints or in that neighborhood basement...we have always had our own unique style of musical and dance expression. The Blues...jazz...rhythm and blues...hip-hop...all forms of music that probably all evolved from the Drumfolk. I am so proud of this rich trail of history and the preservation of it through the wonderful dancers, drummers, and singer of Step Afrika!

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