Step Afrika!'s The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence

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. 

As Executive Director for Step Afrika!, Lovelace is responsible for the organization’s strategy and operations, leading its staff, programs and the execution of its mission. Working closely with Step Afrika!’s board of directors, he spearheads fundraising, marketing, operations and long-range planning for the organization. He brings deep expertise from academia and has managed the organization’s humanities-based partnerships. 

In July 2017, Lovelace joined Step Afrika! as Deputy Executive Director, where he oversaw the dance company’s communications and marketing strategy, fundraising efforts and financial operations. Previously, Lovelace spent eight years at Columbia University as Assistant Director in the Office of Community Outreach and Education and Director of Public Programs and Events. At the New York City-based campus, he managed community-based partnerships and special events and produced large-scale, humanities-based programming opportunities to engage students, faculty and staff. 

At Broward College in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Lovelace was Director of Cultural Affairs and Student Engagement, where he created arts-based social justice programs and exhibitions. He holds master's degrees in arts management and oral history from Carnegie Mellon and Columbia respectively and a BA in speech and hearing science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Lovelace is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

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.  

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.