Originating from Africa, stepping is kept alive through historically black fraternity chapters on Ball State's campus and around the country. In particular, the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity works to keep the tradition of step alive at Ball State.
"Basically stepping is using your feet and your hands to make rhythms," said fraternity member Kyle Hawkins, a junior communication studies major. "I guess you could say that it is a way of expressing yourself using your feet to make loud noises and using your hands to clap. ... It's a live emotion."
Step Afrika, a nationally known step group from Washington, D.C., describes the art form as a tradition that grew out of the song and dance rituals practiced by African-American fraternities and sororities in the early 1900s.
Some fraternities describe stepping as a way to build the bond between fraternity members. This bond is essential to the art of stepping, Phi Beta Sigma member Carl Ives said, because it symbolizes unity, which is important when performing the dance.
"Since stepping involves every one of our members stepping together, unity is a huge part of what we do," said Ives, a junior accounting major.
Pride is also a defining feature of stepping because the dance was meant to be an aggressive, proud dance, similar to how Africans used to perform the gumboot dance.
According to the World Arts West organization, the gumboot dance developed from traditional African roots to become a part of urban South African working-class culture. The practice began when rural laborers came to work at the gold mines of Witwatersrand in South Africa. Facing oppression and hardship at the mines, including punishment if they talked to one another while working, they were forced to adapt and create new forms of communication and entertainment.
This new form of communication was an influential bond between these miners. Similarly, the bonds that are created are what make stepping such a powerful experience.
"Stepping makes me feel closer to my ancestors because it brings out the brotherhood that the Africans were trying to express in their dances," Hawkins said.
Today's stepping is not as traditional as the art form it originated from. Most forms today involve a collaboration of modern dance and spoken word on top of traditional African moves.
The long hours of practicing are a way that stepping brings Phi Beta Sigma together. Many members commented on the laughs they share while preparing for a show or competition.
"Stepping does bring us together. During practice we take breaks to catch up with each other and just talk about life," Hawkins said. "Practicing for long hours gives us time to bond outside of the classroom or doing fraternity business."
While Phi Beta Sigma may not know the same problems the gumboot dancers faced, the fraternity will continue to pay homage and show its pride for the dance by stepping to the beat.
For an interactive about stepping, check out Ball Bearings Online: http://ballbearingsonline.com/feature.php?id=104
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