Step Afrika! The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence with special guests The Legendary Ingramettes

Step Afrika!’s signature work The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence charts the story of African American migrants moving from the rural South to the industrial North to escape Jim Crow, racial oppression, and lynchings in the early 1900s. Inspired by Lawrence’s iconic 60-panel painting, “The Migration Series” (1940-41), the award-winning dance company uses the images, color palette, and motifs in the series to tell this astonishing story through pulsating rhythms and visually stunning movement.

This performance features special guests The Legendary Ingramettes. The Legendary Ingramettes and Step Afrika! were both part of the 2022 cohort of NEA National Heritage Fellows, and founder C. Brian Williams is thrilled to share the stage with them in Richmond.

Step Afrika! blends percussive dance styles practiced by historically African American fraternities and sororities; traditional African dances; and an array of contemporary dance and art forms into a cohesive, compelling artistic experience.

“Despite the sorrow and hardship in the historical record and the colorful but sometimes bleak imagery in Lawrence’s paintings, Step Afrika! approaches the narrative with optimism and hope.” - DC Theater Arts