is an athletic art form comprised of numerous regional tempo based roller skating styles; a unique mixtures of strides, strokes, footwork and movements to set tempos; it is the fusion of music, culture, and roller skating.

Overview :  "Style" roller skating developed in the African American community when roller rinks began to use [vinyl] records at public roller skating sessions.  During the late 1960's roller skating rinks began to convert from playing organ music to playing popular records during public roller skating sessions.  Skaters who had [waltzed] to the sounds of pipe organs began to roller skate to the same music they heard on the radio.  Just as the music industry has had a profound impact on other areas of America's artistic and social culture, it impacted roller skating.  The way skaters moved around the roller rink began to change, the entire body of skaters was transforming; skate innovators and daredevils who had always added their unique variations, stunts, and tricks, began to take things to new levels. Playing records meant an infusion of all types of music, no longer was the music mono, and there was a full range of instruments and beats to move to.  As the country entered its musical revolution, Black roller skaters began putting together the movements, strides, and steps that is "STYLE" roller skating.
 
In "Style" roller skating the music facilitates the expression of movement: different music, different outcome.  The music helps determine things like how a chain of steps are linked, the flow of the skaters movements around the floor, and even how the skaters interact.  The use of records at roller rinks gave skaters regionally, city to city, and even rink to rink an opportunity to choose the tempo and type of music that they skated to.  As roller rinks or regions settled on one tempo, skaters developed and tailored moves to that tempo, [and] over time these movements developed into distinct regional styles.  The kind of music Jazz, Motown/Oldies, R&B, Funk, Hip-Hop, Pop/Top 10, etc. influences body movement and the overall look of that region's style.   In the Washington, DC, metropolitan area roller skaters prefer smooth jazzy music, which facilitates their fast smooth gliding rail style - aka "DC Style", while New Yorkers require the bounce and bass of up-tempo dance music to execute their bent knee bounce dance stepping style - aka "New York Style".  "St. Louis Style" is distinguished by it's sexy smooth body movement and to get it right the music must be right.  In Chicago a group of skaters have developed the "JB Style" that is full of power moves, [named after] the sounds of James Brown, the God Father of Soul.

The social and cultural climate within the African American community played a part in shaping "Style" roller skating.  The social conditions of the Black community greatly impacted the development of "Style" roller skating from the late fifties and well into the 70's as African Americans struggled through the civil rights movement and into an era of black pride.  The fights of the movement played themselves out at roller rinks across the country from "White Only" rinks, to segregated sessions, limited access to competitive roller sports for non-whites, to black owned rinks being burned or systematically run out of business.  Culturally blacks seemingly inexhaustible ability to make anything their own from food, to fashion, to popular dance, ways of speaking, to simply walking down the street; roller skating [also] has become stylized.  From unique choreography to spectacular improvisations, and a standing "challenge" to come up with the hottest move, "Style" roller skating echoes other traditions of the African American community such as  "shooting the dozens" and tap dancing.

Roller skating combines body posture and movement with the use of roller skate edges to perform an array of movements.  Body posture and movement can [be] adjusted and vary greatly from skater to skater, as in dance body movement impacts the overall feel of any move.  As skaters become more advanced they begin to use more of their skate edges [which] allows them to do more varied and advanced footwork.  Unlike traditional competitive roller sports i.e. figures and dance in which there is a set body posture, specific edges assigned to each movement, a set pattern on the skate surface to be traced or followed, and most often music assigned; improvisation is [a] big part of "Style" skating.  Individuals who "Style" skate are on an ongoing quest to create new moves, they adjust their bodies and test out new uses of their [skate] edges, it is a creative artistic process that requires strength and stamina.

"Style" roller skating over it's 30 plus year history has maintained its regional beginnings with many cities' styles remaining consistent, while others have had variations within their region or have seen a new "Style" emerge.  As the American music industry changes and develops new sounds, "Style" roller skaters continue to answer with the creation of more and more variations on movements, strides, and steps.  In keeping with African tradition, the skaters seem to have a call and response relationship with the music.

© 2004/5/15
Tasha Klusmann, President,
Our Family Skate Association, Washington, DC
Reprinted with permission.