University of Wisconsin–Whitewater



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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Stacy P. Sherman

Marketing Specialist

Ph: (262) 472-5705

Email: ShermanS@uww.edu

Facebook: young.aud

Twitter: youngauditorium

LinkedIn: pany/young-auditorium

Website: uww.edu/youngauditorium

Date: October 9, 2014

Step Afrika! and University Greek Heat V Winners Performing at Young Auditorium

WHITEWATER – Young Auditorium and the Cultural Affairs Committee are excited to present Step Afrika! on Wednesday, October 15, at 7:30 p.m. Young Auditorium is located on the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater campus at 930 West Main Street in Whitewater. The show is set to last about an hour. Parking is always free at this venue for events. Tickets are priced under $33.00 ($16.25 for UW-Whitewater students).

Step Afrika! is the first professional company in the world dedicated to the tradition of “stepping.” Stepping is a rising art form and an important part of America’s artistic and cultural heritage. Step Afrika! exemplifies the tradition of stepping while blending in more contemporary moves including urban rhythms, hip hop, Far Eastern and Spanish flavors.

Step-dancing is a form of percussive dance in which the dancer’s entire body is used as an instrument to produce complex rhythms and sounds through a mixture of footsteps, spoken word, and hand claps. Stepping is rooted within the competitive schoolyard song and dance rituals practiced by historically African American fraternities and sororities, beginning in the mid-1900s. Stepping has been highlighted in motion pictures such as Stomp The Yard, School Daze, Mac and Me, Drumline,

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and How She Move.

To further enrich the experience of attending a professional step show, Young Auditorium and Step Afrika! will also feature the winning team of UW-Whitewater’s Greek Heat V team stroll competition immediately before the evening’s performance.

Greek Heat V is the fifth annual stroll team event hosted by the Mu Chapter of Latino América Unida, Lambda Alpha Upsilon Fraternity, Inc., and the Theta Beta Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. on the UW-Whitewater campus. The event’s platform is to celebrate culture and unity while enjoying competing organizations’ showcase of team strolling skills, both from a Latin genre and a mainstream genre of steps. Additionally, the event collected non-perishable food items from attendees and are making a substantial donation to the Whitewater Food Pantry.

The Greek Heat V competition was held on Thursday, September 25 at Young Auditorium. Over 800 people came to support the event. Eight teams competed – six from UW-Whitewater: Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Gamma Alpha Omega Sorority, Inc., Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Zeta Sigma Chi Multicultural Sorority, Inc., and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. Two teams were from other schools: Rho Kappa Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. (Iowa), and Chi Sigma Tau Fraternity (UW-Madison). Ultimately, the winning team was UW-Whitewater’s Zeta Iota Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Greek Heat V President, Chester LeBron, states, “UW-Whitewater Lambdas and Sigmas want to thank everyone for coming out and supporting our event. Every organization on stage did their thing! Unfortunately, we could only select one winner, but everyone deserves a round of applause. Congratulations to the Zeta Iota Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. They won the competition being true to their style of strolling and doing so in both the Latin and mainstream rounds.”

Tickets for the Step Afrika! event can be purchased in advance or at the door prior to the performance. Seating is limited, so advance ticket purchases are recommended. Tickets for any show can be purchased online, by calling the Box Office at (262) 472-2222, or in person. New this year, tickets that are purchased online can also be printed at home. The Greenhill Center of the Arts Box Office is located inside the UW-Whitewater Center of the Arts building near Barnett Theatre on the UW-Whitewater Campus. To order tickets or learn more, visit uww.edu/YoungAuditorium or follow at Young.Aud.

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PHOTO CAPTION A: Step Afrika! demonstrating a “gumboot dance.” This type of dance evolved from South African miners dancing to share secret messages with each other, and also to entertain and pass the time while spending so much time away from their families. Photo courtesy of The Napoleon Complex Project.

PHOTO CAPTION B: The winning team – the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. – shown here on the Young Auditorium stage during the Greek Heat V Team Stroll Competition event held on September 25, 2014.

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