Is stepping apart of African American History?
 

Can someone answer the following questions?

Is stepping a form of communicaiton?How

How is stepping apart of African American history?

Who started stepping?

Please e-mail me directly at tabtrue@yahoo.com

Hi, I noticed that you posted earlier in the month regarding your daughter's project.

I'm sure you'll do whatever is possible to help her, but why are you doing your daughter's research for her?

Don't know if you'll get much help in this forum because many of us have never even been to a step show, and I know that many members have never even heard of the term until GC.

I think it's going to be tough for you to actually find the exact origin of stepping, but like my friend Senusret I said, GOOD LUCK.

I have been to lots of step shows. :)

I did a google search and found an article from Juilliard.
http://www.juilliard.edu/update/jour...ticles183.html

There are some interesting parallels and similarities among stepping, Irish step dancing, and tap dancing. The first time I went to see people practice step dancing I thought that it was going to be Irish step dancing like Riverdance. Imagine my surprise when I saw Kappa Alpha Psi and their canes. They were really impressive. :D

If you go to SEARCH and type in: step shows
You will get more threads than you can shake a stick at:

Step Shows State of Step Shows

*insert smart remark here* :rolleyes:

Do you mean is it A PART of Af-Am history?

Because due to your hideous, 2nd grade, ridiculous spelling and grammar skills, what you actually seem to be asking is if it is "apart" from Af-Am history.

THERE IS A CONCEPT OF THE SPACE BAR ALL YOU STUPID FRIGGING IDIOTIC JACKASSES OUT THERE!!! PLEASE LEARN TO USE IT!!! THAT IS WHY WE HAVE OPPOSABLE THUMBS!!! I CALL FOR IMMEDIATE BANNING OF ANYONE ELSE WHO MAKES THIS RIDICULOUS ERROR!

wow, I feel better.

Stepping
 

For the person who repied "Why is she doing her daughters research." If you really would like to know, "I'm assisting my daughter in her research, not doing her research." And if you've read the posting; I asked for someone who could help to reply not someone to "Answer a question with a question."

Let me not forget the person who replied with the profanity regarding spelling. That was really not necessary and if you don't have an answer don't reply to this posting.

I greatly appreciate if someone can assist me in my journey to locating information on the history of "stepping." Please feel free to post your response on the question only, not your personal opinions.

I really hate it when people come on to GC expecting a friggin' handout. :rolleyes:

The art of stepping started
When Uncle Fester farted
They all became retarded
The Addams Family

Sheila roxors my soxors.

Re: Stepping
 

You're a jackass.

Reading is fun!
 

Soulstepping has been happening at college frats and sororities for decades. The popularity of musicals like Stomp, loosely based on the rhythms of soulstepping have begun to mainstream this dance/music/art form.

In her recently published book Soulstepping: African American Step Shows, Virginia Tech Professor Elizabeth Fine has produced the first book to document the history of stepping. According to Fine, "Stepping is a complex performance that melds folk traditions with popular culture and involves synchronized percussive movement, singing, speaking, chanting, and drama."

Fine was introduced to stepping in 1983 when an African American student in her class on verbal art invited her to attend a block show on campus. "What makes stepping so stimulating is the range of movement patterns and verbal genres it encompasses," Fine writes in the introduction to the book.

Stepping originated as one way for African American fraternities and sororities to develop an identity. It became a way for them to poke fun jovially at rival social organizations..

In Soulstepping, Fine looks at the history of stepping and its place as a ritual dance of identity and African heritage. She also looks at new participants, new venues for the dance, and the cultural politics of African American step shows.

"Soulstepping explores the process of creating and negotiating identity through stepping, probing the intersections of verbal and nonverbal performances as well as issues of cultural politics and the effects of commodification," Fine said.

"It is my hope that Soulstepping will be significant to the fields of dance, folklore, black studies, performance studies, communication, and to all those who are drawn to the beauty and power of African American stepping."

Virginia Tech professor and poet Nikki Giovanni said of Fine's book, "…All groups have dance steps that the group performs together for the pure joy of celebrating life. Soulstepping brings out that joy, that exhilaration, that love of life. This celebration is long overdue."

Soulstepping: African American Step Shows is published by the University of Illinois Press.

Google is your best friend.

as well as yahoo.

Google is a great tool. I think the main point is that you've come on this site before and been rather pushy when a member offered you help on another forum. It seems that you want members of this site to write the report for your daughter, which isn't going to happen.

People have offered you help on the board; if you don't like the help, then you are free to move on to other resources.

I suggest tracking down a copy of Walter M. Kimbrough's Black Greek 101. I attended one of his lectures last year and he discussed the historical aspect of stepping briefly.

Thank you
 

I greatly appreciate all the adult's who responded to my posting.

Thanks again.

Should I just skip the lesson on the difference between the plural S and the possessive S?

It's a hopeless cause.

Mr. Grammar Police ROCKS!!;)

Despite the fact that you've been kinda pushy and rude... The Philadelphia Greek Picnic is one of the largest most competitive step-shows in the country. (Please correct me if I'm wrong) They might be a source. Isn't it a little late to be doing a research project that is due in the end of Nov???

Re: Thank you
 

And we appreciate adults who are respectful of others and don't get pushy when they need help.

The Philly Greek Picnic is not the largest nor the most competitive. Each region has it's own, there is not ONE stepshow that holds that title, they are all equally competitive and depending on the event, i.e. annual stepshow, homecoming, fundraisers, the show could be called the "largest".

this is a funny thread.

lol @ all of the people who are getting uptight.


but anyhow, they are plenty of books on this issue.

Sorry, Philly people have a knack for exageration.

I'm just dissapointed that people who claim to be doing educational research but don't know simple grammar and punctuation have bred......

Thanks!
 

I would like to thank everyone for there replies. I greatly appreciate the fact that so many people responded with various of research locations. I have visited all of those sites as well as read Elizabeth Fine articles and book.

It's funny how people expressed their negative personal views about: how I was doing my daughter's research project, to errors in spelling, and let's not forget--how pushy I have been (at what point). I've placed two posting regarding one topic and receive more replies about "What they think about me, then about my posting."

Although the questions was never answered.

Is stepping a part of history? Yes or No
That was the question!

(Just a note to all the adult's that responded to my posting, I know you are not and hope you do not be bothered by how the other adult's have responded. Whenever you ask a question about greek life, this posting shows how many people know "Why we step."

Plus this was not for my daughter, it was just a survey!!!!!

Obvioiusly stepping is a part of history because it has, and is occuring. I believe what you are trying to ask would be, is stepping historical ie: Has stepping been occuring for a long peroid of time and is its history documented, how did it develop, etc. I doubt anyone replied to that specific question becuase of the way you phrased it. Being clear always helps!

Doe's anyone notice how she wa's corrected and still make's the same mistake's? Thats irritating, dont you think? Apostrophe's arent that hard to figure out, now are they?

LMAO

Yes, it sure is.

i find it funny how some people on this site complain about spelling or what not, but will contribute nothing to the the actual question. before any of y'all try and throw around accusations of someone being rude, look inwards first.

Re: Thanks!
 

This right here is so classic. I don't even know the history of this poster (pun intended), but this is still hilarious.

1) Your assumption that because no one answered your question, no one actually knows the answer. Comedy.

2) You thinking folks actually believed you were helping anyone with research while they were clearly clowning you on your command of the English language (or lack thereof). More comedy.

3) You thinking that people believed there was a research paper to be completed by your daughter in the first place. Do you know how long most people have been on GC? The regulars can see thru crap a mile away. And your post was soooooo full of it. Additional comedy.

4) We? Who is we? Why WE step? Do you step? And are you one of the people in the WE that don't know why WE step? But you would have to be in order for it to be WE, right? So let me make sure I have this straight. We step. Therefore, I step and you step. You conducted a survey on why WE step. Then you found out (through false logic, I might add) that WE don't know why WE step. So you basically clowned yourself while trying to clown others. Do I have this right? LMAO

By the bye, 33girl's post about the space bar and Sensuret's Addams Family song CMTFU. Is that why we have opposable thumbs??? LMAO

I would like to thank all of the adults for entertaining me while I took a break from doing my work.

Re: Re: Thanks!
 

Your dissertation on exactly why the original poster is BOOTLEG is making ME CTHU. LMAO! OMGWTFBBQ!

especially for Ideal08...
 

First rule of the history of stepping is, you do not talk about the history of stepping.

Second rule of the history of stepping is, you do not talk about the history of stepping.

:D

Oh really??? :confused:

co-sing

Was all of that even necessary? I don't know how pushy she might have been, but y'all didn't have to be insulting to that extent, especially on punctuation. (I plan to be a Middle School English teacher, but I don't let incorrect usage of grammar and/or punctuation ruin my day. :rolleyes: )

Bless y'all's hearts. (Please don't try to tell me that "y'all" is spelled incorrectly....)

"Y'all" is spelled correctly, but I'm not going to let the "co-sing" go that easy.

;) :p

You know what? I can't be mad at you for that. LOL

What had happened was... I was in an emotional maelstrom because of the injustice and degradation being administered to a curious wanderer who sought the light. So, despite the fact that I type 80+ wpm, my fingers also became confused in the rapture of "co-sign" righteousness and inadvertently miskeyed. :p

(There's no need to edit; I can laugh at myself.)