Sankofa

Sankofa is Williams College’s step team founded by students in 1996. Stepping is a percussive dance form created by black fraternities in the mid-1900s. This movement style is influenced by military drill, South African gum boot, West African dance, and hip-hop. The word Sankofa is from the Akan language of Ghana that translates in English to “reach back and get it.” Sankofa uses this concept to reach back in order to step forward, reflecting the organization’s mentality. Sankofa has been known to incorporate everything from pop music, spoken word, break dance, and gymnastics in its choreography, making for loud, high energy, and incredibly exciting performances.