Traditions: Strolling

I hope you enjoyed the first part of our Traditions Series: Stepping. Today, we’ll talk about the tradition of Strolling.

Have you ever been to a club,and watched people dancing in a line, performing the same dance moves? Then you may have seen a “stroll” or “party-walk.”  Strolling is a tradition that can be traced back to the early 1900′s.  Like stepping, it has also been linked to Black Greek organizations like Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority (AKA); which is the first historically black Greek sorority. It’s a tradition that has had wide appeal and is performed by many organizations to this day, not just those in the NPHC.

The way that strolling works is by having brothers or sisters of a particular Greek organization create a single file line. They then begin to move forward through the club in unison; united in dance motions or alternating dance moves. Strolling is obviously a coordinated production.  For it to work, all members performing must know every step of the choreographed stroll. It differs from stepping in that music is used and the military-like formations of stepping aren’t seen. The moves used during a stroll are typically rooted in the traditions of a particular organization, reflecting the significance of brotherhood or sisterhood.

Here’s a video of the University of Georgia AKA’s strolling.