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What‘s
Steppin Steppin is a derivative of several
African American dance forms, The Ring-Shout, The Cakewalk, The Jitterbug, The
Swing, The Offtime, The Bop, and The New Bop in particular. A dance consisiting of two or
more people dancing as partners in synchronization to a 6 or 8 count beat to
musical sounds of Jazz, Soul, Funk, R&B, Neo Soul, or Rapp music. Steppin is currently one of
the most popular aspects of America's social climate, gaining popularity at a
very rapid pace, manifesting in many major cities, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta,
Houston, Milwaukee, L.A., Oakland, Seattle, and other heavy populated areas.. Attire
consist of a form of rag time, black tie, and modern fashion designs twisted
into a unique style of contemporary designs better known as Steppers Sharp
usually reflecting a combination of times throughout African American history,
the gouyster in particular. A dance form
very popular throughout Chicago's African American community.
A dance of unity and
positive atmosphere, currently enjoyed and adopted by people throughout American
society under the reference of Hand dancing, Ballroom, The Swing, Steppin , and
the Bop.
Steppin
originated in Chicago's African American community as a dance formerly referred
to as the BOP, a smooth calm dance of striding, gliding, dipping, and dabbing to
music by popular African American big bands and singing groups during the late
50's and early 60's. Events were host at places like Chicago's Savoy, The Club
Delisa, The Time square, The Checkerboard, etc. There were also the famous rent
party, quarter party, waist line party, or basement party on smaller
neighborhood scales. There were two select groups
of Chicago boppers in the late 50's and early 60's who most would agree to be
the forefounders of Steppin. They were called Gousters and Ivy Leaguers; young
African Americans from Chicago's west and south side communities, seperated only
by fashions and styles of dance. Gousters were cool and suave with an adopted
style of fashion from the notorious Gangsters of the 40's and 50's, baggy suits
and pleated pants, cool, calm, and collective. The Ivy Leaquers were prep school
type, the college look, stove pipe pants, crew cuts, knit shirts, Harvard, Yale,
or Princeton prototypes. The BOP was the most popular
dance in Chicago; often sharing the popularity spotlight with individual dances
like the Twist, The Monkey, The Mash Potatoes, The Twine Time, etc.. It also had
The Walk, a slowed down version of The Bop. The intimate side of things, truly
one of the most graceful aspects of Steppin one could ever witness and many
around Chicago say actually existed before the Bop. The fact of the matter is,
the Walk remain a major part of Chicago Steppin and continue to exist as the
intimate aspect of the dance. The BOP remained popular
through-out the 60's up until the Viet Nam War and the invasion of Love, Peace,
Flower Power, and the Mod era. In addition, public protest, the advancing forces
of the civil rights movement, and racial tensions surfaced around the country
that helped force African American dance and music to take drastic changes
throughout the community. Songs reflected the times, the War, Civil Rights,
Revolution or Protest rather than dancing. It was in fact fashionable and
popular to listen to music rather than dance.This followed by the threat of
revolution by so-called Black Militants, the sexaul revolution, intergration,
and politics pushed The Bop deep into African American neighborhoods where it
existed as a mere shadow but continued to survive up until it resurfaced in
popularity during the mid 70's. It returned with a faster pace and a more
entertaining presence. It had to in order to contend with the presence of the
Disco invasion. In the late 70's, when Disco
took a sudden fall in popularity and individual dance like the Spank, The Dazz,
etc. dominated the social arena, the bop again fell deep within the shadows of
the African American social atmosphere. This time it lasted well up into the
80's when the Bop got a face lift, a new identity and a new name currently known
as Steppin.It had a new sound of music reserved solely for Steppin, a new
identity, high fashion wear, a smooth beat, and a cool and smoothness about it
like never before. The African American community quickly adopted Steppin as
tradition and cultural history much like the Blues, Jazz, and R&B. in
reference to its history, and with the rise in popularity at clubs like the
infamous Mr Ricky's Chic Ric's where Steppin and Steppers were immediately
embraced as the social elite. Steppin swept Chicago's African American social
scene with a fury that has lasted for decades; never failing to change with the
music and times or be face with the threat of slipping back into the shadows of
African American social life. It is in fact a dance of changing music and times
with a deep history that seems to survive where other dance forms failed. When we look at Steppin, we
see fashions from rag time up until today; when we listen to it, we hear music
from big band days up until rapp artist and contemporary artist of today; when
we perform it, we move with the grace of the Swing, The Jitterbug, The Walk, and
the Bop; when we feel it, we feel it through the 4-5 generations that we see at
almost every major Steppers events, enjoying themselves as one unified body. Steppin is the History of an
African American dance. It is the social history of Chicago's African American
social life. Its the Jazz of Ballroom dancing, and the story of the evolution of
an African American dance as it traveled the roads of the African American
experience. It is in fact, African American Social History communicated through
dance. I draw this final yet partial
conclusion. Steppin is the History of an African American social dance that
never fail to manifest in African American communities and generations, its
tradition, history, art form, culture, lifestyle, excitement, entertainment,
music, fashion, sound, unity, and much much more in the form of energetic dance.
It shall soon transcend the social atmosphere of America with universal appeal
to all much like the Blues, Jazz, R&B, and Soul.
Only time will tell. DanLanProductions
©article by:
Mr. Daniel Land |
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