HPIA
HOFSTRA PAPERS IN ANTHROPOLOGY
Volume 3, Article #2, 2008
Ethnography: “Strictly Steppin’”
by Nicole Spinelli
SETTING THE SCENE
I walked into the first practice alone. Upon stepping through the door, I scanned the place in which we would be practicing. It was a dance room with a filthy hardwood floor and a wall covered in mirrors. The setup was quite obvious: the returning members of the club gathered by the front of the room in a corner- some members sitting in chairs, some talking on their cell phones, and some reminiscing on the prior year. The new members were seated along the back wall of the room. I headed over towards this area and an air of awkward silence frightened me. Surely I would not fit in. There were little clicks of girls seated together and a handful of boys dispersed throughout the crowd. I saw the girl that I had auditioned with and took a seat by her side. There was nothing much to say- we had exchanged names and our basic information at the audition- so we sat there awaiting practice to start, fearing for the unknown. The captain of the organization called upon us (the new members) to gather around the old members in their corner. She was a powerful young woman of 24 years old. Her muscles were striking. Hesitantly, we inched our way over. She decided that we would go around the room and introduce ourselves by giving our name, our ethnic background and some interesting detail about our lives. Suddenly I froze up. I had never had trouble performing for audiences but when it came to speaking with people that I did not know, I never failed to choke. It was at this very moment that I looked around and noticed that I was the only person in the entire room with white skin. Would they accept me? I searched my mind for the most interesting information I could think of about myself. I would want to impress them because then they might like me. I automatically assumed that my captain was asking to know of our background simply because I was there. Maybe she had assumed that I was part African-American or even Spanish. I believed it did not matter to her what anyone else in the room was, only my own heritage. Everyone else introduced themselves in less than 15 seconds. When it got to be my turn, people who had not been paying attention to anyone else looked up, people who were talking ceased to. All eyes were on me. I announced that my name was Nicole Spinelli, that I was Italian, and that I had opened up my own dance studio. One would have expected this introduction to take less than 5 seconds. I was relieved that my turn was over, or so I thought. Then a returning member began asking me questions like what styles of dance did I teach, and when did I start dancing. My heart skipped a beat; I began to tremble. As I answered the questions that I had been bombarded with, I realized that this may have been their way of showing that they accepted me. After about 2 minutes, which seemed to stretch on like a sea of time, it was finally the next person’s turn. As more and more people introduced themselves it became obvious to me that despite the fact that I was the only white person in the organization, there was an immense amount of diversity. It seemed like every single person had a different cultural background. There were people with parents from Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Nigeria, the Bahamas, the list was endless.
I walked into practice one night and saw a boy and girl with a video camera. I had assumed that they were working on a project for one of their classes, and that they would stand out of the way of our practice. The reason for this immediate assumption was that both of these people were white and I could not imagine them wanting anything to do with my step family. I placed down my coat and my bag and proceeded to greet all of my fellow members of Strictly Steppin’. It was during an embrace that I shared with one of the returning members that I felt something poking my back. I ended the hug, turned around and saw the girl with the video camera poking me to get my attention. I must admit that I was a little turned off by this behavior yet I did not let it show. She asked me if her and her friend could interview me for a project they had to do for school. I agreed, seeing no harm in answering a few questions. They told me where to stand and handed me a microphone. They began filming and the questions began. I was asked what the history of step was, and I gave a brief synopsis of how step originated as a means of communication in Africa. They raised their eyebrows as if surprised to see that I knew this. They then asked why I was interested in step and I explained that I had always been a dancer, and that step is a means of making music, using the body as an instrument. They immediately cut to the chase and asked the question that I am sure inspired this interview in the first place. “What is it like being the only white person on Strictly Steppin’? I was puzzled. It was not “like” anything. Surely if I had been asked during the first practice I might have had a better answer to give. I stood there for about a minute thinking. How would I answer such a question? The girls and boys of Strictly Steppin’ had become my family, and family does not discriminate. I replied timidly that “I did not know.” I tried to elaborate, but no words could do justice to how I felt. I was enraged by this question and reported back to the President/ Captain and the Vice President. They were shocked that race was brought into question. As we practiced our routine the boy filmed us doing step, and the entire time the camera was focused on me. If I moved to a different spot the camera followed me. I knew that I could not mess up because then I would be “the white girl that could not step, or that had no rhythm” in their eyes. I had never worried about this before, even when performing at auditions. From this moment on, the question resonated in my head “What is it like being the only white person on Strictly Steppin’?”
ANALYSIS
When it came to organizing our own events, it seemed that they were generally geared towards Hofstra’s black community. A part of the reasoning for this could have been attributed to the common conception among the team that the rest of Hofstra’s population just does not care to interact with people of a different race. We all saw our organization as a completely separate entity from the white population at Hofstra. On one occasion we were selling tickets in the Student Center for our annual step show to be held in Adam’s Playhouse. I went up to a group of white males that were passing the table to see if they would be interested in buying tickets, and one of my fellow steppers said “sell tickets to people who will actually come.” This displays the engrained idea that white people just do not care about our events, so why bother including them? On a larger level, one might compare this to America as a whole and the well-known statement made by Kanye West that “George Bush doesn’t care about black people,” which was clearly displayed in the response (or lack thereof) to the devastating damage caused by hurricane Katrina. I found myself promoting our show to predominantly black people as well, so it is not only an assumption of the black members of Strictly Steppin’, but rather an organizational judgment. I noticed that same day that only black males and females seemed to be coming over to our atrium table. I had a sense that this was within their comfort zone and that many of the white people passing by perhaps felt unwelcome despite my own presence at the table. However, this could also be attributed to the fact that I do not hang out with white people at Hofstra, and the people who came over to the table were doing so because they were acquainted with a member of our organization.
While in the process of selling tickets, a member of the African Caribbean Society came over to our table to hand out flyers for their fashion show auditions. They handed a flyer to every single person at the table except for me, making direct eye contact and yet passing right over me. I felt very offended by this because even though I am a member of the step team, it was as if I was invisible to outsiders because of my skin color. On the other side of the coin, the one white girl who came over to our table that day only acknowledged me, not making any effort to interact with the others at the table. This offended me equally as much because I knew how the other members of my organization felt since the same had been done to me earlier. By only addressing me, she had made the other members on the team feel as though they were invisible, just as President George Bush has done to the black community of America. So as it was a reflection of the distance between whites and blacks at Hofstra, it was also a reflection of the distance between blacks and whites in America, and the separation of affairs and segregation that continues to exist in the present- oblivious of the laws against segregation.
After having been a member and an insider of Strictly Steppin’ for two semesters, there are some trends that I have noticed that give some insight to the way that the beautiful male and female members of the organization view themselves, and their position in society. Human beings’ skin colors vary greatly, and it is not surprising that skin color is constantly used to describe a person. During many of our step meetings, step gatherings, step practices, and other events that we have attended as a team I have heard members make remarks involving the phrase “This white girl/ boy…” typically, though not always, belittling the intelligence of the white race. Sometimes, acknowledging my presence, the individual would immediately follow up with a “No offense Nicole.” Other times, they might forget I was around or that I was white (though I never got the sense that they bit their tongue just because I was around). After they would make the comment I would glance down at my skin and look back up with a warm smile to let them know that it did not bother me, and they would either follow up with a “No offense…” or a “you’re not white… you’re one of us.” Either way, it never bothered me, and maybe it would have if I was not a member of this team. I think that the reason it never affected me was that I knew that my fellow steppers loved me and had a great deal of respect for me; none of what they were saying was a reflection of who I was as an individual. In addition, I knew that just as often (if not more) white people say the exact same thing about the black race.
Some stereotypes were brought to surface during the time Strictly Steppin’ spent together that showed how blacks viewed themselves compared to whites. The first stereotype I noticed was that white people have “that good hair.” On one occasion, we were planning our costumes for our annual step show. Since the theme was machines, our President/ Captain had decided that we would paint ourselves metallic silver. I raised my hand and asked “Are we going to be spraying our hair silver too?” Many of the members laughed and a couple responded by saying “You wouldn’t mind ‘cause it won’t ruin your hair.” People continued to talk amongst themselves about how their hair would fall out, and I have “that good hair.” I was somewhat confused by this because I could not seem to understand why their hair would fall out any easier than my hair. My hair would probably fall out too if I sprayed it silver. Moreover, all throughout the year members of the team (typically the females) would touch my hair and remark about how “soft” it is and how “lucky” I am.
Another predominant stereotype that came to surface was that black people are naturally good dancers and white people are horrible, awkward dancers with no sense of rhythm. Maybe one of the reasons that I was accepted right from the get-go was that I was an exception to this stereotype because they saw that I was a good dancer (whether at parties or practices) and on top of that I run my own dance studio. Dance was my passion as much as it was theirs. In fact, this was probably why they often said “you’re one of us.” The Vice President of Strictly Steppin’ was telling me about her aerobics class at Hofstra. She explained that all of the white people have trouble learning the routines because they have no rhythm. We both shared some laughs as she imitated them and mocked how awkward they did some of the moves. The fact that she was telling me this was not to hurt my feelings, but it seemed that she was saying it to me without even thinking twice about my skin color. I felt that I had achieved a level of friendship with her, as well as the rest of the organization that transcended all race barriers.
The last prevalent stereotype was that of the language barrier between blacks and whites. One thing that I noticed is common among all races is cursing. In each practice and meeting, numerous curse words slipped out of everyone’s mouths. At one practice in particular, a member brought her little sister, and everyone was told to watch their mouths- not to curse in front of the young girl. One of the members cursed a couple of times, and everybody shot dirty looks at her- some people even yelled at her or gave her a little shove. She apologized almost immediately after remembering to mind the young girl. Later that practice, the “n” word slipped out of her mouth, and not a single person even flinched. It seemed like I was the only one who noticed. I thought perhaps the other members were desensitized to this word, since it has become so embedded in the culture, while I had always been taught that it was inappropriate to use this word. Another incident involving the language discrepancy was in planning our Black History Month dinner. When coming up with a name for the dinner, one member suggested “Get Ya Grub On.” Many people gave that member dirty looks and said “that’s too ghetto- only black people will come.” Another person responded by saying that only black people will attend anyway; again displaying the feelings of negligence by the white community at Hofstra.
So what exactly is it that separates the white community from the black community? Is it the way they dress? From the perspective of Strictly Steppin,’ the black college community largely dresses in clothes from Forever 21 or Urban Outfitters but seem less bound to contain themselves to one store in particular. They often use accessories to tie the look together. They see themselves as high-fashion, or fashion innovators. One member of the step team has granted herself the nickname “Funky-Fresh,” for her unique sense of style. The majority of the white college community dresses in Hollister or Abercrombie, which my fellow steppers consider to be too commercial, and less stylish. The puzzle pieces seem to fit together in perfect harmony, when one looks at the marketing schemes of Hollister or Abercrombie, and the racial background of the majority of those who shop there. These two stores in particular clearly target the white community to consume their products. It is quite obvious; all of their shopping bags have images of white men and women. Only once in a blue moon is there a black female used as the image, and this female never fails to have the lightest brown skin possible without looking white. There is a minority of the white population that also shops at Urban Outfitters and in passing these students on campus, the steppers typically label them as “fabulous,” as they express their appreciation for the more “fashionable” white community of Hofstra. It seems that something as trivial as fashion could in fact contribute to the gap that separates the races.
Or perhaps it is religion that separates the two communities. Surely all religions consist of followers from a myriad of backgrounds, but maybe each culture has a different approach to religious practices. I found that the majority of the members of the step team held strong religious values. Some were devout Muslims, others dedicated Christians, but no matter what, these people had a blatant passion for God. There were those who were members of Hofstra’s Gospel Ensemble, and others who simply made an effort to attend church at least once a week. Strictly Steppin’ attended one of Hofstra Gospel Ensemble’s “Joy Nights” as a team, and I was nearly the only white person at the entire event, with the exception of one other girl. Is the white community less open to publicly expressing their religious beliefs? It seemed like that was the case. One of the male members of the step team decided to become an Atheist for a short period of time, yet after receiving an immense amount of negative feedback from Strictly Steppin,’ he miraculously became extremely faithful once again. He now attends church every weekend and carries a Bible with him everywhere he goes. There seems to me almost an unspoken pressure to maintain religious values. One of my friends from the team even remarked that for Easter she was unable to attend church so she watched it on the internet. This was something I was unfamiliar with, but it shows a true devotion to religious practices. Standing back a little bit farther, we can observe the way that the white community, in an effort to destroy Senator Obama’s campaign, acted enraged at Reverend Wright’s not so far-off comments about America. The media took advantage of this by pulling these comments out of context, blowing them out of proportion and portraying him as an unstable, anti-patriotic man, which would indirectly connect Obama to these very accusations. The black church tends to be more open with discussing politics, as the black church has played a great role in the Civil Rights movement. It seems that the white community is unwilling to accept the fact that the two are inevitably tied together.
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
Prior to auditions I was nervous simply about whether I was good enough to make the step team. I was welcomed at auditions with open arms and reassured that this was where I belonged. After making the team, there were instances that brought race into the picture and made me question whether I would ever truly be accepted. As the gap between the returning members and the new members of Strictly Steppin’ shrunk, we began to attend more parties and events together. My President/ Captain would often instant message or text me to ask me for help and I would go meet up with her and other members of the Executive board. More and more often would I walk to practices and meetings with my new friends, singing our favorite reggae, R&B, and neo-soul songs. As the year comes to a close, (along with many other get-togethers) I have gone with my President/ Captain and the Co-captain to Friendly’s to eat dinner, and gotten my nails done with the President/ Captain; I have taken care of returning members who got too drunk, or whose hearts have been broken; my President/ Captain has confided in me her email address and password to her Facebook account to check to see if she took care of something; most importantly I have made some of the most significant bonds that will remain in my heart for the rest of my life.
Though my organization’s members fully accepted me, on a large scale the outsiders of Hofstra’s community have not fully come to respect that I am a serious, dedicated member of Strictly Steppin’. To this day, at any given performance I am likely to see the white males in the audience pointing at me and laughing as if I am a joke to the white race or white females picking their jaws up off the ground- shocked to see ‘one of their kind’ so comfortable among people who do not so closely resemble my skin color; and I am equally likely to hear the voices of black females yelling “go white girl!!!” or black males who try to guess my name and point at me while I am performing yelling “go Mary Lou.” The outside world may have its preconceived notions that hold it back from completely appreciating what I do, yet upon the completion of this project it has become clear: there will be males, females, blacks and whites and a rainbow of skin tones that misunderstand my motives for doing step, but simultaneously there are also the few people who look beyond the different cultures and skin colors, who can respect the fact that Strictly Steppin’ is my second family, and can accept me for more than just a white girl trying to stand out from a crowd. Overall, racism is still largely prevalent in America, and a great deal of the white community continues to turn a cold shoulder towards the black community. Upon concluding this ethnography, a sense of hope is diminished as I hear my dad angrily ranting about how all three cops were found not guilty in the Sean Bell trial.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Deeb, Lara (2006) An Enchanted Modern: Gender and Public Piety in Shi'i Lebanon. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Holland, Dorothy (2007) Local Democracy Under Siege. New York: New York University Press.