Overview

Stepping is a complex performance that melds folk traditions with popular culture and involves synchronized percussive movement, singing, speaking, chanting, and drama. Elizabeth C. Fine's stunningly elaborate and vibrant portrayal of the cultural politics of stepping draws on interviews with individuals on college campuses and steppers and stepping coaches from high schools, community groups, churches, and dance organizations. Soulstepping is the first book to document the history of stepping, its roots in African and African American culture, and its transformation by churches, schools, and social groups into a powerful tool for instilling group identity and community involvement.

Full Product Details

9780252075346

Table of Contents

Reviews

A thorough job from describing [soulstepping's] history--which some believe is rooted in Africa--to showing its spread to national competitions and popular movies and television. While focused on stepping, the book also gives an overview of the history of black Greek letter sororities and fraternities. Detroit Free Press Fine's documentation of the more recent growth of sacred and secular step teams outside of the realm of Black Greek Letter Organizations, the strength of her arts and performance-related scholarship, and her discussion of the intersections of African and African American aesthetics make this an important book that adds tremendously to our understanding of an important aspect of twentieth and twenty-first century African American and American popular culture. Journal of African American History

Author Information

Elizabeth C. Fine is an associate professor in the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies at Virginia Tech. She is the author of The Folklore Text: From Performance to Print.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available