 Steppin'
on the Blues : The Visible Rhythms of African American Dance by
Jacqui Malone
"Opportunities
for self-expression were limited during the days of slavery, but
at a dance, anyone with the right moves could become the king
or queen of the floor. Dance styles from Western and central Africa
became the basis for a vernacular dance style that made the rhythms
of the music visible. In stark contrast to the erect spines and
stiff legs of European dance, the spontaneous, bent-kneed, and
angulated bodies stressed a life-affirming joy that remains vital
today. From the public Negro dance contests of slave times, to
the wildly popular minstrel shows, to the Harlem cabaret scene
of the 1920s, to the stylized moves of Motown vocal groups, Malone
records this history with an energy befitting her subject. She
takes us to the present, where the heritage survives in the choreography
of African American marching bands and the recent explosion of
African American fraternity and sorority step shows." --
Library Journal
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