PPC hosts Step Afrika! event

The William Pitt Union Assembly Room came alive with the sounds of stomping, clapping and… The William Pitt Union Assembly Room came alive with the sounds of stomping, clapping and chanting as Step Afrika! brought its unique blend of entertainment and education to Pitt.

The troupe, based in New York and Washington, D.C., performs a live-action history lesson crossed with a performance, documenting and celebrating the experience of stepping in a series of skits and dances. Pitt Program Council sponsored the program.

Justin Newman, special events director for PPC, said he organized the program in order to educate, inform and entertain students about a vibrant activity that has received little attention at Pitt.

Stepping, according to Newman, is a popular activity among black fraternities and sororities across the United States. For many of these groups, stepping is a way of life. While stepping is practiced and performed by a number of Pitt’s minority Greek organizations, Newman said the activity is less popular on Pitt’s campus, a fact he attributes to a small minority population.

Yanique Murphy, a member of Delta Sigma Theta, added that she felt interest was low within the student body.

“Most our big turnouts for step events are minorities,” she said. “Not many people are interested.”

C. Brian Williams, founder and director of the program, defined stepping at the start of the performance.

“Stepping is a percussive, poly-rhythmic art form performed by African American fraternities and sororities,” he said. He added that stepping originated out of an urge to express the cultural pride of the African experience.

After Williams’ introduction, the troupe performed a series of short skits illuminating the background of the art. One skit outlined the experience of young pledges trying to join the step fraternities and sororities. Another brought the audience members back to Africa, documenting the dancing of the ancient warriors of the African plains, complete with colorful costumes and drumming. In another segment, the ensemble called upon 10 audience members to learn and perform a short step routine on stage.

Woven in between segments were brief passages of explanatory comments and short step routines that were met with great acclaim from the audience, which gave a standing ovation at the program’s finale.

Toure Weaver, a graduate student at Pitt, found the program extremely informative.

“It was nice to see the connections between stepping here and Africa,” he said.

Nicole Cofer, president of Pitt’s National Pan-Hellenic Council, was disappointed with the turnout for the event. She disputed claims that step is unpopular at Pitt, adding that a previous step event on campus drew 1,500 people. She attributes the small audience to a lack of communication.

“I would say the interest is there,” she said. “It’s just a matter of getting the publicity out.”