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March 18, 2004
Dancers step up into the spotlight
As the 3:00 p.m. bell sounds over the PA system on Feb. 23, freshman Ashley Young stands in the arts hall before two lines of girls, ready to demonstrate the move that she has just created for their upcoming Sankofa performance. "Steppers!" As the word leaves her mouth, Young springs into an explosion of movement, stamping out a fast rhythm on the tiled floor as she claps her hands in an exuberant arc above her head.
While a passerby may be surprised at the energetic display, Young and the girls before her have long since grown accustomed to such vibrant rhythms and contagious beats. These performances are a routine part of one of their favorite activities: stepping.
Original beats
According to stepper junior Kahoa Bonhomme, step originated with African slaves in the Antebellum South who communicated through drums and rhythms so that their owners would not understand them. The rhythms remained an integral part of black culture after emancipation and soon evolved into the stylized stepping that is still an institution of Greek life on many historically black colleges.
Blair’s team rarely competes, but it has appeared at a variety of events ranging from basketball games to pep rallies to Sankofa. To prepare for each event, the team creates and perfects a new routine, often melding bits of previous routines into a new rhythm and a new dance.
“We’ll go home and just make up beats," says freshman Rebecca Thomas, “then come back and put them together." While the process sounds easy, Thomas says that even basic routines require hours of dedicated effort to polish. “One step takes about two days to get down," she explains. “A full routine takes weeks, sometimes a month or two."
More than a sisterhood
Although girls make up the vast majority of Blair’s steppers, step actually began as a male-oriented activity, and a group of seven male students recently created an offshoot of the step team, known as the A-Boys, to reflect step’s origins. “In frats, step is done in military formation," explains Bonhomme, one of the original A-Boys. “They put on their most hardened face and step with aggression—not finesse, like the girls, but real passion."
Bonhomme has occasionally been mocked by other males for participating in a “girly" activity, but he says that the insults have not affected his passion for stepping. “A lot of the time, people make fun of you," he says, “but later they’ll see you doing a move, and they’ll be like, ‘Hey, that’s hot!’"
Stepping past differences
While colleges often use step as a way to cement fraternity and sorority ties, Blair’s team is less interested in building an exclusive clique than in simply enjoying itself and creating engaging and fresh new routines. “Performances are fun," sophomore Heather Ruffin says enthusiastically, “going in front of people and showing your stuff!"
For step team sponsor Alicia James, step has a slightly different allure. “The best part of step is being able to do anything you want," she says. “There are no restraints—it’s really open and free." She also praises the team for its emphasis on unity and harmony. “We have a lot of feet," she explains, “but we make one sound."
While a passerby may be surprised at the energetic display, Young and the girls before her have long since grown accustomed to such vibrant rhythms and contagious beats. These performances are a routine part of one of their favorite activities: stepping.
Original beats
According to stepper junior Kahoa Bonhomme, step originated with African slaves in the Antebellum South who communicated through drums and rhythms so that their owners would not understand them. The rhythms remained an integral part of black culture after emancipation and soon evolved into the stylized stepping that is still an institution of Greek life on many historically black colleges.
Freshman Sherine Watson leads the line at step team practice on March 9.
Blair’s team rarely competes, but it has appeared at a variety of events ranging from basketball games to pep rallies to Sankofa. To prepare for each event, the team creates and perfects a new routine, often melding bits of previous routines into a new rhythm and a new dance.
“We’ll go home and just make up beats," says freshman Rebecca Thomas, “then come back and put them together." While the process sounds easy, Thomas says that even basic routines require hours of dedicated effort to polish. “One step takes about two days to get down," she explains. “A full routine takes weeks, sometimes a month or two."
More than a sisterhood
Although girls make up the vast majority of Blair’s steppers, step actually began as a male-oriented activity, and a group of seven male students recently created an offshoot of the step team, known as the A-Boys, to reflect step’s origins. “In frats, step is done in military formation," explains Bonhomme, one of the original A-Boys. “They put on their most hardened face and step with aggression—not finesse, like the girls, but real passion."
Bonhomme has occasionally been mocked by other males for participating in a “girly" activity, but he says that the insults have not affected his passion for stepping. “A lot of the time, people make fun of you," he says, “but later they’ll see you doing a move, and they’ll be like, ‘Hey, that’s hot!’"
Stepping past differences
While colleges often use step as a way to cement fraternity and sorority ties, Blair’s team is less interested in building an exclusive clique than in simply enjoying itself and creating engaging and fresh new routines. “Performances are fun," sophomore Heather Ruffin says enthusiastically, “going in front of people and showing your stuff!"
For step team sponsor Alicia James, step has a slightly different allure. “The best part of step is being able to do anything you want," she says. “There are no restraints—it’s really open and free." She also praises the team for its emphasis on unity and harmony. “We have a lot of feet," she explains, “but we make one sound."
Discuss this Article
I am a little Utah girl with a great interest in stepping. I have wanted to do it since I saw an old rerun of A Different World. There is NO stepping anywhere here (only IRISH step dancing). I can't find ANY info on it (library, Amazon, google, etc.). How can I learn to do it? Is there any instuctional info available? I am really sad we don't live in the south where it seems to be easy to find. Thanks for any help you can give...
Thanks
I go to Bartlett Yancet High School in Yanceyville NC I am on the Step team this Year and Im very excited to practice It onil One high school in our county Thats us we have no one to compete against but we still have fun. Continue wat u are doing and God Bless Maybe we can compete one day.
Thank YOu
Vonetta Sutton
718-248-0878 Day ESY 10-5
718-434-1106 Eve EST
i want to start a step team at my school
but i dont know where to get started..
could u help please?????
thank you!!