DANCE, SONGS, AND MORE: Step Afrika! Brings traditional dances, music, and audience participation to State Theatre New Jersey on January 17. (Photo by Sandi Horvat)

State Theatre New Jersey presents Step Afrika! on Friday, January 17 at 7:30 p.m. The production blends percussive dance styles, traditional African dances, stepping, and contemporary dance and art forms. Much more than a dance show, Step Afrika! also integrates songs, storytelling, humor, and audience participation. Tickets range from $29-$99.

Founded in 1994 by C. Brian Williams, Step Afrika! is the world’s leading authority on the artform of stepping. Under Williams’ leadership, stepping has evolved into one of America’s cultural exports, touring more than 60 countries across the globe and ranking as one of the top 10 African American Dance Companies in the U.S.

Step Afrika! blends percussive dance styles practiced by historically African American fraternities and sororities; traditional African dances; and an array of contemporary dance and art forms. The show promotes stepping as an educational tool for young people, focusing on teamwork, academic achievement and cross-cultural understanding. The company reaches tens of thousands of Americans each year through a 50-city tour of colleges and theaters and performs globally as Washington, D.C.’s only cultural ambassador.

Step Afrika! has earned Mayor’s Arts Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Arts Education, Innovation in the Arts, Excellence in an Artistic Discipline, and was inducted into the National Association of Campus Activities (NACA) Hall of Fame, the first Dance Company to earn this honor. Step Afrika! headlined President Barack Obama’s Black History Month Reception and performed at the first-ever Juneteenth Celebration at the White House. The Company is featured prominently at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History & Culture with the world’s first stepping interactive exhibit.

State Theatre New Jersey is at 15 Livingston Avenue in New Brunswick, for tickets and more information, visit STNJ.org.