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A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION
20-298
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
December 2, 2014
To recognize Step Afrika!’s 20-year history of excellence in performance and arts education.
WHEREAS, Step Afrika! was founded in December 1994 by C. Brian Williams as a cultural exchange program with the Soweto Dance Theatre in Johannesburg, South Africa;
WHEREAS, Step Afrika! expanded to become the first national and international professional touring company in the world dedicated to the tradition of stepping and its unique connection to American history;
WHEREAS, over the past 20 years, Step Afrika! has grown to become one of the top 10 African-American dance companies in the United States and the largest African-American arts organization in Washington, D.C.;
WHEREAS, Step Afrika! promotes an appreciation for stepping and the dance tradition’s use as educational, motivational, and healthy tool for young people in the District of Columbia and all over the United States;
WHEREAS, Step Afrika! runs 5 arts education programs emphasizing the ties between stepping, teamwork, discipline, and commitment;
WHEREAS, the work of Step Afrika! has been honored with awards such as the Mayor’s Arts Award for Outstanding Contribution to Education in 2005, in recognition of the Company’s expanding role in arts education, bringing stepping to more than 20,000 young students each year, and the Mayor’s Arts Award for Excellence in an Artistic Discipline in 2013; and
WHEREAS, Step Afrika! completes an annual 50-city tour of colleges and theaters from Maine to Mississippi reaching tens of thousands of Americans each year and has also performed on many stages in South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.
IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, that the Council of the District of Columbia acknowledges and honors Step Afrika! for its outstanding 20-year contribution to the vitality of arts, culture, and arts education in the District, and declares December 4, 2014, as “Step Afrika! Day” in the District of Columbia.
Sec. 2. This resolution may be cited as the “Step Afrika! 20th Anniversary Recognition Resolution of 2014”.
Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon the first date of publication in the District of Columbia Register.
