TRANSCRIPT: They took the drums away but they could not stop the beat. … Joining us now is Step Afrika! Artistic Director Mfoniso Akpan. What was the inspiration for this story?
“Well, Step Afrika! is a professional dance company dedicated to the art form of stepping, and we really wanted to explore the birthplace of stepping. How did stepping really, really begin? And, we looked at the Stono Rebellion as one of the starting points, the start of rebellion happened in 1739 and subsequently the Negro Act in 1740. And that’s where Africans had the right of the use their drums…it was banned in this country. So we look at that as the birthplace of stepping.