North Troupe Stepping Past Stereotypes

As they stepped out on stage, N'Step — the step-dancing team from Toms River North — may have looked just like any other dance group. Comprised of teenagers, from freshmen to seniors, one look would make it easy to notice the diverse backgrounds these girls came from.

Yet during a blustery Saturday morning in the Mancini Hall of the Toms River Ocean County Library branch, N'Step performed replete with T-shirts featuring quotes from prominent historical black leaders like Jackie Robinson and Martin Luther King Jr.

“Our team is mostly minorities in an area where it's mostly white,” said Joanna Soares, one of the four N'Step captains. “With our team, we have a criteria to stay on the team and I think we strive to prove stereotypes wrong. We do community service, we get involved with the school. If we do anything to break the rules in the school, we can't be in the team. We're focused on making ourselves look good as a whole. We have a reputation to hold.”

For those unaware of its existence, step-dancing is a rhythmic form of dance that involves intricate step patterns in order to create a beat. The style has seen a resurgence over the last couple of decades, as historically African-American fraternities in the southern states have taken to using them for initiation purposes. It has also garnered the attention of Hollywood, having been featured in films like “Stomp the Yard” and “Drumline.”

“What we've been doing is combining steps and songs – we'll take the beat to a song and step to it,” said N'Step co-captain Alexus Singletary, who noted that step-dancing usually has no musical accompaniment. “We figure it's something different and with newer songs with better beats coming out, the better the steps will be.”

Four short dance routines and a rousing round of applause from attendees spanning at least three generations later, the girls left the stage.

And that was just the beginning of a family-oriented event aimed at celebrating history and sharing a long culture. “Soul food” was served to attendees and performers alike, allowing them to sample homemade barbecue chicken, cooked vegetables and cornbread among other dishes. African-American literature showcasing the trials and tribulations of the past was on display and eventually raffled off.

To top it all off, Pennsylvania resident Noah Lewis portrayed Ned Hector, a free black colonial soldier from the Revolutionary War who participated in the Battle of Brandywine.

“[It's great] when we can bring this to Ocean County and help share it with people,” said Bahiyyah Abdullah, president of the Toms River Area NAACP. “It's important we know where we came from so we don't repeat it and so that everyone else doesn't repeat it.”

It has been 235 years since the Revolutionary War broke out, 148 years since the Emancipation Proclamation was signed and 43 years since the Civil Rights Act of 1968. African-Americans have been to space, been lauded as U.S. ambassadors and in 2008, elected to the White House. Times have changed since the days of bondage and servitude, inequity and hatred. However, an overtone of Saturday in Mancini Hall – while one of triumph and pride – was one of a continual search for pure equality.

“I think there have been improvements in many areas that had faced discrimination in the past. I still think there's a lot of work to be done,” said Abdullah. “Across America, we have schools in urban areas that are not equitable to schools in urban areas for whatever reason that is. Sometimes there are employment issues. [So while] there have been improvements, but this organization wouldn't exist if there wasn't still a need for it.”