Wayne State College’s 2025-2026 Black and Gold Performing Arts Series comes to a close with Step Afrika! on April 1 at 7:30 p.m. in Ramsey Theater in the Peterson Fine Arts building.
Ahead of the final show of the season, Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities at WSC and coordinator of the Black and Gold Series, Dr. David Bohnert, reflects upon his favorite part of the performing arts series.
“There is a tremendous amount of effort that goes into the preparations for every performance,” Bohnert said. “So, I really appreciate when the performances actually come to life and connects with our audiences.”
Step Afrika! is one of the top 10 African-American dance companies in the U.S. According to the company’s website, their stop in Wayne is part of The Evolution Tour: “an electrifying production that fuses groundbreaking step choreography with the vibrant soundscape of a live DJ.”
The dance group is recognized as the “leading authority on the art of stepping,” which is a percussive dance that utilizes the body as an instrument: footsteps, clapping and the spoken word.
As a percussive dance show that exhibits traditional African dances and contemporary movements, Step Afrika! combines dance with storytelling, humor and audience participation.
In preparation for most outside events occurring in Ramsey, theater technicians help set up beforehand by setting up lights and building sets that are brought by the performers. One such technician, sophomore Ava-Jane Albracht, explains the process of preparing the lights before Step Afrika! arrives.
“We have to hang lights for Step Afrika! so that they have the proper lights because you don’t always have what light you need in what spot for different shows,” Albracht said. “Which means you have to physically bring the fly’s down and take the lights off and you have to physically move them.”
The employees also assist during shows as ushers and aid afterwards to disassemble the sets. During the Step Afrika!’s performance Albracht will be ushering in audience members to their seats before the show and then helping take down any set pieces afterwards.
Step Afrika!’s program will finish the 2025-2026 season of the Black and Gold Performing Arts Series. Performances from this series are funded by the WSC foundation through the Jeanne Gardner Black & Gold Performing Arts Endowment.
The Vienna Boys kicked off the series’ season on Oct. 23, 2025 and were followed by the President’s Holiday Gala in December and two shows from The Acting Company in February 2026, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Great Expectations”.
Tickets for Step Afrika! can be found on the WSC website and are free for staff and students using their NUID number while public tickets cost $10.
