Step Afrika! Drumfolk

C. Brian Williams (Founder and Executive Producer) is a native of Houston, TX, and a graduate of Howard University. Brian 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; 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.

Lamar Lovelace (Executive Director) 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 Jul 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, FL, 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.

Mfoniso Akpan (Artistic Director) 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. 

Jarkari Sherman (Director, Drumfolk) 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 The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence, 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 U.S. Sherman has lectured on stepping throughout the world, including Greece, Kazakhstan, the U.K., and Belgium.

Christylez Bacon is a GRAMMY-nominated Progressive Hip-Hop artist and multi-instrumentalist native to Southeast, Washington, DC Bacon multi-tasks between various instruments such as the West African djembe drum, acoustic guitar, and the human beat-box while continuing the oral tradition of storytelling. He has received multiple awards including the Washington Area Music Association Artist of the Year in 2013 and the Montgomery County Executive Award for Excellence in the Arts, and most recently performed with the Company at the White House for the country’s very first Juneteenth Celebration. Bacon is a recurring guest artist with the Company.

Ariel Dykes is a native of Gainesville, FL with an Associate of Arts Degree in Musical Theatre from Santa Fe College and a BFA in dance from the University of Florida. Dykes was introduced to stepping and strolling as a member of the Iota Lambda Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., where she choreographed step routines for the chapter and UF’s National Panhellenic Council. She has trained in traditional and post-modern dance, jazz, voice, and acting, and has worked with such artists as Ailey Dancers’ Nathaniel Hunt and Samantha Barriento, Tony Award winner Scott Coulter, and Galen Hooks. This is Dykes’ second season with the Company.  

Keomi Givens Jr. is a native of Miami, FL where he trained with Ricardo Dume, Traci Young-Byron, Jakari Sherman, Conrad Kelly II, Tanisha Cidel, Maribel Trujillo, and Robert Battle. He has studied at the New World School of the Arts and The Mahogany Dance Theatre, where he served as a rehearsal director and choreographer. Givens has danced with Gravity Dance Troupe and Toung Contemporary Dance Theatre (YCDT) and has previously toured nationally with Step Afrika! as a guest artist. In addition to his exceptional work as a dancer, Givens has choreographed for the legendary 100 Of Florida A&M University, RickyDanco, and Booker T Washington Lady Twisters. This is Givens’ first season with the Company as a full-time artist.

Leander Gray is a native of Washington, DC, and a previous BFA candidate with a Contemporary Dance Concentration at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Gray has performed at the Black Leaves Project, CityDance Creating the Magic Concerts, Art All Night DC, Elements Urban Arts Collective Annual Showcase, and the DC Youth Freestyle Battle. He has participated in the prestigious Monsters of Hip Hop Intensive and the Kennedy Center Dance Lab and was featured in one of Revolution Marz's music videos. This is Gray’s first tour with the Company.

Kamala Hargrove is a native of the Bronx, NY, with a BA in Mathematics, theater, and dance from Trinity College. Hargrove studied with the Alvin Ailey School and Dance Theater of Harlem, and has appeared in various music videos and live performances. She has performed with artists including Estelle, Mr. Vegas, Wizkid, and French Montana. Hargrove has also worked as a teaching artist in New York City, teaching elementary, middle, and high school students. This is Hargrove’s second season with the Company.

Conrad R. Kelly II is a native of Fort Lauderdale, FL who studied Criminal Justice at Florida A&M University. Following his time with A&M’s Marching 100 and The Strikers, Conrad became a soloist for The Rolle Project in Las Vegas and a dance instructor with Studio 305, where he regularly taught classes in hip-hop, contemporary, and jazz. Conrad has won numerous awards as a choreographer and dancer, and is namely a two-time recipient of the DC Commission on Arts and Humanities’ prestigious Arts and Humanities Fellowship Program. A long-standing member of the Company, Conrad serves as Step Afrika!’s Assistant Artistic Director and most recently choreographed The Movement, an epic tribute to Black Lives Matter and the domino effect of activism experienced in 2020. This is Conrad's seventh season with the Company.

Abdou Muhammad is a native of Washington, DC, and has studied West African drumming since the age of two years old. Muhammad has studied and performed with various African Dance companies in the Washington, DC area, such as Coyaba Dance Theatre, African Heritage Dancers & Drummers, KounKouran Dance Company, and Ezibu Muntu African Dance Company. Throughout his 28 years of drumming, Muhammad has performed at various venues, such as the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, Brooklyn Academy of Music in Brooklyn, NY, and The State Theatre in Austin, TX. Currently, Muhammad is a Musical Director of Coyaba Dance Theatre and is on faculty at The Davis Center, The Washington Ballet, and Inner City Inner Child. Abdou is a recurring guest artist with the Company.

Isaiah O'Connor is a native of Miami, FL with a BS in Biology from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. A student of hip-hop, modern, and urban soul, O’Connor has previously stepped with the Strikers Dance Troupe under the direction of Shepiro Hardemon. This is O’Connor’s second season with the Company.

Ayana Ogunsunlade is a singer and actor from Washington, DC with a unique ability to capture an “audience’s emotions,” as mentioned by The Washington Post. Her versatile performances range from an opera debut in Italy to starring in the Helen Hayes nominated musical Blackberry Daze to most recently being featured in a commercial for MGM National Harbor. Ogunsunlade is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.®

Na’imah Ray is a native of New York, NY with a BFA in Dance from Montclair State University. Ray performed as a Centennial Stepper with her sorority, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated, at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. She has trained with Dwana Smallwood, Earl Mosley, Christian Von Howard, and Beatrice Capote, and participated in dance programs at The Ailey School and Earl Mosley Institute of the Arts. This is her second season with the Company.

Valencia Odeyka Emonni Springer is a native of Brooklyn, NY with a BA in Elementary Education from Virginia Union University. Springer is a proud member of the Nu Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. and the Eta Psi Chapter of Tau Beta Sigma National Honorary Band Sorority and served as the first “Stand Queen” (captain) with the Ambassadors of Sound Marching Band. Previously a student of Restoration Youth Arts Academy, Springer has performed with Forces of Nature, Dance Africa (Brooklyn), and as part of a live installation entitled A Primordial Place. She has also worked as a social studies and science teacher, dance teacher/coach, guest choreographer for local New York/Virginia majorette teams, and as a model for New York and Richmond, VA, fashion weeks. This is Springer’s fifth season with the Company.

Ericka Still is a native of St. Petersburg, FL with a BA in Health Science, Pre-Occupational Therapy, and Rehabilitation Management from Florida A&M University. Still previously stepped with AKAdemy Exquisite Gems and studied under the direction of Paulette W. Johnson and Shepiro Hardemon as a member and Co-Assistant Artistic Director of Mahogany Dance Theatre. This is Still’s second season with the Company.

Brie Turner is a native of Lithonia, GA with a BA in Strategic, Legal, and Management Communications from Howard University. Magna cum laude graduate, Turner was a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated’s Quintessential Alpha chapter where she served as the chapter president and stroll mistress, in addition to serving as the co-captain and captain of the Howard University Bisonettes Dance Ensemble. This is Turner’s second season with the Company.

Joseph Vasquez is a native of Guttenberg, NJ with a BS in Exercise Science from Rutgers University in New Brunswick where he served as a member of Lambda Sigma Upsilon Latino Fraternity Incorporated. Vasquez has led and choreographed for the Bachata Performance Team, and previously performed with The Revels, a stroll team led by Francisco Pozo and Carlos Zapata. This is Vasquez’s second season with the Company.

Pelham Warner Jr. is a native of The Bronx, NY and has a BA from Dutchess Community College. Warner is a member of The Order of the Feather Fraternity where he served as the team’s step master and captain for five years, and has previously danced with The Players Club Steppers. Warner has worked as a dance instructor in the greater New York City area, and recently performed in the a cappella musical The Movement by Kathy D. Harrison at The National Black Theater Festival. This is Turner’s fifth year with the Company.

Robert Warnsley is a native of Chicago, IL with a BS in Information Technology from Illinois State University. A member of the Eta Tau chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Warnsley served as the step and stroll master and has organized, competed in, and placed first in numerous step shows. He has taught stepping to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and actively participates in community service projects in the city of Chicago, teaching dancehall and various Afro styles in the DMV and NYC areas. This is Warnsley’s fifth season with the Company.