Cay Brks, Dec 12, 2021
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Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post presents information about high steps and other leg lifts that are found in various African American movement performance arts.
The YouTube videos that are showcased in this pancocojams post are a small sample of high steps, folded leg lifts*, and various other leg lift motions that are peformed by HBCU marching band drum majors and by members of historically Black Greek letter fraternities and sororities.
A Bonus video example of leg lifts in stomp and shake cheerleading is also included in this pancocojams post.
The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, and entertainment purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
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*This is my term for that motion. I don't know if there is any formal name for it.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2022/05/descriptions-video-examples-of-upstomps.html for the closely related pancocojams post entitled "Descriptions & Video Examples Of "Upstomps" and "Jiggle Pops" (Stomp & Shake Cheerleading Motions)."
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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
I wrote this editorial note and first published it in the 2016 pancocojams post entitled The Origins Of High Step Style Marching (Historically Black Colleges & Universities Marching Bands) http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/09/the-origins-of-historically-black.html
"High step" marching is part of the continuum of
African American percussive movement arts. That continuum also includes
(religious) shouts, numerous social dances, including tap dancing, many African
American children's ring (circle) games & line games, military cadence
marching, and distinctive "holy dancing" (also known as "feeling
the spirit", "getting happy", "praise dancing").
It's my position that African American originated high step marching greatly influenced these later African American originated percussive movement arts: Black Greek lettered fraternity & sorority stepping, stomp and shake cheerleading, foot stomping cheers, and majorette dance lines (j-setting).
I believe that it's significant that stomp and shake cheerleading, foot stomping cheers, and majorette dance lines (j-setting) all began in the late 1960s/early to mid 1970s. As documented in Elizabeth C. Fine's book Soulstepping : African American Step Shows, what is now known as stepping may have began as early as 1925 at Howard University. [p.45] However, the referent "stepping" for that BGLO (Black Greek lettered organizations) movement art began to be used in the 1960s and 1970s, and stepping appears to have taken on many of its current forms and grew in popularity among BGLOs in those decades."
[The numbers that are assigned to the videos in this pancocojams post are in consecutive order starting with the first showcased video given above.]
Jackson State University, August 19, 2018
The Sonic Boom of the South performs "Get Ready" as it exits the annual Thee Merge event.
National Battle Of The Bands
Houston, Texas, September 1, 2019
North Carolina Central|Texas Southern|Miles
College|Talladega College|Prairie View A&M|Florida A&M|Southern|Tennessee
State
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VIDEO #4: HBCU Drum Major Vibes Vol. 1
HBCU Pride Network, Jan 30, 2020
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VIDEOS OF HISTORICALLY BLACK GREEK LETTER FRATERNITIES & SORORITIES STEPPING
VIDEO #5: Alpha Phi Alpha step team [Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.]
BuffsTV, Feb17, 2015
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VIDEO #6: Jackson State YE Ques Set OWT Founders Day March [Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.]
K. Norway Matory, Nov
21, 2017
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Omegas refer to their movement as "hopping" and not stepping.
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Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHpa5NI4LfI&t=99s for a video of members of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. doing a l(not folded) eg lift and freezing while some of their bruhs say "Hold it!" (meaning, "Hold that leg in place.)
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VIDEO #7: Alpha Nu | BGC Yard Show Fall 2018 [Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.]
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Alpha Nu Chapter, Sept. 20, 2018
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Examples of the "folded leg lift* are found throughout this video.
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VIDEO #8: OU NPHC Yard Show 2019 [Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.]
Taylor Dianne Stephenson Aug 30, 2019
The Kappa Psi chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority,
Incorporated killed the 2019 Yard Show.
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"OU"= University of Oklahoma (located in Norman, Oklahoma, USA).
"NPHC" = "The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), colloquially known
as the “Divine Nine” (D9), is a collaborative umbrella council composed of
historically African American fraternities and sororities." from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Pan-Hellenic_Council . A list of members of the NPHC is found on that page.
An example of the "folded leg lift" is found at 3:46-4:01 in this video.
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BONUS VIDEO: STOMP & SHAKE CHEERLEADING
West Meck Varsity Cheerleaders 2011-2012
Sophia Ward, August 10, 2013
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"West Mecklenburg High School, colloquially known as West
Meck, is a high school located in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Mecklenburg_High_School
The leg lift that is done with the toes pointed down is called an "upstomp".
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