The Migration returned to the stage in 2024 to Washington, DC; Lincoln, NE; Chicago, IL; Richmond, VA; Berkeley, CA; and University Park, PA!

Step Afrika!’s signature work The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence is based on Lawrence’s iconic painting series that chart the story of African Americans moving from the South to the North in the early 1900s. Each piece uses the images, color palette, and motifs in the painting series to tell this astonishing story through pulsating rhythms and visually stunning movement.

Want to see the inspiration up close? Immerse yourself in this amazing resource provided by The Phillips Collection, featuring information about Jacob Lawrence and his The Migration Series.

The Story of Step Afrika! and the Creation of The Migration

Watch “The Story of Step Afrika!” and go behind the scenes to explore the founding of the company and the inspiration behind The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence.

Testimonials:

  • The dancers are “world-class ambassadors of stepping” – André Hereford, Metro Weekly
  • Step Afrika! is “a global phenomenon” – Capitol Media USA
  • “…This is an ensemble effort, in which the Company members have been totally successful in becoming elements of a whole so that the individual is lost. And that is one of the highest compliments I can pay.” – A Theatre-Goer’s Thoughts
  • “…a glorious synthesis of dance, music, and the visual arts…The cast is simply magnificent.” – Jeannette Mulherinon, MD Theatre Guide
  • “…there are few victories as sweet as a production like this one, in which bodies are freer than ever to own their stories and tell their truths.” – Itai Yasur, BroadwayWorld

Images of The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence

Images from Jacob Lawrence’s “The Migration Series” were generously provided by The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC, the MoMA in New York, NY, and the Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation, Seattle/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.