The Roots of Stepping-African Dance

African dance's central trait is that it is diffused. This means that the body is infused with the entire rhythm of the dance and movement may start with any part of the body (shoulders, chest, pelvis, arms, legs etc.) and naturally integrate the rest of the body, very unlike other dances of the world wherein the body is treated as a "stiff" unit. Unlike the movement through space of the whole body that plays the most important role in many European dances (e.g. Classical Ballet), the resulting complex movements that seem to come from "inside" the body is what makes African dance distinct.

African American "vernacular dances" are characterized by ongoing change and development and places great value on improvisation. Vernacular dances are dances which have developed 'naturally' as a part of 'everyday' culture within a particular community. This kind of dancing is very organic in the sense that it adapts to changes in the environment. Because they exist in social spaces the main purpose of African American dance is self-expression, they are continually changing to reflect the needs, interests and personalities of their participants. Because these dances are vernacular, they have a tendency to incorporate steps from other dance traditions and any particular African American dance shows clear evidence of its relationship to other, earlier dances.

African American dance was a response to the conditions of slavery in the United States in the early 1600s. Life for African slaves in America was controlled mainly by slave owners or "masters" and local communities in which these slaves were made to work. African slaves in America were forbidden by their white masters to express their religion, social and cultural practices and were made to follow practices that were entirely alien to them. The influence of their master's culture combined with their indigenous culture and produce new hybrid forms.

African American dance is normally not learned in formal dance schools. Very young African American children often learn to dance as they grow up, developing not only a body awareness and coordination but also learning the soul and rhythm of the dance which are particular to their community. These children learn to dance in a natural and social manner, by mimicking what they hear and see around them. Children learn specific dance steps or 'how to dance' from their families - most often from older brothers and sisters, cousins or other older children.

The natural progression from African Dance in Africa to African American Dance in America is a distinct and inevitable process of infusion of a culture meeting another culture. The variety of dances that came out of this infusion can be seen in different regions of the United States. Stepping is a direct product of that infusion and the movements developed are uniquely African American.

Stepping, as an art form, can not be anything but African American. The loose limbed movements and rhythmic poundings of the dancer's body are indigenous to African culture. The factors (history, religion and culture) that influenced stepping in its early stages of development have made it the unique, exciting dance it is now.

MyStepShow.com is a free video sharing community website that features step team performances. Members can post and share video footage of their stepteam performances. Visit http://www.MyStepShow.com to learn more about the tradition of stepping.