The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) stepped into center stage to celebrate their 16th annual Homecoming Step Show in front of an enthusiastic audience at the Ferst Center for the Arts this past Thursday. The Step Show is an annual tradition for the Divine Nine (D9) organizations at Tech to show off their stepping skills through a choreographed routine in front of their fellow members, alumni and, importantly, a judging panel for a chance to win and bring home $1000 for their organization.
Stepping is an art form that focuses on percussive movements of the body such as clapping the hands, stomping with feet or other props and of course, stepping. Some routines include vocal shouts or chants to accompany the rhythms and show emphasis on certain movements or uniquely reference their organizations.
This year, the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, Sigma Gamma Rho sorority, Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, Delta Sigma Theta sorority, Omega Psi Phi fraternity and Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority all participated, displaying a unique theme, intro, costumes, music and choreography.
One of Tech’s youngest homecoming week traditions, the Step Show has grown its presence in the past few years.
“At first, we just used to do what they would call yard shows, or we would have a performance during Black History Month. And then we wanted to broaden it, so we made it a Homecoming step show also so alumni can come back and enjoy it with us as well because a lot of them come back during the Homecoming time,” said Celesté Giddens, 4th-year BA and Vice President of NPHC.
Two Atlantan hosts, KK from KK’s Corner and CEO Tiggy, emceed the night, hyping up the crowd for the performances and leading unified chants for each of the participating organizations. The Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, the defending champions from last year’s show, opened with a marching band-themed storyline with powerful choreography to match.
Other themes ranged from a rival classmates’ detention and a Men In “Boots” parody, to an asylum abduction story complete with glow-in-the-dark costumes. As the audience was enraptured by the complex routines, the precision of the performances made evident the blood, sweat and tears of months of rehearsals.
“Most people start figuring out their themes and stuff as early as April and May of the school semester before, and then teams start practicing as early as the summertime for step show practice, and then once you get closer and closer to [the] date, that’s when you literally have maybe two hour or more practices every day,” Giddens said.
She added that the step show is a way for members of the Divine Nine and affiliated organizations to connect with each other through shared cultural experiences.
“I definitely think it’s a culture and tradition thing. Step shows have been around in the D9 community for a long time, ever since the D9 first originated in the 1900s from 1906 all the way till for all of them. It’s definitely a cultural thing that brings everybody together,” Giddens said.
Attendees were decked out in house colors and Greek letters, waving pom poms and holding up signs to show their support. After each performance, the chants of the performing organization could be heard around the theater. Giddens said, “It’s very taxing, but seeing the end product of everybody out there, everybody having a good time, the crowd screaming for your performance, that’s my favorite part.”
Natalie Schulz, 2nd-year BME, and Amelia Lemmon, 3rd-year IE, were part of the audience that night. Although not personally affiliated with Divine Nine, they had come out to show support for their fellow classmates.
“I’ve heard of step shows for Homecoming, but I’d never seen one so I thought it’d be interesting,” Schulz said. “I think supporting within Greek Life, the different councils, is so important and learning about other traditions that are different from the ones we celebrate is a really cool opportunity,” Lemmon added.
At the end of the performances, each fraternity and sorority took turns strolling to different songs and dancing together. Ultimately, the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority were declared the winners.
“For Georgia Tech, it’s for the current members and the Black community in general. And even if you’re not in the Black community, if you want to be educated and kind of just see some of the things that we do and learn, it’s a really good way for you to come and do that. [It] brings a lot of people together, from current students to alumni. We know alumni like to come back…so it’s a really good way for everybody to connect and meet the people that came before them,” Giddens said.
To learn more about NHPC, their Homecoming Step Show, and other upcoming events, visit their Instagram page: @gt_nhcp.
