Students Ready for Step Afrika! and Cultural Week Activities, Feb. 3-5
UPDATE, Feb. 4: The performance by Step Afrika! has been postponed because of inclement weather. When another date is scheduled, it will be announced as soon as possible.
JONESBORO – Arkansas State University students will immerse themselves in a variety of campus activities next week as they observe the Student Activities Board’s celebration of Cultural Week 2014, according to Natalie Eskew, assistant dean in Student Affairs.
Kick-off events are scheduled for 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. Monday, Feb. 3, on the first floor of the Carl R. Reng Student Union. Students are invited to mark their hometowns on a map of the world.
“I’m really looking forward to the entire week but especially Step Afrika!,” commented Robert Johnson of Little Rock, issues and awareness director for the Student Activities Board. “SAB has tried to get Step Afrika on campus for a number of years and I think it will be an amazing performance. This week also gives our international students even more exposure of their culture to the student body and I really am excited about that.”
Step Afrika!, a dance company that demonstrates the art form of stepping, will perform Tuesday, Feb. 4. Their presentation will include a South African gumboot dance, a South African Zulu dance, and high-energy routines.
The group’s performance will begin at 6:30 p.m. at Riceland Hall of Fowler Center, 201 Olympic Dr. Admission is free to the event, which is presented by the Student Activities Board and co-sponsored by the Multicultural Center as part of the campus Black History Month celebration.
Step Afrika!, based in Washington, D.C., is the first professional company in the world dedicated to the tradition of stepping. Its mission, as stated on its website, is “ . . . to promote an appreciation for stepping and its use as an educational, motivational and healthy tool for young people. We accomplish this mission through arts education activities, international cultural exchange programs, and performances world-wide.”
The “Cultural Showcase” will be Wednesday from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the Reng Student Union, first floor. International A-State students will be sharing information about their home countries. The “Culture Shock Fashion Show” will begin at noon, and students will be modeling their home countries’ fashions.
Interested individuals may obtain more details about Cultural Week 2014 by contacting the Leadership Center in the Reng Student Union, (870) 972-2055, or the Student Activities Board, sab@smail.astate.edu.
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