The Bronx's P. L. A. Y. E. R. S. Club Steppers are the only step team to perform at The White House, and have won numerous titles. ^[1]

Step dance is the generic term for dance styles where the footwork is the most important part of the dance. Body and arm movements and styling are either restricted or considered irrelevant.

Step dance is one end of a spectrum of dance styles. The opposite extreme is Formation dances (eg Square dance), where the movement patterns around the dance floor and armwork are the most important factors, and the footwork is very simple. Formation dance involves anywhere from two to dozens of couples performing a choreographed routine Square dance is a Folk dance with four couples (eight dancers arranged in a square with one couple on each side beginning with Couple 1 facing away from the music and going Most social dances fall between these two extremes.

There are very few pure step dances, as most include at least some upper body or arm styling. Often step dances performed in shows add elements of show styling, which can bring them into conflict with the traditionalists.

The Irish dance tradition includes Irish stepdance, possibly the best known form of step dance, often marked by rigidly held upper body. Irish dances can broadly be divided into Social dance and Performance dances Irish social dancing can be divided further into céilí and set Irish stepdance is a type of performance dance originating in Ireland from traditional Irish dance. Irish stepdance has two main forms: hardshoe, a percussive dance form, and softshoe, a form which is primarily about the movement, not the sound.

Other step dances include Tap, Clogging, Canadian step dance, Cape Breton step dance, some forms of Scots and English folk dance and Malambo from Argentina. Tap dance was developed in the United States during the nineteenth century and is popular nowadays in many parts of the world Clogging is a type of Folk dance rooted in traditional European dancing from the British Isles, in which the dancer's footwear is used musically by striking the heel Cape Breton Island ( French: île du Cap-Breton - formerly île Royale, Scottish Gaelic: Eilean Cheap Breatuinn,

Another form of step dancing, Stepping, has been popularized by National Pan-Hellenic Council. Stepping or step-dancing is a form of percussive dance in which the participant's entire body is used as an instrument to produce complex rhythms and sounds through a mixture History The National Pan-Hellenic Council was established in an age when Racial segregation and disenfranchisement plagued African Americans, the rise of each This step dance has African roots and is an African American tradition as well as part of Black History. The members of the fraternities and sororities join in steps — elaborate synchronized group routines that are performed in competitions between the fraternities and sororities called "step shows. Fraternities and sororities (from the Latin words la frater and la soror, meaning "brother" and "sister" respectively are fraternal " Step shows incorporates cheerleading, military, and drill-team moves, especially the call-and-response element inherent in those forms. Cheerleading is a Sport that uses organized routines made from elements of Tumbling, Dance, jumps and stunting to direct spectators of events A drill team is a marching unit that performs military style maneuvers in Parades at Air shows football half-time shows and other public venues These aspects are not only important to the energy of stepping for entertainment use but also for bonding and pride within their organizations.

See also

• Dance Dance Revolution
• Stepping (African-American)

References

1. ^ 2007 Fort Greene Park Summer Literary Festival website