Just about all dances in junkanoo are variations on two basic moves: the one-step and the two-step. Robert Bain shared this insight with me when we both rushed in the back line of One Family. Of course, at the time, he was the lead choreographer as well, but we weren’t talking about the choreographed dancers. We were talking about everyone else. And he’s right: the two-step is the side to side dance you do when dancing to calypso, where one foot follows the other, whereas the one-step is sort of a high stepping march. Bellers, especially the lead bellers often prefer the two-step; the lead tom-toms usually favor a mock one-step march, sometimes almost bouncing from step to step.
The one and two step contrast was sharpest at the height of the Saxons-Valley Boys rivalry: Vola and Eddie Dames were known for their high-stepping one-step, while Gus favored the traditional two-step.
Which one are you?
I have to think about this one. I want to say two-step, but I’m not sure.