“Boom Boom Clap!” The Step Team Makes Its Way To Wesley Chapel Once Again

Boom Boom Clap! The Step Team Makes Its Way To Wesley Chapel Once Again

The step team has made its way to Chapel once again, ready to add to school spirit and pay homage to cultural values. Step is a form of dance that can be traced all the way back to Africa before the slave trade in the early 16th century. 

“The difference with STEP and other dance/cheer forms is there are no lifts,  we use our voices in a more powerful way, similiar to  a Haka, a Polynesian war cry and our uniforms are different we wear boots instead shoes.  We also use our bodily movement and chants to express ourselves. ” explains  Zaire Harrison, Senior.  

Steps history began in 1739, the biggest slave rebellion in America, the Stono Rebellion, took place. The slaves were led by Jemmy, a slave from the Kingdom of Kongo brought to South Carolina in the 1730s, according to enslaved.org. The goal was to escape and make it to Spanish Florida. By August 1739, 250 South Carolina slaves had fled to Florida, leaving Jemmy and 20 other slaves for themselves.  

On September 9, 1739, the slaves stole firearms and began the rebellion. The slaves killed at least twenty white people and began their journey to Florida. The march from South Carolina to Florida was not easy, so the slaves used instruments to get the point across that they deserve freedom. Drums were used to get the attention of others, which led to the Negro Act, which banned all enslaved Africans from using drums, according to newvictory.org. So, the slaves used the one thing that the government could not take away, their bodies. The movements later went on to be called “Step” by African and African American groups. 

Step was commonly used by African American Veterans in World War I and was eventually adapted by black fraternities and sororities at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) affiliated with the National Pan- Hellenic Council (NPHC). The steppers would combine footsteps, spoken word, hand claps, and sometimes music. The step team would work hard for a big annual step show, often referred to as a Greek Show.  

Howard University, an HBCU in Washington D.C, was the first school to have a Greek Show in 1976, according to aaregistry.org.  As stepping became more popular, other colleges adopted step teams and implemented it into their school spirit. There are other forms of step such as Irish and tap dancing. In 2019, the World of Step was founded to pay homage to the origin and development of step. 

Chapel held step team tryouts from October 24th to 27th. Tryouts were based around getting to know others, learning the basics of stepping, learning a routine, and executing it on the last day of tryouts. At the end of tryouts, 17 girls made the team.  

The team consists of seven seniors, six juniors, two sophomores, and two freshmen, including Captain Evelyn Lopez, senior and Co-Captain Leah Smith, sophomore. Fidelia Ali “Queen Ali,” senior, said the best part of being on the step team is meeting new people and learning new routines. Fidelia joined the team in junior year, and said she joined because watching the team perform at pep rallies looked like fun and she was inspired.  

Intensive reading teacher Cordelia Hayden, sponsors the step team and takes pride in what the girls have become. Mrs. Hayden says that having a step at WCHS is important because multiculturalism is an important thing to reinforce in a public school. “It is also important because it inspires teamwork, provides the students with a bond, and a place where they can be themselves.”

Fidelia Ali, senior, member of the step team.

The team is working towards a pep rally to display their talent coming up soon, so keep an eye out for the Wesley Chapel Step Team!