Harris Center for the Arts Program Guide 2023-2024
Long envisioned as a critically important element for Folsom Lake College, the visual and performing arts center was initially conceived as a facility to instruct, develop, and guide talented students to become actors, musicians, dancers, visual artists, and behind-the-curtain technicians. In February, 2011 the Center opened as "Three Stages at Folsom Lake College" and by the end of its second full season it had already attracted over 300,000 patrons to its offerings. The Harris Center for the Arts seeks to enrich the lives of people throughout California’s capital region by providing venues and opportunities to experience artistic work, celebrate cultural traditions and participate in the creative process.
Long envisioned as a critically important element for Folsom Lake College, the visual and performing arts center was initially conceived as a facility to instruct, develop, and guide talented students to become actors, musicians, dancers, visual artists, and behind-the-curtain technicians. In February, 2011 the Center opened as "Three Stages at Folsom Lake College" and by the end of its second full season it had already attracted over 300,000 patrons to its offerings.
The Harris Center for the Arts seeks to enrich the lives of people throughout California’s capital region by providing venues and opportunities to experience artistic work, celebrate cultural traditions and participate in the creative process.
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Step Afrika!<br />
Sunday, January 21, <strong>2024</strong>; 7:30pm<br />
BIO Founded in 1994 by C. Brian Williams, Step Afrika! is<br />
<strong>the</strong> first professional company dedicated to <strong>the</strong><br />
tradition of stepping—a polyrhythmic, percussive dance<br />
<strong>for</strong>m that uses <strong>the</strong> body as an instrument. Under Mr.<br />
Williams’ leadership, stepping has evolved into one of<br />
America’s cultural exports, touring more than 50 countries<br />
across <strong>the</strong> globe. Step Afrika! is one of <strong>the</strong> top 10 African<br />
American dance companies in <strong>the</strong> world. Step Afrika!<br />
promotes stepping as a contemporary dance genre through<br />
critically acclaimed per<strong>for</strong>mances and arts education<br />
programs. Creatively engaging audiences in this nascent art<br />
<strong>for</strong>m, <strong>the</strong> Company creates full-length productions that<br />
expand on stepping’s unique American history.<br />
Step Afrika! blends percussive dance styles practiced by<br />
historically African American fraternities and sororities;<br />
traditional West and Sou<strong>the</strong>rn African dances; and an array<br />
of contemporary dance and art <strong>for</strong>ms into a cohesive,<br />
compelling, artistic experience. Per<strong>for</strong>mances are much<br />
more than dance shows; <strong>the</strong>y integrate songs, storytelling,<br />
humor, and audience participation. The blend of technique,<br />
agility, and pure energy makes each per<strong>for</strong>mance unique<br />
and leaves <strong>the</strong> audience with <strong>the</strong>ir hearts pounding.<br />
The Company reaches tens of thousands of Americans each<br />
year through a 50-city tour of colleges and <strong>the</strong>atres and<br />
per<strong>for</strong>ms globally as Washington, DC’s one and only Cultural<br />
Ambassador. Step Afrika! has earned Mayor’s <strong>Arts</strong> Awards<br />
<strong>for</strong> Outstanding Contribution to <strong>Arts</strong> Education (2005);<br />
Innovation in <strong>the</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> (2008); and Excellence in an Artistic<br />
Discipline (2012); and per<strong>for</strong>med at <strong>the</strong> White House <strong>for</strong><br />
President Barack Obama and <strong>the</strong> First Lady.<br />
Critically Acclaimed works, such as The Migration:<br />
Reflections on Jacob Lawrence and Drumfolk, tour major<br />
U.S. cities. Step Afrika! is prominently featured at <strong>the</strong><br />
Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American<br />
History & Culture with an interactive exhibit on <strong>the</strong> art <strong>for</strong>m<br />
of stepping.<br />
30 <strong>2023</strong>-<strong>2024</strong> PROGRAM GUIDE www.harriscenter.net
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