Skitting

Skitting or stepping is an underground dance style that originated in South Africa. It has two main styles, the original style, often referred to as Truth style or old school, and float step or heel-toe. Stepping is a very creative dance style adopted mostly by the South African youth, with original moves being applauded by the stepping community, and copying of moves frowned upon. This has allowed for a rapid evolution and expansion of the dance style especially since the beginning of 2012, with many communities (such as schools) having their own unique version of stepping (which will be loosely based on one of the main styles).
Skitting is particularly popular in Johannesburg, where it originated as well as Durban and Cape Town and is prominent on the club scene.
History
As skitting is an underground dance style, its origins were not documented very well. It is generally accepted though that it started around the mid to late 2000s either by individuals from certain underground music clubs such as Sugar or Truth (origin of the name "Truth style"), or from certain schools in the Johannesburg area( east of Johannesburg is believed to be the point of origin).
During this period, this style of dance was only witnessed when seeing it performed in person, or from a handful of poorly shot videos on YouTube.
A relatively small facebook group called "SA Funky Fidget Step" was started by 10th grader (Rishaad Khan) in 2010.
The group's goal was to showcase a variety of stepping videos from across the country, hence steppers both experienced and basic shared pretty much the same stage.
This enabled a wave of young steppers to develop their style, by uploading progress videos and in turn, receiving healthy criticism from stepping fans around the country. This involvement lead to a notable increase in the popularity of stepping on social media, with more people gradually becoming aware of this once-underground dance genre.
Skitting videos next big evolution came on May 5, 2011 on YouTube.com, in the form of the video "Basement Jam: Slimz" created by Gavin Langley, which was the first professionally recorded and edited stepping video. Not even two days later (7 May 2011), Kyle Wilsnagh became the first person to showcase stepping on television, in an advertisement for a Tiger Wheel and Tyre promotion where, encouraging people to "get your moves on" and submit skitting videos to an online competition.
Since this breakthrough, the viewing and posting of skitting videos has been growing each year and the posting of amateur and professionally shot/edited videos encouraged.
The first major evolution of the skitting dance style appeared on YouTube.com on 2 August 2011, the video "Float Step" filmed by Gavin Langley and choreographed by Joseph R. Henry was uploaded and showcased a style of skitting that had almost never been seen before. It shared virtually no moves with Truth-style skitting, as the style gives the appearance of the dancer "floating". This video created a huge wave in the online skitting community and float step opened doors to a whole new creative dimension in skitting, leading to many new dance moves being developed.
Main styles
Truth style
The Truth style of skitting is considered the original form of skitting. It is characterised by crisscrossing and sweeping base movements where the dancers feet would rarely leave the ground. Many skitters develop their own moves in order to show their originality and gain more respect from peers, as originality is encouraged within the skitting community.
Float step
The float step is the most popular form of skitting and the main type of skitting done by major dance crews such as Basement Jam, and in rooftop jams. Recorded pioneers of this variation include Joseph R. Henry (a.k.a. FLOATSTEP) and Kyle Fox (a.k.a. Basement Jam-Fox) In this style, a dancer uses a leg mostly for balance and to bounce on, while the other does various moves which gives the impression that the dancer is floating.
Social impact
Skitting is a social activity, as evidenced by youths skitting at school. Various skitting crews also hold public auditions.

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