Step Afrika! to Present Chicago Premiere of THE MIGRATION Next Month

The Auditorium, Chicago's National Historic Landmark stage (50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive), will open its 2024-25 season with the return of Washington, DC-based Step Afrika!, in the Chicago Premiere of its signature, full-evening length production, The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence, for one performance only, Saturday, October 19, at 7:30pm.

Notably, the final movement of The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence is entitled “Chicago,” showcasing its role as one of the key industrial cities providing a haven for the hundreds of thousands of African Americans migrating north in the early 1900s.  Currently celebrating its 30th Anniversary Season, 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. The company, under the leadership of Founder & Executive Producer C. Brian Williams, Executive Director (and Chicago native) Lamar Lovelace, and Artistic Director Mfoniso Akpan, last performed here to great acclaim in January 2023.  Chicago is one of only five cities in which The Migration will tour as part of the Step Afrika! 30th Anniversary Season. 

Step Afrika!'s The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence (2011) charts the story of African Americans moving from the rural South to the industrial North to escape Jim Crow, racial oppression, and lynchings in the early 1900s. Inspired by Jacob Lawrence's iconic 60-panel “The Migration Series” (1940-41), this signature work from the award-winning dance company uses the images, color palette, and motifs in the painting series to tell this astonishing story through pulsating rhythms and visually stunning movement. Notably, the work features live musical accompaniment performed by celebrated musician Lionel Lyles (on saxophone and flute) alongside drummers Agyei Edwards and Abdou Muhammad, in addition to vocals by Ariel Dykes (Step Afrika! member), Briona Jackson, and Kanysha Williams performing an updated version of the classic spiritual, “Wade in the Water,” arranged by Greg Watkins. 

Tickets for The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence at The Auditorium Saturday, October 19, start at $29.00 and are now on sale by visiting www.auditoriumtheatre.org or calling The Auditorium's Call Center at 312.341.2300.

“Audiences were literally on their feet last year, marveling at the incredible stepping performed by this important American dance company.  We're honored to launch our Auditorium 2024-25 season with Step Afrika! back on our stage, offering a historic work that pays tribute to the strength of the Black American migration story, and the role the City of Chicago played as a welcoming place to call home,” said Rich Regan, CEO, The Auditorium. 

Chicago connections to the work

The final movement of The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence, entitled “Chicago,” showcases how between the 1910s and 1920, more than 400,000 African Americans left the South for many Northern and Western cities, including Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Chicago. By the end of the 1920s, that number exceeded 1.2 million. “Chicago” is a joyous percussive symphony using body percussion and vocals to highlight the collective self-transformation of these brave men and women once they arrived ‘Up North.' Plus, among the Step Afrika! company are three Chicago natives:  Executive Director Lamar Lovelace, Director of Arts Education and Community Programs Artis J. Olds, and company member Robert Warnsley.  

Founded in 1994 by C. Brian Williams, Step Afrika! is the world's leading authority on the artform of stepping. Under Mr. Williams' leadership, stepping has evolved into one of America's cultural exports, touring more than 60 countries across the globe and ranking as one of the top 10 African American Dance Companies in the U.S. 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. Performances are much more than dance shows; they integrate songs, storytelling, humor and audience participation. The blend of technique, agility, and pure energy makes each performance unique and leaves the audience with their hearts pounding. Step Afrika! promotes stepping as an educational tool for young people, focusing on teamwork, academic achievement and cross-cultural understanding. The Company reaches tens of thousands of Americans each year through a 50-city tour of colleges and theaters and performs globally as Washington, DC's one and only Cultural Ambassador. Step Afrika! has earned Mayor's Arts Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Arts Education, Innovation in the Arts, Excellence in an Artistic Discipline, and was inducted into the National Association of Campus Activities (NACA) Hall of Fame, the first Dance Company to earn this honor. Step Afrika! headlined President Barack Obama's Black History Month Reception and performed at the first ever Juneteenth Celebration at the White House. The Company is featured prominently at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History & Culture with the world's first stepping interactive exhibit. To learn more about Step Afrika! please visit www.stepafrika.org as well as timeline.stepafrika.org to explore three decades of their incredible work across the globe.

The Auditorium, located at 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive in Chicago, is an Illinois not-for-profit organization committed to presenting the finest in international, cultural, community, and educational programming to all of Chicago and beyond as The Theatre for the People. The organization also is committed to the continued restoration and preservation of this National Historic Landmark that originally opened in 1889.

The 2024-25 Auditorium season continues with Too Hot to Handel: The Jazz-Gospel Messiah, the lively jazz and gospel spin on Messiah by G.F. Handel, which returns after a two-year hiatus for two performances commemorating the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, January 11 & 12, 2025, followed by Complexions Contemporary Ballet paying homage to rock icon, the band U2, February 7. March 2025 begins with the stunning and visually opulent history, culture, music, and dance of Mexico with Ballet Folklorico de Mexico de Amalia Hernandez March 1 & 2, followed by one of the most eagerly anticipated cultural events of every Spring - the return of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, March 5-9.  The prominent NYC-based contemporary dance company Parsons Dance makes its full company Auditorium debut April 12, and the season closes with two gems from Chicago's own robust dance scene: South Chicago Dance Theatre – a contemporary company led by the darling of the Chicago dance world, Kia Smith – May 3- and the genre-bending Hiplet Ballerinas, combining classical pointe technique and hip-hop, to close the season May 17. For more information on The Auditorium and a complete listing of events at The Auditorium, please visit AuditoriumTheatre.org.

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