Stomp into high school

Time-honored art takes root in a younger crowd

They stomped their feet and clapped their hands -- the slaps snapping off their chests and thighs in unison. They didn't need music. Their bodies were the drumsticks, the snare, the cymbals, the beat.

They were stepping.

Long before "Stomp the Yard" came out in theaters -- as long as a half-century ago -- step teams could be found in historically black fraternities and sororities throughout the United States. But today, a growing number of competitions feature high school teams.

The choreographed formations, which rely on synchronized dance routines and varying rhythms, were showcased this weekend during a competition at Cedar Ridge High School in Orange County. Six high school teams, including one from Southern High School in Durham and one from the host school, competed Saturday.

Two middle schools from Orange County -- A. L. Stanback and C.W. Stanford middle schools -- also held exhibition shows. Many local middle schools have step teams, though most are not competitive. The audience, in turn, is also getting younger.

"In towns where there are historically black schools, and high school students can get to these shows, it's more of an influence on the high school students," said Mark Anthony Neal, associate professor of African-American Studies at Duke University. "Now, with 'Stomp the Yard,' it has had the effect of influencing younger kids."

Given the concentration of historically black schools in the Triangle, Neal said it makes sense that high schools are holding competitions now.

Once a way for black students to distinguish themselves from mainly white marching bands and drill teams, stepping has moved closer to the mainstream in recent years. But its roots, Neal said, can be traced to the post-Reconstruction period.

"It was a way for black people to express themselves as a community," Neal said. "Of course, it took on a whole other life when it became a part of the black sororities and fraternities.

"Ultimately, it's all about using style as a way of engaging competition amongst like-minded people who are hoping to distinguish themselves as unique," he added. "Stepping is clearly uniquely African-American."

In fraternities and sororities, stepping is also one way of joining a tradition. Stepping has such strong roots because it involves "being highly disciplined, being able to follow leadership in a hierarchical sense," Neal said.

History of stepping

William Evans, a counselor at East Chapel Hill High School, is a member of historically black Phi Beta Sigma fraternity and had stepped on its team.

Stepping began about the 1960s and was started by the Phi Beta Sigma and Omega Psi Phi fraternities, Evans said.

"In the 1950s, fraternities would go around campus to the female dorms and serenade the young ladies," he said. "In the '60s, groups such as the Temptations and the Four Tops began putting dance moves into their performances, so Sigma and Omega began to do the same thing during their serenades. From there, it evolved even further with the introduction of the South African Boot Dance, which involves stomping and clapping in order to create beats with your body."

Underscoring the acceptance of stepping among a wider audience, Evans pointed to a national step team competition aired by ESPN in December.

Rising above problems

But for many black students, stepping is an aspiration regardless of its popularity. For them, step teams provide a way to rise above daily problems.

So it seemed fitting that on Saturday, the Eastern Guilford High School step team -- a team that saw its building burn to the ground last year -- took home the first-place prize.

"We've all been struggling this year," said senior Sharissa Revis, 17, a member of the team.

The Eastern Guilford team wants to follow Saturday's win by hosting its second annual step show this year, "but we have to wait to find a place," Revis said.

Other students in Saturday's competition say they expect to keep stepping once they reach college. Jamecia McFayden, 17, of Pinecrest High School -- known as "Tiny" on her team -- said she would like to join the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority when she starts college.

"It's almost another form of music style," said McFayden, who wants to major in music. "It's a unified team. There's the brotherhood and sisterhood of a step team. When you have a bad day, the others encourage you and make you feel better."

But there's also the intense focus and adrenaline rush that comes with being on stage.

"I blank everybody out, and I do me. I do everything I learned," McFayden said. "I don't look at it as a competition. I just look at it as having fun."