by Katie Vasquez
These Brooklyn Jesuit Prep students move as one, they’re stepping, a form of percussion dance where they stomp their feet and clap their hands,
All to make a beat of their own.
“When you step for a Catholic school, you’re stepping for a mission. and that’s the heart,” said Brooklyn Jesuit Prep Step Team moderator, Nichole Prime.
Seventh grade teacher Nichole Prime is their coach, guiding the more than 20 girls in their steps.
She says each beat brings them back to their Catholic faith.
“When you hear us chanting the chants that we say, the words that we’re saying, it has the heart and the mission of faith, of perseverance, of prayer,” said Prime.
A prayer that for two decades had been silent.
While the school had a step team at one time, at some point it stopped, until Nichole brought it back this year, giving the Jesuit prep students a boost in self-confidence.
“I used to be shy, but now I’m more outgoing and I’m more open to making new friends,” said Brooklyn Jesuit Prep Step team member, Sonyae Lashley.
“What I mostly like about it is that I can feel like I can feel happier, I can feel free,” said Brooklyn Jesuit Prep Step team member, Jayla Heslop.
The steps are also a lesson in history.
“Step has origins in slave days where they used it to communicate. Really, even in the gold mines, it was called gumboot dancing. They would use the beats and the rhythm to communicate in code and then it developed into expressions of like just joy, expressions of perseverance, of strength,” said Prime.
And in a school where 93 percent of the student population identifies as Black or African American, it is a fact that’s not overlooked.
“I was like really shocked and really happy doing something that represents my culture,” said Brooklyn Jesuit Prep Step Team member, Teaira Carson.
“That was very powerful and empowering for me as a black young individual because I know where steps’ roots are from,” said Brooklyn Jesuit Prep Step Team member, Javonee Nash.
So even when the dances get hard,
“When I started, it was like it was a lot. it was like it was just like you had to be doing a whole bunch of exercises. like i was feeling sore some days,” said Brooklyn Jesuit Prep Step Team member, Darriel Charles.
These steppers move with pride,looking to the future and maybe even one day, competing against other schools.