From BSU Daily News.com:
Stepping for unity and pride
Fraternity keeps tradition alive with step
Originating from Africa, stepping is kept alive through historically black fraternity chapters on Ball State’s campus and around the country. In particular, the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity works to keep the tradition of step alive at Ball State.“Basically stepping is using your feet and your hands to make rhythms,” said fraternity member Kyle Hawkins, a junior communication studies major. “I guess you could say that it is a way of expressing yourself using your feet to make loud noises and using your hands to clap. … It’s a live emotion.”
Step Afrika, a nationally known step group from Washington, D.C., describes the art form as a tradition that grew out of the song and dance rituals practiced by African-American fraternities and sororities in the early 1900s.
Some fraternities describe stepping as a way to build the bond between fraternity members. This bond is essential to the art of stepping, Phi Beta Sigma member Carl Ives said, because it symbolizes unity, which is important when performing the dance.