The purpose of this page is to share information about foot stomping and/or body slapping movements worldwide. This information is provided for cultural, educational, and folkloric purposes, and just for fun. I'll provide liberal repostings of some of these online articles because links to websites may become inactive .
I'll periodically add information and other links to this page when I come upon them and when the spirit moves me to do so. Information on the featured movement art forms is posted in alphabetical order. There is no order of perference to the video links or resource links that are posted under the movment genres. Also, I may not agree with the information that is posted. Any comments that I write about these links will either be prefaced by the word "Editor" or will be written in brakets.
Use Jambalayah's Search feature to find videos of these dance/movement forms that are posted on this website.
Visit http://www.cocojams.com/content/fraternity-sorority-step-stroll-related-... to find a number of videos of fraternity/sororities step teams and other group step teams (including the United States Army). Videos of Gumboot dancing, German/Austrian slap dancing, and Samoan slap dancing are also included on that page.
Feedback, information, and links are welcome on this subject (and on all other Jambalayah subjects). Please contact me at jambalayah17@yahoo.com.
Thanks!
-Ms. Azizi Powell,
Founder/ Editor (Webmaster), Jambalayah.com and Cocojams.com
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
last revised on 3/10/2010
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Preface:
Last Friday evening (2/26/2010) my school teacher daughter persuaded me to attend a University of Pittsburgh step show. The show was relatively well attended especially for a wintery night. Almost all of the audience were youngish adult African American females and males. I probably was one of the oldest persons there. But I didn't mind.
For the record, the only male step teams performing that night were the Black (Greek lettered) fraternities Kappas, Sigmas, and Alphas, and the only female step teams performing that night were the Black (Greek lettered) sororities Deltas and the Zetas. However, some members of Omega Psi Phi fraternity and Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority also attended that event. I think some members of Iota Phi Theta fraternity were also there. Also for the record, the Alphas and the Zetas won their respective competitions.
I mention this event because after watching videos of various other dance/movement forms worldwide, it occurred to me that steppin resembled those forms.
As coincidence would have it, when I was surfing YouTube looking for music or dance videos from the Pacific Islands to post on Jambalayah, I happened to come across videos of Samoan Fa'ataupati (slap dancing). I had no knowledge what so ever of this dance form before watching those videos.
After posting a couple of videos of Samoan slap dancing to this website, I shared their links on my facebook page.* In response to my comment asking for information about and video links to other similar types of dancing worldwide, one of my facebook friends, Anne Kennedy Truscott, posted two links to YouTube videos of Bavarian (Southern Germany) Schuhplattling (also known as "slap dancing" and "ass slapping dance"). Thanks Anne!
I have vague recollections of seeing German/Austrian folk dances performed by the Tamburitzans, a Duquesne University (Pittsburgh Pennsylvania) dance ensemble. But I admit that if that creative dance organization had performed German slap dancing, I had forgotten all about it. Yet, after seeing steppin in person, and after watching videos of steppin, German/Austrian slap dancing, and Samoan slap dancing, it seems obvious to me that there are considerable similarities between these three movement forms.
It also occurs to me that "pattin juba" is another body slapping form that is similar to all those aforementioned activites. The 19th century (or earlier) African American music/dance accompaniment form called "pattin juba" is retained in some fraternity & sorority steppin routines.
Also, my facebook friend Anne Kennedy Truscott pointed out to me that New Zealand Maori "haka" is performed with body slapping. The New Zealand ruby union athletic team do haka in front of their opposing team before a game. The ruby teams from Samao and from Tonga also do haka in front of their opposing teams before a game. I had no knowledge of haka before "hearing" about it from Anne.
South African Boot Dancing is another body slapping, foot stomping form. I've been familiar with this form for some years, and am pleased to share information about it with those who may not know it.
Again, if you know of other foot stomping and/or body slapping forms please contact me at jambalayah17@yahoo.com so that I can add that tradition to this page.
*I'm on facebook under the name cocojams jambalayah, the name of my two websites. If you're on fb, please befriend me.
Thanks!!
Information about Body Slapping And/Or Foot Stomping Movements Worldwide
Gum Boot Dances
Gumboot Dancers in Cape Town
simonleher
July 27, 2007
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From http://www.gumbootsworldtour.com/english/history.html [Retrieved 3/3/2010]
"Gumboot dancing was born in the gold mines of South Africa at the height of the migrant labour system and during the oppressive Apartheid Pass Laws....
The floors of the mines were often flooded, with poor or non-existent drainage. For the miners, hours of standing up to their knees in infected waters brought on skin ulcers, foot problems and consequent lost work time. The bosses discovered that providing gumboots (Wellington boots) to the workers was cheaper than attempting to drain the mines. This created the miners uniform, consisting of heavy black Wellington boots, jeans, bare chest and bandannas to absorb eye-stinging sweat.
The workers were forbidden to speak, and as a result created a means of communication, essentially their own unique form of Morse Code. By slapping their gumboots and rattling their ankle chains, the enslaved workers sent messages to each other in the darkness. From this came an entertainment, as the miners evolved their percussive sounds and movements into a unique dance form and used it to entertain each other during their free time.
Gumboot dancing has developed into a working class, South African art form with a universal appeal. The dancers expand upon traditional steps, with the addition of contemporary movement, music and song. Extremely physical, the dancing serves as a cathartic release, celebrating the body as an instrument, and the richness and complexities of South African culture."...
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http://www.greenleft.org.au/1998/343/19782
[Retrieved 3/3/2010]
Behind the `gumboot dance
Rishile Gumboot Dancers of Soweto
Larrikin/Festival
Review by Norm Dixon; 2 December 1998
"Within hours of touching down at Johannesburg airport, tourists on package tours to South Africa find themselves whisked by coach to a nearby tourist attraction -- a re-creation of a working gold mine. What is presented is a very sanitised version of the working and living conditions that millions of black South Africans were forced to endure for more than 100 years.
Part of the program is the “gumboot” dancers -- half a dozen or so black men in overalls, hard hats and gumboots creating incredibly intricate rhythms by stamping their feet and slapping their boots, hats and bodies. To see all the dancers performing these feats in unison is an experience that few forget.
Even though the tourists will return home with their happy snaps and video-8 tapes to remember the experience, they will know little of the cultural significance of what they saw.
Unfortunately, gumboot dancing, or isicathulo, has become something of a South African cliché. It is included in the repertoire of most South African dance groups that travel the world. Most people, in every part of the world, recognise isicathulo as quintessentially South African. Few know about its origins as a response by mineworkers to their racial oppression under apartheid.
The Rishile Gumboot Dancers of Soweto, with their self-titled album, have decided to reveal the blood, sweat and tears that lie behind the happy cliché.
As they explain in the liner notes of their CD, isicathulo was born in the gold mines of South Africa, which opened in the 1880s. It was a way to survive the isolation workers felt under the weight of the migrant labour system and the oppressive pass laws.
Working in the mines was long, hard, repetitive toil. Talking was forbidden. White foremen beat and kicked black workers. Hundreds of workers were (and continue to be) killed every year in accidents.
The floors of the mines often flooded due to poor or non-existent drainage. Hours of standing in the fetid water caused skin problems and ulcers and resulted in lost time. The white bosses, rather than spend the money needed to properly drain the shafts, issued rubber gumboots to the workers.
“Thus the `miners' uniform' was born”, the Rishile Dancers explain. “Heavy black Wellington boots to protect the feet ... jeans [or overalls], bare chests [temperatures underground can reach above 40° C], and bandannas to absorb eye-stinging sweat [and hard hats].”
In the dank, dark shafts, workers learned to send messages to each other by slapping on their boots.
Back on the surface and in their overcrowded living quarters, the bosses refused to allow the workers to wear their traditional dress while they were not working. The bosses made all workers of the same ethnic or tribal background live together, in order to perpetuate divisions between different groups of African workers.
Faced with this repressive regime, workers adapted traditional dances and rhythms to the only instruments available -- their boots and bodies. The songs that were sung to go with the frenetic movements dealt with working-class life -- drinking, love, family, low wages and mean bosses.
Some “enlightened” employers eventually allowed the best dancers to form troupes to represent the company, to entertain visitors and for PR. It was not unusual for these performers' songs to openly mock their bosses and criticise wages and conditions, while the bosses were blissfully ignorant of the content, sung in Xhosa, Sothu or Zulu.
Dance historian Jane Osborne has explained that isicathulo developed from traditional African roots to become part of urban South African working-class culture, and a southern African art form with universal popular appeal. It is not unlike tap dance, which sprang from the oppressed African-Americans to be embraced by the whole US population -- even though few would be aware of its origins. "...
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gumboot_dance [Retrieved 3/3/2010]
"The gumboot dance is an African dance that is performed by dancers wearing Wellington boots. In South Africa, these are more commonly called gumboots.
The boots may be embellished with bells, so that they ring as the dancers stamp on the ground."
Haka
The All Blacks's legendary Haka
Posted by presse
October 18, 2007
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Haka (HAH-kah) is a traditional Pacific island dance form which is also performed at the beginning of rugby games by teams from New Zealand, Samoa, and Tonga.
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haka (retrieved 4/6/2010) "The Māori word haka has cognates in other Polynesian languages, for example: Tongan haka, 'hand action while singing'; Samoan saʻa, Tokelau haka, Rarotongan ʻaka, Hawaiian haʻa, Marquesan haka, all meaning 'dance'; Mangarevan ʻaka, 'to dance in traditional fashion; dance accompanied by chant, usually of a warlike nature'.
-snip-
Here's more information about haka from that Wikipedia page:
"Haka (singular is the same as plural: haka) is the traditional dance form of the Māori of New Zealand. It is a posture dance performed by a group, with vigorous movements and stamping of the feet with rhythmically shouted accompaniment
History
Although the use of a haka by the All Blacks rugby union team has made one type of haka familiar, it has led to misconceptions. Haka[2] are not exclusively war dances, nor are they only performed by men. Some are performed by women, others by mixed groups, and some simple haka are performed by children. Haka are performed for various reasons: for amusement, as a hearty welcome to distinguished guests, or to acknowledge great achievements or occasions (McLean 1996:46-47). War haka (peruperu) were originally performed by warriors before a battle, proclaiming their strength and prowess in order to intimidate the opposition. Today, haka constitute an integral part of formal or official welcome ceremonies for distinguished visitors or foreign dignitaries, serving to impart a sense of the importance of the occasion."
-snip-
Here's more on haka from http://www.newzealand.com/travel/media/press-releases/2010/1/film_maori-...
[Retrieved 3/8/2010]
"Background: Traditional Māori haka
Haka - a group posture dance - is the traditional dance form of the New Zealand Māori.
Although the haka was made famous by the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team who perform it as a ritual pre-game challenge to their opponents, there are several different styles of haka - including some performed by women.
For Māori, the complex haka dance form is an expression of the passion, vigour and identity of their culture - a message of the soul expressed by words and posture.
Henare Teowai, from the Māori tribe of Ngati Porou and an acknowledged haka master, said that the whole body should speak.
Hands, feet, legs, body, voice, tongue, and eyes are all used to play a part in the challenge, welcome, exultation, defiance and contempt of the words.
In the leader’s pre-haka call, words are shouted in a ferocious and staccato manner that is designed to remind the performers how to comport themselves - instilling strength and determination so they can perform with power and force.
Movements essential to the art of haka include:
pukana / dilating of the eyes
whetero / protruding of the tongue performed by men only
ngangahu / similar to pukana, performed by both sexes
potete / the closing of the eyes at different points in the dance, performed by the women only.
These expressions are used at various times in the performance to lend meaning and force to the words.
Haka are generally not uniform with all participants acting in time. The best haka involve a good deal of spontaneity and creativity as performers interpret the words and feel the power of the haka take hold. "
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Pattin Juba
Hambone
Posted by rjv66
February 17, 2008
"Childsplay Featuring Steve Hickman & Matthew Olwell."
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From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juba_dance [Retrieved 3/3/2010]
"The Juba dance or hambone, originally known as Pattin' Juba (Giouba, Haiti: Djouba), is a style of dance that involves stomping as well as slapping and patting the arms, legs, chest, and cheeks. "pattin' Juba" would be used to keep time for other dances during a walkaround. A Juba Dance performance could include:
counter-clockwise turning, often with one leg raised,
stomping and slapping (v.s.),
various steps such as "the Jubal Jew", "Yaller Cat", "Pigeon Wing" and "Blow That Candle Out".
The dance traditionally ends with a step called "the Long Dog Scratch". Modern variations on the dance include Bo Diddley's "Bo Diddley Beat" and the step-shows of African American and Latino Greek organizations.[1]"
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Editor: "Hambone" is a form of "Pattin Juba". Click http://www.cocojams.com/content/african-american-secular-slave-songs to find information about and examples of the Hambone rhyme. Among the comments on that page is this excerpt from the Bessie Jones and Bess Lomax Hawes' book "Step It Down, Games, Plays, Songs & Stories From The Afro-American Heritage (Athens, Ga; University of Georgia Press, 1972, pps 34-36)
"Hambone may be performed alone or with a group all jiving together. While the rhyme is being said, the players slap their thighs lightly on the off-beat, After each line of the poem, they "pat"...
-snip-
That Cocojams.com page also includes this excerpt from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo_Diddley
"He [Bo Diddley ]recorded for Chicago's Chess Records subsidiary label Checker. Bo Diddley is best known for the "Bo Diddley beat", a rhumba-based beat (see clave) also influenced by what is known as "hambone", a style used by street performers who play out the beat by slapping and patting their arms, legs, chest, and cheeks while chanting rhymes.
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Samoan Slap Dance
hilokathleen
April 17, 2009
Samoan Slap Dance at Merrie Monarch Ho'ike 2009, Hilo, HI MVI 4584
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http://www.proz.com/kudoz/english_to_german/folklore/1282788-slap_dance....
[Retrieved 3/3/2010]
-Nicole SchnellKudoZ
English term or phrase: slap dance
"Young Samoans demonstrate their energy and love for life in the rousing Sasa and Lapa and prove their skill and agility in the powerful slap dance."
Part of the program of a Samoa dance troup/Germany tour.
I found a definition on the web:
In the men's fa'ataupati or slap dance, the percussion is intensified by slapping chest, sides, thighs and stamping the feet. Contemporary versions of the fa'ataupati in American Samoa even incorporate a few moves from hip hop and other dance genres without losing the basic rhythm and style of the original dance."
-snip-
Note added at 16 hrs (2006-03-16 17:27:08 GMT)
"1899: Samoa is divided between Germany (Western Samoa) and the United States (Eastern Samoa); Germany received the two larger islands, Sawaii and Upolu.
http://www.deutsche-schutzgebiete.de/samoa-english.htm
The ‘slap dance’ is a relatively recent arrival on the islands. It was introduced by Bavarian sailors who had survived the wreck of the ‘Adler’ in 1889. The locals were so impressed by their performance of the ‘Watschenplattler’ that they copied the movements. The Samoan language has only a limited number of consonants so this was Samoanised as ‘fa'ataupati’. The name ‘slap dance’ was first applied by troops from New Zealand who arrived to occupy the islands during World War One…"
http://www.toursamoa.ws/samoa/cms/sights/dance.html (link no longer viable 3/3/2010)
end of quote
**
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samoa [Retrieved 3/3/2010]
"The Samoan word for dance is Siva with unique gentle movements of the body in time to music and which tells a story, although the Samoan male dances can be more physical and snappy.[34] The "Sasa" is also a traditional Samoan dance, in which rows of dancers perform rapid synchronised movements in time to the rhythmn of wooden drums or rolled mats. Another dance, performed by males is called the Fa'ataupati or the slap dance, creating rhythmic sounds by slapping different parts of the body. This is believed to have been derived from slapping insects on the body."
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Schuhplattler-Bavarian (German)/Austrian Slap Dance
German/Austrian Schuhplatter
Posted by enzianbuam
January 04, 2008
http://www.phantomranch.net/folkdanc/dances/reitimvi.htm [Retrieved 3/3/2010]
"REIT IM WINKL SCHUHPLATTLER
German
PRONUNCIATION: RAEET im vin-kl SHOO-plaht-ler
TRANSLATION: Directly in the corner shoe-slapping dance
SOURCE: Dick Oakes learned this dance from Morry Gelman, a former member of a Bavarian schuhplattler club, who taught to folk dancers in the United States.
BACKGROUND: Reit im Winkl Schuhplatteler takes its name from a town in Southeastern Germany called Reit im Winkl, which sits in a little angle of the border with Austria. The dance typifies the old style of schuhplattling (shoe slapping) in Bavaria. The music is the same as found in the Wachentanz (fighting) Schuhplattler of Austria but, as is typical of Bavaria, heavier and slower. Schuhplattling is said to resemble the courting actions of the Bavarian "auerhahn," the largest grouse in the world. The slaps of the plattling are compared to the "click" sounds made by the beak of the male bird with the stalking and capture completing the scenario. The schuhplattler itself is often preceded by a march in 2/4 meter, which brings the couples into a circular formation. Following the end of the dance, the couples march off the dance floor to the same music. In Bavaria, the schuhplattlers begin with the entrance figure ("der Eingang") and close with the exit figure ("der Ausgang"). The Eingang (EIN-gahng) and Ausgang (AUS-gahng) are identical. "
-end of quote-
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schuhplattler [Retrieved 3/3/2010]
"The Schuhplattler is a traditional folk dance from Bavaria and Austria.
The origins of this dance are found in an early courtship display (Balztanz). Such a dance was described in 1050 by a monk in the knightly poem Ruodlieb, wherein similar postures and movements of the Schuhplatter are depicted.[1][2]
Style
The homeland of the Schuhplattler dance is the alpine region of Europe in Bavaria (Germany) and Austria. In days gone by young men wished to impress marriageable young ladies with their dancing prowess. Initially the style was free without rules. Performed usually in a 3/4 time, one would carry out a series of jumps and hip movements to the time of the music. Characteristically the dancers will rhythmically strike their thighs, knees and soles of the feet, and stamp with the feet. Nowadays the dance is usually performed out of tradition, maintaining the older customs, and as part of the activities of Trachtenvereine (that is, societies which maintain traditional dress, songs and culture of earlier days)."
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_dance [Retrieved 3/3/2010]
..."the German and Austrian schuhplattling dance consists of slapping the body and shoes in a fixed pattern, a feature that few other countries' dances have"...
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http://www.pasthound.com/topics/Austrian-folk-dancing?PHPSESSID=5f3aqvkj... [Retrieved 3/3/2010]
"The most famous Austrian folk dance is the Schihplattler, where the boys slap their thighs and shoes."
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http://www.metafilter.com/71001/The-slap-the-dance-the-slapdance
[Retrieved 3/3/2010]
The slap, the dance ... the slap-dance!
April 20, 2008 11:28 AM
"slappity-slappity-BOOM!-slappity-slap-slap-slap-BOOM!... Slap dancing from opposite ends of the earth! In Samoa, it’s called the Fa'ataupati; it’s said to have originated out of the need to swat insects away. And in the Tyrolean Alps, it’s called the Schuhplattler, supposedly the oldest surviving dance in Europe"...
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Editor: I've found a number of YouTube and other videos which are titled "Bavarian Ass Slapping Dance". However, I've not yet found any online text about the Schuhplattler dance that includes this action. From watching these videos, it appears that at least one way the "ass slapping" occurs randomly when a member of the group will kick another member of the group's backside. This appear to be done for comic effect. The dance continues as usual. At some point in the dance another person will kick the backside of another member of the group.
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Steppin (Stepping)
Alpha Kappa Alpha 1st Place Winners for Chicago Sprite Step Off
Note: Each Black [Greek lettered) organization has a distinct style of stepping. Doing "strolls" (also known as "party walks"") is a related movement form that is performed by fraternities and sororities. Visit http://www.cocojams.com/content/fraternity-sorority-step-stroll-related-... to view a number of videos of stepping and related foot stomping and body slapping movements.
**
From http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/524829/black_fraternities_and_s...
[Retrieved 3/3/2010]
Black Fraternities and Sororities and the History of Stepping
Published January 10, 2008 by Jamie Brown
"Stepping is an expressive dance form that was created by African American fraternities in the 1970s. It is usually accompanied by singing and "chanting," something that will be discussed later. Multiple participants congregate in a decided formation and are started off by a leader, sometimes called the step master, who begins a chant to kick off the step. Participants then clap, stomp, and slap body parts in unison to create a unified sound...
History of Stepping
Most historians agree that Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated, and then Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated, were the first to start the stepping phenomenon which has become wildly popular today.
The contributions of Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated, made stepping moves sourced directly from African culture more common. It is the tribal, African feel of stepping that makes it powerful. The incorporation of props, namely canes was first introduced to stepping by Kwame Nkrumah. One of the most popular step routines is the "Nut Cracker," a step that uses traditional African beats and complicated movements characteristic of African dancing.
A chant is a song that contains rhythms and lyrics that are specific to that frat or sorority. For example, a popular chant of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated, the sister organization to Phi Beta Sigma, that goes with a traditional step starts with, "Here comes that beat. That funky Zeta beat." It is meant to prepare viewers to listen to the intricate beats they are about to hear and make the performance more interactive. Chants sometimes include the distinctive "call" of the fraternity or sorority to further identify who is chanting.
The Here and Now
Nowadays, popular dance movies like Stomp the Yard and How She Move use complicated step dance moves that were originated by actual black fraternities and sororities. Some are copied to the letter though it is well known in black fraternal social circles that certain steps and movements are unique to particular organizations. Here are a few examples (some of these are descriptive names, not exact or sanctioned by the organization):
The Nut Cracker: Unique to Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated. A movement where the participant stomps twice, and then brings his hands up high in the air for a moment, claps above the head, and then claps behind the back while stepping twice again. The participant then stomps four times while bringing his clasped fists down slowly at his side.
The Dove (Flapping it's Wings): Unique to Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated, where participants cross their arms out in front of them and then "flap" their hands up to meet the back of the other hand, to represent the movement of a dove flapping it's wings.
The "Q" Hop: An energetic trademark movement created by Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated where members jump high in the air, hop on one foot, pump their fists, clap, and chant."
end of quote
Editor: This article includes links to several videos.
From watching videos and seeing live step performances, including the one I attended last week, it appears to me that most step routines don't include chanting. And many step routines aren't led by a step master or any one person. Many routines ae done as a group or as part of a division of the entire group. For instance, one section of the group does a particular step and continues that performing that step while a second, and then a third section of the group does different steps. Eventually, all three steps are done at the same time.
It's important to note that stepping is no longer only associated with Black fraternities and sororities. This movement art form is also performed by step teams from Latino, Asian, and multi-racial Greek lettered organizations. Stepping is also performed by teams from schools, churches, and community organizations. Even the US army has a step team which regularly gets rave reviews for its performance at Black collegiate and community events.
Visit http://www.cocojams.com/content/fraternity-and-sorority-chants to read a comment that I wrote about stepping. That page also includes a number of text examples of fraternity & sorority chants, and a smaller number of chants from non-Black fraternities/sororities.
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The first president of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah was a member of Phi Beta Sigma (Sigmas).
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1077/is_n5_v47/ai_11840200/
Phi Beta Sigma - Black sororities and fraternities
Ebony, March, 1992 [Retrieved 3/3/2010]
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwame_Nkrumah [Retrieved 3/3/2010]
"In 1935 he [Kwane Nkrumah'] left Ghana for the United States, receiving a BA from Lincoln University, Pennsylvania in 1939, where he pledged the Mu Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc."
**
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stepping_(African-American) [Retrieved 3/3/2010]
Stepping (African-American)
"Stepping or step-dancing is a form of percussive dance in which the participant's entire body is used as an instrument to produce complex rhythms and sounds through a mixture of footsteps, spoken word, and hand claps. Though stepping may be performed by an individual, it is generally performed by groups of three or more, often in arrangements that resemble military formations.
Stepping may also draw from elements of gymnastics, tap dance, march, or African and Caribbean dance, or include semi-dangerous stunts as a part of individual routines. Some forms of stepping include the use of props, such as canes, rhythm sticks and/or fire and blindfolds.
The tradition of African American stepping is rooted within the competitive schoolyard song and dance rituals practiced by historically African American fraternities and sororities, beginning in the mid-1900s...
African American stepping finds its origins in a combination of military close-order and exhibition drill, and African foot dances such as the Welly "gumboot" dance. It also originally drew heavily from the stage routines and movements of popular R&B groups such as the Temptations and The Four Tops.[citation needed] During the mid-20th century, traditionally-black fraternities and sororities on United States college campuses traditionally sang and chanted to celebrate "crossing over" into membership of their respective organizations. Stepping is also performed by schools, churches, cheerleading squads, and drill teams."...
Contact
Email: jambalayah17@yahoo.com
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