Anyone who wasn’t in the audience at the Black Student Alliance Step Show this past weekend missed an event packed with history, entertainment, talent and brand-new, never-before-seen dance moves.
This year’s show was especially unique because it marked the 15th anniversary of the South Dakota State Step Show. To commemorate the Step Show’s longevity, this year’s title was “The Crystal Reunion.”
“We are recognizing the step team members from past years and will speak on the history of step teams at SDSU,” said Bailey Lear, senior pharmacy major and captain of the Ladies of BSA step team.
The goal of this year’s show was to honor former members’ work in bringing step to SDSU’s campus and keeping it alive throughout the years.
The Ladies of BSA have been a group since 2014 and the men’s team since 2012.
Dillon Storm, senior nursing major and captain of the men’s step team, said he and his group of five members worked hard to make the 15th anniversary something special.
To celebrate, Storm said they made the show bigger and longer, with new steps and transitions “no one has seen before.”
Both Storm and Lear come up with all of their own steps and choreography.
“It is fun to incorporate the girls’ personalities in our steps,” Lear said.
Both teams have mostly fresh content every year, although they do sometimes recycle dance moves. Some groups use instrumental recordings to supplement their dancing, but the SDSU men’s team does not.
“We rarely use music because our team is a strict stepping team, and it’s much more authentic without the music,” Storm said. “We like it to be all original.”
Amanda John, president of BSA and junior political science and sociology major, said: “The show is not just a visual experience, but an audio one as well.”
While the Step Show is the only time throughout the year that the men’s team performs, you can watch the Ladies of BSA dance during the Hobo Day Parade and State A Thon.
If you want to become a member of the Men of BSA you can contact Dillon Storm at (320)-221-1717 or attend one of the BSA weekly meetings at 6 p.m. Thursdays. If you would like to try out to become one of the Ladies of BSA, contact Bailey Lear at [email protected].
