By Mekhi AbbottSpecial to the AFROmabbott@afro.com
Initially starting as a trio in 1925, The 4 Step Brothers fashioned a legendary faucet dancing group that’s nonetheless revered nearly a century later. Maceo Anderson, founding father of The Step Brothers, all the time took a liking to bounce. As a younger boy dwelling in Los Angeles, he used to sneak into the Lafayette Theatre to observe and mimic dance routines alongside his associates.
On the ripe age of 15 years previous, Anderson recruited Al Williams and Crimson Walker to type what was initially referred to as The Step Brothers. To keep away from confusion with one other younger, high-profile faucet dancing crew with the identical title, they modified their title to “The Three Step Brothers.” When Sherman Robinson was added to the crew, they adopted the title “The 4 Step Brothers.”
The quartet started their journey touring with world-renowned musician Duke Ellington. The group would repeatedly showcase their abilities performing on the prestigious Cotton Membership in Harlem, N.Y. of their early years. The 4 Step Brothers are credited with being the primary Black act to carry out at Radio Metropolis Music Corridor, one thing they did perennially for an entire decade. Nonetheless, their performances wouldn’t be confined solely to New York. As a matter of reality, they “tapped” their method throughout the globe a reported 4 occasions.
“I realized about The 4 Step Brothers a couple of years again in my highschool dance historical past class. The 4 Step Brothers for a few years broke limitations in dance they usually’re part of Black historical past. The 4 Step Brothers are identified for his or her integration of dance strikes,” stated former dancer Joslyn Smith, a scholar of College of Maryland, School Park.
The 4 Step Brothers have been revered for his or her advanced dance strikes through which they integrated rhythm faucet, straight acrobatics, blues dancing and the camel stroll, which was a transfer closely utilized by singer and songwriter James Brown when he would carry out. One of many signature components of their performances have been after they would do “problem dances.” The 4 Step Brothers would every do a solo whereas the opposite three would stand again and make a beat themselves by stomping their ft and clapping their fingers. Every dancer’s objective was to outdo the opposite three.
The 4 Step Brothers would go on to carry out for former presidents Harry Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Additionally they had an look on The Ed Sullivan Present. The “Brothers” ended up being one of many longest-lasting dance teams in historical past as they might carry out collectively for greater than 4 many years, when founder Anderson was in his 50s.
“Being part of artwork in the course of the interval of the Harlem Renaissance spoke volumes. put them in locations just like the Cotton Membership and allowed them to carry out in a sequence of flicks,” stated Smith. “Utilizing these abilities actually set them aside, elevated their enterprise as a dance crew and gave them the chance to seem in additional motion pictures and music.”
The 4 Step Brothers obtained two Lifetime Achievement Awards on behalf of the Dance Masters of America. They obtained their first in 1960 after which the latter in 1985 for breaking the colour barrier in dance. Three years later, in 1988, The 4 Step Brothers have been honored with a star on the Hollywood Stroll of Fame.
Though the group stayed collectively for nearly 40 years, the brothers that made up the group did change a couple of occasions. Edward Bozeman was one of many extra notable additions to the group. He had danced professionally beforehand and glided by the nickname “Prince.”
Bozeman would usually dance final and was notably identified for his acrobatics and flips. One of many nice issues about The 4 Step Brothers is that they might all the time permit one another to do in their very own type. Bozeman, seemingly as a result of his vitality and athleticism, remembers different members pondering he was a child when in all actuality he was 35 years previous when he joined the group.
In 1968, the ultimate addition to the group was a then 10-year-old child who was solely within the fourth grade when he obtained recruited to affix the crew. Terry Criner, who was often known as “Little Terry,” had a dance type that was similar to Bozeman’s, however Criner got here with much more vitality and extra superior methods resembling no-hand head flips. Criner would even incorporate break dancing strikes like head spins. Criner was taken beneath Anderson’s wing because the founding father of The 4 Step Brothers and Anderson would help in refining Criners faucet dancing so it might be as much as par along with his acrobatics.
After some convincing from Anderson, Criner determined to proceed to hold the baton and created a brand new dance group referred to as Third Era Steps. The group was made up of Criner, Cindy Notz and Ivery Wheeler. Third Era Steps would see 11 years of success within the present enterprise, however on the younger age of 21, Criner determined to retire and with him went the Third Era Step crew.
A few of Anderson’s relations determined to stroll within the footsteps of his legacy and in addition pursue a profession in dance. Robert L. Reed, who’s the grandson of Anderson, really grew to become a dance professor and did a bit of little bit of dwell efficiency himself. He went on to determine his personal dancing college referred to as Robert L. Reed Faucet Heritage Institute, which is positioned in St. Louis, Missouri. He based the St. Louis Faucet competition in 1992 and on July 30, 2005, St. Louis mayor Francis Slay declared that day to be “Robert L. Reed Faucet Heritage Day.”
