Stepping is a unique African American art form with origins in African culture. According to the African American Registry (AAR), Africans who were transported during the Middle Passage brought their dancing styles with them to the Americas.
Modern stepping evolved with the formation of Black Greek fraternities and sororities in the early 1900s. Beginning with celebratory “Greek Sings,” these organizations added movement to their songs, eventually creating what we now know as stepping.
“In stepping, the body becomes an instrument, using footsteps, claps and spoken word to produce complex poly-rhythms,” according to Step Afrika, a touring dance company focusing on the art form.
Tiffany Evans, principal at GEO Academies near downtown Indianapolis, wanted to introduce her students to stepping and Black Greek life during Black History Month.
GEO students can start taking college classes when entering high school and Evans wanted to give her students a taste of college life. Thus, she established the annual Divine 9 showcase in 2024.
“It was an amazing turnout last year,” Evans said. It was so good she decided to bring it back for another year.
Evans, a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., aimed to make sure all nine fraternities and sororities were present this year.
At the showcase, each sorority and fraternity talks about their history and community service. They follow it up with a short performance which could involve hopping, strolling or stepping. At the end, all the organizations come together for a unity stroll.
Proud to be one of the founding kindergarten teachers at KIPP Indy, Lorena Stevenson is also one of the founding coaches of the school’s step team. The team has grown over the years, beginning with middle schoolers and adding third through fifth-grade students last year.
As a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Stevenson was the step master and stroll master in college. When she became a teacher, she wanted KIPP students to feel the sense of community that stepping creates.
“They love having each other around and coming down here to me and the other coaches,” Stevenson said.
Step team members often come to her classroom to volunteer and give back by helping the kindergarteners, sometimes even showing the younger students the new steps they’ve learned.
Stevenson looked for ways to expand by taking KIPP’s steppers from just a club to a team that has performed around the city.
Last year, the step team competed at Zeta Phi Beta’s Annual Youth Step Down competition, coming in second place in their division.
Stevenson said learning challenging steps helps the students build resilience. Knowing that past step team members have pushed through to master some of the more difficult step combinations helps the new members feel like they can do it, too.
Stevenson believes learning their cultural traditions and history empowers them.
“You just have to know where you came from,” Stevenson said. “It also helps you develop a sense of self if you know things about your specific ancestors and your past or your family, but also as a collective. It helps shape who you are.”
Contact Editor-in-Chief Camike Jones at camikej@indyrecorder.com or 317-762-7850.
Camike Jones is the Editor-in-Chief of the Indianapolis Recorder. Born and raised in Indianapolis, Jones has a lifelong commitment to advocacy and telling stories that represent the community.
