Even in the midst of a global pandemic, D.C.’s own professional dance company dedicated to the tradition of stepping, Step Afrika!, continues to find creative ways to provide some of the best entertainment available for fans in the greater Washington area.
The dance company, founded and led by C. Brian Williams, will premiere its new show, “Stono,” on Facebook and YouTube at 8 p.m. Wednesday. The show serves as a tribute to the Sept. 9, 1739, march of enslaved Africans in South Carolina along the Stono River. While their efforts to gain their freedom would ultimately fail, the incident bears historical significance as one of the earliest collective actions for human rights in the U.S.
A discussion will follow the performance moderated by WUSA-TV anchor Lesli Foster with scholars from Yale and Columbia who will compare the rebellion to issues that still plague today’s society.
To register for the free event, go to www.stepafrika.org.