Step Afrika! illustrates African-American history with 'Great Migration' dance show

In the 1940s, painter Jacob Lawrence set out to tell the story of the "Great Migration," with African-Americans from the South heading north in search of better opportunities. Lawrence employed vivid colors and a flat, cubist aesthetic to depict the hopes, toils, joys and hardships of those making the journey. And now dance company Step Afrika! is drawing from Lawrence's paintings for "The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence." This show uses stepping, South African gumboot dancing and West African dance styles to illustrate this chapter in American history. (7:30 p.m. Sat., the Ordway, 345 Washington St., St. Paul, $19-$39, 651-282-3000, ordway.org) SHEILA REGAN