Virtual Content
International Festival Content for Schools
For all grade levels
We are continuing to offer schools access to the virtual International Festival and all the additional materials, for FREE. Registration is required but the materials are free and open to educators of all kinds.
Virtual Kids in the Rotunda Performances
For pre-K to grade 4
A number of free virtual performances, specially designed for young children are available to stream at any time online. Early childhood centers, daycares, preschools, community centers and youth groups are encouraged to use the content.
Duck Soup Cinema PBS Feature
For grades 5 and up
Dive into the world of Silent Film, an art form preserved at Overture Center, with this documentary style presentation and performance with Duck Soup Cinema organist Jelani Eddington.
Democracy Exhibition Materials
For grades 5 and up
In Spring of 2023, Overture Center’s Playhouse Gallery held an exhibition on the topic of Democracy. Included in the show were about 50 artists across Madison, Dane County, Wisconsin, the country and even the world. This exhibit provided an opportunity for artists to explore some questions about what it means to be in a democratic system, along with their interpretations of the current state of democracy. Curated by Beth Racette and Emily Parkman.
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Digital Gallery
Use the arrows to navigate between pieces and descriptions, as well as the + / - zoom to take a closer look. For best experience, click the full screen icon.
Intergenerational Women of Color Speak Out about Democracy Panel Discussion
For grades 5 and up
Overture Center for the Arts presents “Intergenerational Women of Color Speak Out about Democracy,” a panel discussion in connection with Overture Galleries’ “Democracy” exhibit in the Playhouse Gallery.
Overture Center’s Community Advisory Council is taking on challenging topics to engage our community on relevant issues that elevate the arts. These conversations provide an opportunity to explore the intersection between art and culture as well as social and political issues. The group aims to create a platform for everyone to be part of the discussion, with a focus on preparing the next generation of informed citizens.
Total Visibility Panel Discussion
For grades 5 and up
Overture Center for the Arts presents “Total Visibility,” a panel discussion in connection with Overture Galleries’ “The Fabric of Community” exhibit in the Rotunda Gallery (Winter 2024/25).
Watch an evening of dialogue, art and action focused on raising Alzheimer’s awareness in our community. Local artists and experts explored the impact of Alzheimer’s disease, particularly in the Black community, through creative expression and powerful stories.
The panel discussion featured local artists Dr. Fabu Carter, Tracy Nickolaus, Alicia Rheal and Catrina Sparkman as they shared their creative efforts to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s and its deep impact on families and communities.
Step Afrika! Community Panel
For ages 6 and up
Overture Center and our Community Advisory Council presented a dynamic community conversation inspired by Step Afrika!’s “The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence,” in collaboration with the UW-Madison Dance Department and company members from Step Afrika! Watch as panelists explore the performance’s themes and examine how percussive dance, African traditions and contemporary movement shape storytelling and deepen artistic expression.
The panel discussion featured Mfon Akpan (Artistic Director), Jakari Sherman (Migration Director) and C Brian Williams (Founder and Executive Producer) from Step Afrika! and local panelists Karla Foster, Anna Gonzalez and Andrea Bonapar.
Meet the Panelists
Moderator
Professor Chris Walker
Assistant Professor Omari Carter
Omari “Motion” Carter is a body percussionist, screendance practitioner and hip-hop dance culture aficionado, born and raised in London, England. After graduating with a Theatre and Performance BA (Hons) degree from London Metropolitan University, Carter went on to perform for seven years in the West End and international touring productions of “Stomp!,” where his love for rhythm, percussion, juggling and clowning grew exponentially. Carter continues to practice body percussion and explore the possibilities and benefits of this practice within dance education and dance films. This has led him to teach body percussion across the globe.
In 2020, Carter graduated with an MA in Screendance from London Contemporary Dance School, where he became an assistant lecturer in dance until 2023. From 2011-2025, Carter was the founder and creative director of the award-winning screendance production company Motion Dance Collective (MDC), in which he directed, produced, choreographed and performed in over 50 screendance works, screening work at over 100 festivals worldwide.
Currently, Carter is an assistant professor in the Dance Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His latest research project, “Our Vibes: A Vibrotactile Screendance Installation,” combines a vibrating viewing platform with a body-percussion dance film, allowing audiences standing on the platform to feel the sound from the screendance in front of them.
Karla Foster
Karla Foster is an Indiana University-Bloomington graduate who has worked at the University of Wisconsin-Madison since 2012 in a variety of leadership roles across the College of Letters & Science, the Division of Diversity, Equity & Achievement, and the Multicultural Student Center (MSC). She played a key role in launching the Black Cultural Center, served as assistant director of cultural programming at the MSC, overseeing the establishment of the Latinx Cultural Center and APIDA Student Center, and has long supported student organizations and activism across campus.
With more than 15 years of experience in higher education, Foster brings deep campus relationships, strong student development expertise and a commitment to equity-driven innovation. In her current role with Wisconsin Foundation & Alumni Association, she leads engagement efforts for recent graduates, manages student outreach, and helps guide both the Recent Grad Council and Wisconsin Alumni Student Board. A proud member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. for over 20 years, Karla’s passion for community service and philanthropy continues to shape her work.
Artistic Director, Step Afrika!
Mfoniso Akpan
Akpan has trained extensively in tap, ballet, jazz, modern, African dance and step. While attending the State University of New York at Stony Brook, she majored in biochemistry and cultivated her stepping skills as a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Akpan began her training at the Bernice Johnson Cultural Arts Center and has performed at Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, the Apollo Theater, the Brooklyn Academy of Music and Lincoln Center. Akpan toured with the off-Broadway show “Hoofin' 2 Hittin,” where she was a featured stepper and dancer.
Director, Step Afrika!
Jakari Sherman
Sherman is a passionate choreographer, ethnochoreologist and performer whose experience extends over 20 years. Rooted in the African American tradition of stepping, his work pushes the boundaries of percussive dance using technology, storytelling and diverse musical scores. Sherman served as Step Afrika!’s Artistic Director for seven years. He directed Drumfolk, Green is the New Black and Symphony in Step among others. Sherman received an M.A. in ethnochoreology from the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance and is undertaking groundbreaking ethnographic work related to structural analysis, teaching methodologies and historical archiving of stepping in the United States. Sherman has lectured on stepping throughout the world, including Greece, Kazakhstan, the United Kingdom and Belgium.
Founder & Executive Producer, Step Afrika!
C. Brian Williams
C. Brian Williams is a native of Houston, Texas and a graduate of Howard University. Williams first learned to step as a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. – Beta Chapter in the spring of 1989. While living in Southern Africa, he began to research the percussive dance tradition of stepping, exploring the many sides of this exciting, yet under-recognized American art form and founded Step Afrika! in 1994. Williams has performed, lectured and taught in Europe, Central and South America, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, the Caribbean and throughout the United States. Through Williams’ leadership, stepping has evolved into one of America’s newest cultural exports and inspired the designation of Step Afrika! as Washington, DC’s official “Cultural Ambassador.”
In 2022, the National Endowment of the Arts designated Williams as a National Heritage Fellow, the nation’s highest honor in folk and traditional arts. He is the recipient of numerous artist fellowships including the World Alive! Distinguished Artist Award by Arts Emerson, the Mayor’s Arts Award for Visionary Leadership from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Distinguished Arts Award from the Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts and the Pola Nirenska Award for Contemporary Achievement in Dance. He is also featured in “Soulstepping,” the first book to document the history of stepping. He also earned the Mayor’s Art Award for Innovation in the Arts and has led the company to multiple Metro DC Dance Awards for “Outstanding New Work,” “Excellence in Stage Design/Multimedia” and “Outstanding Group Performance.” Williams has been cited as a “civic/community visionary” by NV Magazine, a “nation builder” by the National Black Caucus of State Legislators and a “minority business leader” by the Washington Business Journal. His work is featured prominently at the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC.
