Before practice on Sept. 9, the silent cafeteria fills with chatter and laughs as members of the Notorious Steppers share snacks and talk about their day before warming up. A large commotion and a loud clash echo from the middle of the cafeteria as members struggle to move the tables out of their way.
Then, the team rushes to the center of the floor and go through the footwork of claps, vocals and fast-paced stomps.Starting out slow, steppers follow the captains step by step, focusing on the specifics in the dance.
“Get in your groups and lines,” sophomore Jada Gantt said. “If you don’t follow directions we will be doing pushups.”
The counts of “five, six, seven, eight” repeat. Loud stomps vibrate the ground and the cafeteria echoes from the voices yelling in sync.
After the team goes over the routine as a group, they break off into smaller groups and help each other individually on the steps.
“Try again, it’s okay,” junior Natasa Sweny said to a new stepper frustrated with the choreography.
Team Captains use positive reinforcement as they go around dancing with the other steppers and helping with their performance energy.
“This ain’t stomp the yard,” sophomore Amara Shanks said. “Be nasty with it.”
Around the last 30 minutes of practice the step team goes to the varsity gym to finish practice. They go over the routine with full energy as the team prepares for their upcoming Black History Month performance.
Soon enough 5:30 p.m. arrives, steppers head to get their bags and wait for their rides to pick them up.
