Welcome to Cuesheet,

a performance guide

published by the

Education Department

of the John F.

Kennedy Center for

the Performing Arts,

Washington, D.C. This

Cuesheet is designed

to help you enjoy the

dance performance by

Step Afrika!

ContentsAbout the Step Afrika!

Performance, 2-3

Influences and

Styles, 4

Dance in Africa, 5

Drumming and

Rhythm, 6

Rhythm Around You, 7

More About Step Afrika!

and the Performance

and Resources, 8

The gumboot

marks topics for

discussion or

activities you may

want to do with other

students, friends,

or family.

By using the body as an instrument, Step Afrika!

performers create rhythmwhile they dance.

By using the body as an instrument, Step Afrika!

performers create rhythmwhile they dance.

What is Stepping?

S tepping is a dance that uses thebody as an instrument. It combinesfootsteps, claps, and spoken words

to produce complex rhythms, and hasroots in African dance and militarymarching. In stepping, the dancers wearhard-soled shoes that crack and slapagainst the floor. Step Afrika! is a dancecompany committed to furthering thetradition of stepping.

College: Where Stepping Was BornIn the early 1900s, African Americanstudents who were members of collegeorganizations called sororities and fraternities developed stepping.(Sororities are for women and fraternities are for men.) Stepping

became a way members could show pride in their club.

The CompanyStep Afrika! is a troupe of dancers who all attended U.S. colleges and universities. Its performers share threecore values that allow them to be goodsteppers as well as great students:

teamwork—working together

discipline—having self-control

commitment—being dedicated tosomething or someone

It,s EverywhereThough stepping is traditionallyassociated with college groups,the art form is universal and highly appealing to young people.Today, stepping can be found inelementary, middle, and highschools across the United Statesas well as in churches and community-based organizations.Are there step teams in your community? Where?

Dances You Will SeeAt the Step Afrika! performance, youwill see the following:

● a South African gumboot dance (above). In this dance, the dancers wear rubber boots (gumboots) that they hit with their bare hands to make rhythms (patterns of sound).

● a South African Zulu dance(left). This dance features athletic kicks, energetic movements, and words in the Zulu language. The costumes were made in Johannesburg, one of the largest cities in Africa, especially for the dancers.

● high-energy step routines(right). Step Afrika! will demonstrate collegiate step traditions as practiced by men and women all across the United States. Look for the use of props, creative formations, and chants that appear in each step.

About the Step Afrika!

2

PHO

TO C

OU

RTES

Y O

F ER

IK W

ATSO

N

Performance

Dance CreationChoreography is the art of making adance. Choreographers are the peoplewho create dances by putting movementstogether into phrases (connected seriesof dance movements). Some of StepAfrika! ’s dances were choreographedby the late Mbuyiselwa Jacob (“Jackie”)Semela, a respected choreographerfrom Soweto, South Africa.

Create a Simple DanceChoreographers often create

a dance by:

● repeating a movement

● changing the pattern or steps that they use

● changing the direction of the movement

● slowing down or speeding up movements

● changing levels by having dancers reach up high or down low

Create one simple movement usingyour arm or leg. Change it, using theideas above. Demonstrate your dancefor others. Then, explain your choreography.

33

PHO

TO C

OU

RTE

SY O

F ER

IK W

ATSO

N

American Dance Meets African Dance

A frican tradition has influenced the dances of Step Afrika! TheAmerican and African dances

that Step Afrika! performs share the following qualities:

● They are percussive, meaning dancers strike their feet and hands to create rhythms.

● They are polyrhythmic, meaning dancers play several different rhythms at the same time.

● They involve call and response, meaning a leader makes a statementwith words or movements, and the other dancers answer.

Styles of SteppingThere are many styles of stepping.Fraternities and sororities develop theirown particular style. In the past, malestep teams were more athletic in theirstepping, hitting the floor harder andperforming more stunts, while female

teams focused on hand work andsinging. This is changing because femaleteams have become more physical.

Gumboot DancingAfrican mine workers developed gumboot dancing nearly 100 years ago,around the same time stepping beganin the U.S. The name of the dancecomes from the rubber-soled bootsworn by the mine workers. Minersdanced for enjoyment during breaksfrom their dangerous work.

Gumboot dancing resembles stepping—using foot stomping, hand clapping,thigh slapping, and singing. However,the footwork in gumboot dancing isoften slower and the movements ofgroup members are less uniform.Watch and listen for:

● the sounds made by gumboots versus the hard-soled shoes of stepping.

● routines performed by women only. How are the stepping styles different from the men’s?

● some of the dancers switching to become drummers.

4

The Step Afrika! dancers changefootwear depending on the style

of dance being performed. In traditional African dances (top left),no shoes are worn. Gumboot dances

(middle) require the rubber-soled gumboots. Traditional college step routines (left) use hard-soled shoes tocreate loud sounds as the feet move.

PHO

TO B

Y ©

SH

ARO

N F

ARM

ERPH

OTO

BY

© S

HA

RON

FA

RMER

PHO

TO C

OU

RTE

SY O

F ER

IK W

ATSO

N

Who Dances?In some African cultures, dance andmusic are a necessary part of everydaylife. In these cultures, both young andold dance and make music to mournthe dead, connect with their gods, andencourage growth of crops. The Africanbelief that dance is for everyone is abasis of the stepping tradition.

Dance as MusicIn African cultures where dance ishighly regarded, music and dance are not considered separate activities.Musicians sway as they play music and dancers create sounds when theymove. Step Afrika! dancers make music with their bodies by tapping and stomping, and often move to the drum beat.

Body MusicWatch the dancers make music

with their bodies. They stomptheir feet, clap their hands, and

use their voices. After the performance,choose a partner from your class.Together, pick out four of your favoritesound movements. Practice thesemovements with your partner until you can perform the sequence severaltimes. Together, perform this dance for your class.

5

These dancers use hand slapping and foot stompingto create audible rhythms with their bodies.

PHO

TO C

OU

RTE

SY O

F ER

IK W

ATSO

N

Beat It!

T he drum is a very importantmusical instrument in African culture. In some parts of Africa,

each family has its own unique drumrhythm, and this rhythm is passeddown through generations. Drums help send messages across long distances, like announcing births or marriages to neighboring towns.

When the slave trade brought Africansto America, the Africans brought theirdrum rhythms with them. They useddrums to “talk” to neighboring slaves.When plantation owners discoveredthat messages were being sent, drumswere forbidden.

As a result, enslaved Africans continuedto play drum rhythms, but they beganto use their bodies to make the sounds.Dance forms such as tap, hambone,and stepping are all examples of how the drum now lives in AfricanAmerican culture.

What is Rhythm?Rhythm is patterns of long and shortsounds organized by beat, accent, and tempo:

Beats are sounds that repeat again and again in a regular pattern. Beatsare everywhere: from the ticking of aclock to the sound of footsteps. Whenpeople clap their hands to music, theysound the beats.

Accents are beats that are soundedmore strongly than others. In mostAmerican music, beats are arranged ingroups of two or three with the accenton the first beat. In African music, theaccent is usually on the second beat.

Tempo is the speed at which the beatsare played. Listen for the rhythms StepAfrika! creates. Is the tempo fast or slow?

66

Drumming and Rhythm

Step Afrika! frequently travels to Africa to share and learn dances and drumming traditions with the people of South Africa.

PHO

TO C

OU

RTES

Y O

F ER

IK W

ATSO

N

Rhythm Around YouCreating Polyrhythm

In class or at home, divide intofour groups, A, B, C, and D.

Each group should choose a different part of the body to createrhythm. For example, one group canclap their hands, another can slap theirknees, another can stomp their feet, and the last can repeat a short word like “yes!”

Look at the chart above. See that groupA sounds all four beats, group B soundsbeats 1 and 3, group C sounds 2 and 4,and group D sounds twice on eachbeat. Each group should rehearse by itself, counting the beats out loud

and practicing until members can repeatthe rhythm threetimes with accuracy.Then all four groupscan perform together.

PracticingCall and Response

Call and response occurs when a leader calls out words to

which others respond; call andresponse can also be danced. Step Afrika!has taught the following call andresponse sequence to students allaround the country.

Rhythm in LifeSpend a day listening to therhythms that are part of your

everyday life. For example, doyou hear crickets sounding a slow beat?What rhythms do members of yourfamily make when they go up thestairs? Memorize and practice one of these rhythms. Then share it with your class.

77

BEATSGroup 1 2 3 4

ABCD

PHO

TO C

OU

RTE

SY O

F ER

IK W

ATSO

N

AFRICA

go online:Step Afrika! www.stepafrika.org