Rochester Step Off

Stepping evolved from slaves being forced to work pitch black coal mines from sun up to sun down Monday through Saturday. The terrain was rocky and each slave was issued a pair of boots to wear while they were working. Sunday, which was the only day mine slaves encountered sunlight, was used an exercise day. It was also used as a day for betting and entertainment for each of the masters. There were units of slaves which would compete on Sundays in what is known today as the African boot dance and the white men and women would watch in admiration. This dance is significant in that it served as a chance to re-sound the battle cries of ancient drums. The beat of the drums was compensated through percussive foot stomping and hand clapping. The fight and the passion of the songs were mimicked by rhythmic dance movements.

Stepping is a modernized version of what we knew as "Boot Dance". It has been called an "African-American indigenous art, recently uncovered by an avant-garde in need of something exotic (Mason, p. 21). Stepping is a line dance, in which intricate steps are executed with drill team precision. Groups could add to that a chant about the African American community or history but really more likely about the fraternity or sorority. It is a hybrid call and response similar to the one many steppers were exposed to while growing up in the church. It was recently discovered by the art world and now hailed as an important new performance form. Stepping comes from deep within the hearts of those who participate and is not just seen as another art form. Stepping will survive because racism in this society makes it necessary for young Black college students to group and pool their resources and talents to form a bond between ourselves. Looking beyond the performance stepping is not simply an ingredient to some multicultural shuffle that rich thrill seekers can sample (Mason, p.21). It is a technique which signifies conformity and oppression among young Black men and women. If there is to be a true intercultural dialog, we college students must deal with the issues that art form brings to the table and not just our craving for multicultural spice (Mason, p.21).