Bowdoin UNITY Step Team

*HISTORY*

Step is a style of dance that uses rhythmic stomping to demonstrate unity, talent, and organizational pride. Step dancing originated from South African gumboot dancing, where the South African miners would dance after work to entertain themselves. The African form of step dancing was brought over to the United States in 1940 and adopted by many of the Black fraternities and sororities.

The art of "stepping," is a dance form that combines elements of military drills with contemporary jazz and hip-hop moves. In stepping, the body takes the place of the drum: clapping, slapping the hands against various parts of the body and stomping the feet produce the complex rhythmic foundation for the dance. In addition to this array of bodily percussion, stepping also features complex synchronized body movements, along with singing, chanting, and verbal play.

The Bowdoin UNITY Step team is a group of students from a variety of backgrounds who come together twice a week to practice together, learn steps together, perform together and step with neatness and in umoja.  Umoja is Swahili for Unity.