C. Brian Williams

C. Brian Williams (founder and executive producer) is a native of Houston, Texas, and a graduate of Howard University. Williams 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; he 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 through¬out the United States. Through hia 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; the Dis¬tinguished Arts Award from the Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts; and the Pola Nirenska Award for Contemporary Achievement in Dance. Williams is also featured in Soulstepping, the first book to document the history of stepping. He 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.