On Saturday evening, Sankofa, the College’s only step team, took to the stage and welcomed four visiting teams to the 14th annual Steady Steppin’ Forward, a competition celebrating the community and culture of step. This year’s competition was the first held since 2019. Four teams — Tufts, State University of New York at Albany, University of Connecticut, and Muhlenberg College — brought their A-game, delivering high-energy performances to a roaring crowd. 

The competition was put on with the help from the Davis Center along with community organizations, academic departments, and many volunteers. All available tickets sold out in just two days, according to Sankofa’s Step Competition Coordinator Ian Dominic ’27. The competition took place in the 550-seat MainStage of the ’62 Center for Theatre and Dance. 

During the pandemic, changes in funding policies for student clubs forced Sankofa to put the annual event on hold. Despite several attempts in recent years — including an op-ed published in the Record — finding funding to resume the competition proved difficult, according to Dominic. “We had to go through so many hoops and circles [and] get both FAST and MinCo to get us some of our budget,” he said. The competition closed with a chant of Dominic’s first name in recognition of his efforts to make the competition a reality. 

One of the team’s founders, Maxine Lyle ’00, served as a judge for the competition. During a mid-show interview, she discussed the struggles faced by herself and other Black artists at the College.

 Lyle’s passion for the art form led her to found Soul Steps, LLC, a New York-based professional step group, in 2005. “I got serious about step when I was a student here at Williams,” she said. “I had such a transformative experience … that I decided it was something I wanted to continue to do for the rest of my life.”

According to Sankofa’s co-Presidents Laura Allemann Chamon ’25 and Aashi Mittal ’26, the team’s current practice is rooted in its community and history. Many former members of the Sankofa returned to watch, or even take part in, the show. Alongside Lyle, the judges panel included two more alums of the team, Funmi Olosunde ’06 and Samuel Ojo ’22. Shirley Edgerton, the founder of Youth Alive, Pittsfield’s only junior step team, and Saroya Corbett, postdoctoral fellow in Africana studies, also served as judges. Obi Nwako ’24, a former leader of Sankofa, emceed the event. 

Sankofa aims to honor the steppers who came before them. The team’s name comes from Akan, a Ghanaian language, and translates to “moving forward while reaching back,” according to its members. “As a group, we acknowledge where we come from, how we were founded, [and] the struggle that it took Kofa to get where it is today as a form of Black Art founded by Black women,” Dominic said. 

“Once you join the group, you feel the legacies,” said Costume Coordinator Leo Yihan Wang ’27. “You feel the history on your shoulders.”

This year’s Steady Steppin’ Forward had a similar structure as previous competitions, with a couple new additions to the line-up. After the first two performances by the All-Stars and Mayhem step teams, from the University of Connecticut and Muhlenberg College, respectively, the half-time show featured two routines from Youth Alive, with steppers between the ages of 8 and 18. “I think a lot of [youth] step teams struggle with putting forth their artistry into the community,” Mittal said. “I just hope they continue.”

After Youth Alive, the ENVY Ladies — a femme step team from Tufts — gave their winning performance. All five visiting teams were received with enthusiasm from the audience. “We take a lot of inspiration from other steppers and from our previous teams,” Mittal said. “We’ve seen [the art form] be passed down from generation to generation, which is why it was so, so, so incredible to see other teams stepping on our stage.” 

Though Sankofa did not compete, the team opened and closed the show. Some of its routines were choreographed by former members, Allemann Chamon explained. “We pulled things … that were performed at past step competitions,” she said. “Because we just wanted to bring back all of the traditions.” 

After a casino-themed routine by Standard Step Team, the group from the University at Albany, the competition closed with Sankofa’s final performance of the night. The College’s team performed an airline-themed dance, complete with suitcases and safety warnings. After the winner and runner-up prizes were announced, all five teams embraced on stage. “We were complimenting each other, we were dancing with each other, and we were learning from each other,” Wang said. “I think it’s very beautiful.” 

 Another one of the team’s values is being there for each other and putting in the work for the group, Allemann Chamon and Mittal explained. “I’ve never found a community more supportive on campus than [Sankofa],” Allemann Chamon said. “We’re all coming from such different spaces, but we meet each other in the middle.”

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Shirley Edgerton is a postdoctoral fellow in Africana studies and that Saroya Corbett is the founder of Youth Alive. Edgerton is the founder of Youth Alive and Corbett is a postdoctoral fellow in Africana studies. The article was updated on March 5 at 10:30 am to correct this error.