Step teams showcase culture

Step+show

Step show

By KYLEE WHITEHILL Reporter

With five teams traveling  to SDSU, the 12th annual Black Student Alliance (BSA) Step Show brought a cultural experience that could be shared among the students at SDSU. This year included performances by the SDSU women’s step team, which is new to campus this year. 

The BSA’s mission statement is to form a societal life for African American students so they can find an identity through cultural and diverse activities. SDSU’s awareness of the African American culture stands as another key point in BSA’s mission. 

Semehar Ghebrekidan, the president of BSA, said she is excited that she was not only able to meet the other step teams, but to step against them as well. 

“The step show creates an environment where African Americans can come together and celebrate and showcase talent but also so that we can bring awareness to this part of African American culture,” Ghebrekidan said. 

Teams from across the Midwest performed on the Performing Arts Center stage. SDSU was well represented with their Drill Team, Ladies of BSA and BSA Men’s Step team of SDSU. Five other step teams represented their fraternities and sororities: Sigma Lambda Beta, Omega Psi Phi, and Sigma Psi Zeta from the University of Minnesota, the Omaha Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta and the Nebraska Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta. A special rapping performance by SDSU student “Zeke” was also included. 

“I loved the SDSU Drill Team,” said Elena Leitheiser, a junior nursing student. “I loved how all the teams were so synced and each had their own chant which made it really powerful.” 

Each team offered an insight to the history and mission of their fraternity or sorority, which included how important stepping was to them. They displayed evident pride in their Greek life with the calls and signs of their sorority or fraternity. Along with the choreographed steps, they infused a mix of comedy, popular music, intense stepping and education. 

While stepping is a form of African American culture, African Americans were not the only step dancers present. The step teams often times had a wide variety of race, showing that anyone can appreciate a piece of a different culture. 

Crowd participation helped summon more energy to the step teams. Teams and the hosts encouraged the interaction between those on stage and the nearly packed Performing Arts Center. 

This year’s step show was sophomore pre-pharmacy student Kayla Guy’s first. “I originally just thought it was going to be just SDSU step club. I had no idea that it was all these different step clubs from different universities. It was really cool,” Guy said. “I had no idea that it was that big. I’d heard of it before, but I didn’t know they had shows like this.” 

After the show, many of the teams mingled together and talked to people who attended the show. It was an event that allowed people of different races and cultures to come together and enjoy a night of unique entertainment.