Review: STEP AFRIKA!'S MAGICAL MUSICAL HOLIDAY STEP SHOW at Arena Stage

This time of year, various professional and amateur theater companies present Christmas-oriented stage productions. Pardon me while I spoil 80 percent of them: Scrooge realizes he's a prick and gives Cratchit a raise. Those searching for an alternative to the usual fare could do far worse than to attend Step Afrika!'s Magical Musical Holiday Step Show at Arena Stage this week.

Founded in 1994, Step Afrika! is the nation's first professional theatre company dedicated to stepping, a predominantly African American art form in which the human body itself is the primary instrument. In this year's show, the company's talented ensemble performs seven different percussive and kinetic holiday-themed dance routines. The dances are complemented by pyrotechnic light work and infectious (is it acceptable to use that word in a positive connotation again yet?) music spun by "DJ Nutcracker." One of the first set pieces is a techno-themed variation on the Tchaikovsky classic.

The show is highly participative, with the audience encouraged to stomp their feet, applaud, and shake noisemakers. In a dance-off competition between the "Gingerbread Men," the male members, and the "Peppermint Candies," the female members, the audience votes by volume for their favorite. On two occasions, audience members are invited to the stage in the center of the round to learn dance routines.

This performance is not recommended for anyone with sensitive hearing, but open-minded theatre-goers will enjoy the opportunity to patricipate in a raucous, lively, interactive performance, and the chance to warm up and burn off some holiday calories.

Step Afrika's! Magical Holiday Step Show runs approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes and is at Arena Stage through December 18.

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