The step team is a fairly new addition to our school.  It consists of stepping and slapping hands to create rhythm.

Today's stepping is a mix of African and American influences. Some routines are similar to the "gum boot" dancing of South African miners, while other moves are rooted in the "hambone" of American vaudeville, where minstrels slapped their hands to heels, chest, thigh and body parts while chanting a rhythm or singing a song. Black veterans returning form World War II introduced march routines. The choreography continued with steppers absorbing the Motown moves of the Temptations and today's hiphop generation. Stepping probably got it's widest national exposure in Spike Lee's 1988 film " School Daze". Stepping, often performed with canes and other props has evolved into a tradition and an art form which includes teams at the high school level. This is an art form deeply rooted in the African American past and has been updated to preserve the remnants of the historical steps and new ones are created to celebrate the present trends in our culture.
It was among the black Greek fraternities and sororities on college campuses that stepping gained its momentum in American society. As one final act before becoming full-fledged fraternity brothers and sorority sisters, pledges of black Greek organizations were expected to do a step show. Stepping is rooted predominately in the African American fraternities and sororities and has roots in the tribal dances performed in Africa. In many ways, those early step shows were similar to some African rite of passage ceremonies where initiates would return to their village and perform a dance they learned as part of their coming of age ritual.