The Fruits of Our Labor at Arena Stage

The Fruits of Our Labor

Arena Stage
1101 Sixth Street, SW Washington

Blending stepping, percussion, and striking visual imagery, this visceral new dance piece examines what it means to believe in a nation still in the making. Created in collaboration with artists Jakari Sherman, Conrad R. Kelly II, and Vusi Mdoyi, The Fruits of Our Labor asks: What have we inherited and what are we still fighting to become?

Thru - Nov 1, 2026

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Wed, Oct 21: 7:30pm

Thu, Oct 22: 12:00pm

Fri, Oct 23: 8:00pm

Sat, Oct 24: 2:00pm & 8:00pm

Sun, Oct 25: 2:00pm & 7:30pm

Wed, Oct 28: 12:00pm & 7:30pm

Thu, Oct 29: 12:00pm & 8:00pm

Fri, Oct 30: 8:00pm

Sat, Oct 31: 2:00pm

Sun, Nov 1: 2:00pm

Show Type: Drama

www.arenastage.org

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The Fruits of Our Labor Reviews

Average Rating based on 2 reviews

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MD Theatre Guide - Highly Recommended

"...There are moments in Step Afrika!’s “The Fruits of Our Labor” when the human body seems capable of becoming almost anything. Feet pound the floor, hands strike against bodies, performers breathe and move together, and rhythm becomes its own kind of language. In its world premiere at Arena Stage, “The Fruits of Our Labor” offers an exhilarating evening of entertainment while holding strong to the notion that history is everyone’s to be interpreted, and subsequently reinterpreted, in deeply meaningful ways."

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- Anne Valentino

DC Theater Arts - Highly Recommended

"...The Fruits of Our Labor — Step Afrika!’s awe-inspiring and soul-stirring world premiere dance spectacular — was specifically conceived to coincide with, and respond to, the 250th anniversary of a nation that was largely built on the labor of enslaved people. As such, that title is doing a lot of really deep work. For one thing, the idiom’s implication that “hard work will be rewarded” evokes the fable that America is a “land of opportunity” for one and all. For another thing, the pronoun “our” can be read as both “Americans in general” and “Black Americans in particular,” a double meaning that was deliberate, as Step Afrika! Founder C. Brian Williams, who came up with the title, confirmed for me"

- John Stoltenberg

The Fruits of Our Labor at Arena Stage