The Some of God’s children gospel choir didn’t even make it through a single line of the spiritual hymn “Wade in the Water” before the audience of about 30 joined in with strong conviction, swaying in time to the music.

Soon the Anointed Steps of Faith, a step team, added rhythm to room 837 of the William Pitt Union, using their claps to set a steady beat.

The spirited performance was part of The Black Church Experience, a presentation on the history of song and dance in the black church hosted by Some of God’s Children Gospel choir and the Anointed Steps of Faith.

The event, complete with live music and stepping, began Monday evening at 6 p.m. It was one of the first events of Black History Month at Pitt.

This was the first time the two groups held an event that wasn’t solely a step show or concert. Instead, the event was a presentation where both the choir and the step group were involved.

President of the Anointed Steps of Faith, senior Jessica Hobbs, and president of Some of God’s Children Gospel choir, Taylor Montague worked together to bring this event to campus.

“First of all it’s Black History Month, which is a really big deal for us. This year we really want to bring awareness to campus about all the events going on,” Hobbs said.  

The event consisted of a presentation discussing the evolution of song throughout the black church experience—from enslavement to the civil rights period to the modern church.

Before their rousing performance of “Wade in the Water,” one choir member explained that the song contained secret messages for slaves looking to escape from the plantations.

Next, the choir sang “We Shall Overcome” representing the civil rights period when the church was a point of mobilization. This song became a message of protest during that era.

The Anointed Steps of Faith followed the choir. After explaining, though various film clips, the evolution of step from gumboot dancing in the gold mines of South Africa to the ham bone in the enslaved south, the group presented a short step dance with a message of praise.

Montague said the presentations were important because they help students grasp a greater understanding African American history and culture.

“It was important for us to hold this event because one we’re young college students, two I think it’s important to show the history of why black spirituals were formed and how they were formed and their significance and how they impacted the church,” Montague said.

She also shared how song has influenced her time in the church.

“It’s definitely influenced my experience because I sing as well in and outside of the church and its a great form of worship for me,” she said.

Hobbs added her thoughts on how dance has influenced her time both inside and outside the church.

“We did one or two praise dances in the fifteen years I was in that church, and I always loved stepping but I didn’t get to do it in the church,” Hobbs. “When I came to Pitt and I found out there was a group dedicated to stepping and ministry, I decided to join. I’ve been a member for four years and this is my fourth year.”

Ayibatari Siki, a junior neuroscience major, came to the event because she knows Montague. She said she learned and gained much from going to the performance.

“Just to see the progression—I didn’t really know how things progressed to modern day stepping,” Siki said.