New Paltz Students Step Into Women’s History Month

New Paltz students joined the African Women’s Alliance (AWA) and S.H.A.D.E.S. step team to stomp, clap and dance their way into Women’s History Month.  

The two clubs hosted “Power in Rhythm,” a step dancing workshop that served as a celebration of women and the art of step dancing and explored the impact that both women and step have had on culture.  

“From the arts to leadership, women have shaped history, broken barriers and inspired change across the world,” stated an Instagram post made by the two clubs. “Step is more than just movement – it’s a powerful form of expression and unity.”  

The workshop consisted of a presentation on the history of step and a beginner step routine class in which students and members of both clubs learned the cultural history of the dance form while also getting active.  

“March is Women’s History Month, so we thought we would collaborate with AWA in order to do this, because stepping also has a lot to do with empowering Black women,” club president and captain of the S.H.A.D.E.S. step team Jessica Vazquez said.

The president of the AWA, Kimberly Cadogan shared similar sentiments. “S.H.A.D.E.S. step team reached out to us for an event for Women’s History [Month], and since both clubs are dominated by women, why not?”  

“Power in Rhythm” was the step team’s first event since the club started again during the previous spring semester and the first event that Vazquez has ever put on as president. “I was very nervous about it, because it’s the first event, and I don’t know a lot of the logistics,” Vazquez said. “I don’t have a lot to go on. I don’t have anyone to mentor me like past presidents.”  

Despite these concerns, over 13 students and club members showed up at the mirrored dance studio in the Athletic and Wellness Center at 12 p.m. on March 8, with water bottles and comfy clothing, ready to learn some step dancing and celebrate women’s empowerment.  

They were led by three members of the step team, Vazquez, S.H.A.D.E.S. treasurer, Mina Banga and S.H.A.D.E.S.’ vice president, Akayllah McEwan. 

The three, along with other members of the team walked the group through a beginner step routine that involved stomping, clapping, body percussion and some full body dance moves. These included clapping behind the back and underneath one leg that was lifted in the air, along with spins and other moves. Every move was synchronized and had to be completed in a unifying rhythm between all the dancers.  

The routine was broken down into three sections, which the group learned one by one through repeated rehearsal before putting them all together into a complete routine.  

As the students worked on it, current team members such as McEwan shouted words of encouragement and invited them to join the team.  

After about 30 minutes and a few water breaks to let participants catch their breath, the group completed a whole step dancing routine and was met with cheers and laughs from the team.  

“It was great. I loved collaborating with the AWA, and they were amazing,” Vazquez said. “I just loved having a lot more people stepping too, because there are not a lot of us on the team.”  

Cadogan expressed a similar sentiment. “I feel great,” she said. “I think that was a really fun and different collab. We’ve never done a collab where we learned something like step or be active in general.”  

She continued, “It was different. It was fun. I would do it again.”  

Prior to the dancing, the group sat together to watch a presentation created by the AWA about the cultural history of step and the role that women played throughout the history of the dance form.  

According to the presentation, step dancing, a historically Black dance form that has its roots in traditional African folk-dance traditions, became popular within Black sororities and fraternities in the mid-19th century.   

The form emphasizes rhythm, full body movement, synchronization, stomping, vocalizations, body percussion and clapping, all elements which draw from African traditions such as Gumboot dancing in South Africa and traditional African drumming. These traditions, along with many others, then accompanied the Africans that were forcibly brought to the Americas and Caribbean in the slave trade.  

Step further developed in the United States, as enslaved people used drumming to secretly communicate with one another. Drumming was eventually banned on many plantations, and in response, step replaced drumming as a form of cultural expression and communication.  

On college campuses, stepping became a popular way to display solidarity, pride, unity and express cultural heritage, specifically within historically Black colleges throughout the latter half of the 19th century.  It then developed into the competitive dance form that it is today.  

Both S.H.A.D.E.S. and the AWA are planning on more collabs and events in the future. The AWA is hosting Black Girls Rock, a celebration of Black women in the community on May 4, and S.H.A.D.E.S. will be offering tryouts next semester for those interested in joining.  

“Step isn’t this very intricate thing,” Vazquez said. “It’s something that can be very easy and with a lot of practice you can do it as well.”  

 They continued, “It’s a great way to channel any nerves or anxieties or frustrations you have, because you have to put a lot of energy into stomping and clapping really hard.”   

 To learn more, check out their pages on the New Paltz ENGAGE website, or at their Instagrams, @s.h.a.d.e.s.step and @awa_80newpaltz.