Steppin’ Up Drill Team entertains audience

Stacy Graham-Hunt
Staff Writer

Lyman Hall was a commotion of rhythm, movement and dance this past Sunday.

The Steppin' Up Drill Team, Programs Council and Men About Business hosted a step show in Lyman Hall on Sunday, April 22. According to Naciki Reid, the president of Men About Business, “It went real good.”

The show opened with a performance from the Steppin’ Up Drill Team. The first category was for drill teams that included University of Hartford’s step team, which won, a ladies team from Assumption College in Massachusetts, and a special appearance by Nation Drill Squad, a New Haven youth step team, which was allowed to perform because several teams dropped out at the last minute.

According to Reid, groups that backed out included Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., a step team from Eastern Connecticut State University, and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. Dean Perkins, president of the Black Student Union and a member of Phi Beta Sigma, said he was not sure why his team did not perform.   

Competing in the best fraternity performance category was the New Haven’s Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. “The Alphas” pretended to be nerds who wanted to drink a “gold” juice in order to get “good grades, graduation, and girls.” In the end, one of the four performers had an epiphany that Alpha Phi Alpha could not be found in a bottle, but in their hearts – and they became cooler.

However, Omega Psi Phi won. This group consisted of undergraduate and graduate members, including Southern’s own Unique Cutts, and Anthony Charles. They were going to hand out roses to the ladies with R. Kelly playing in the background, but one of their step team members cut it short and reminded them they did not do those kind of things. They slammed down the roses and kept stepping. The audience laughed. 

“The Ques definitely did their thing,” said Perkins.

For the best sorority performance category, New Haven’s Undergraduate Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Xi Omicron, and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. performed.  Alpha Kappa Alpha had a “Genie in a Bottle” theme where two young girls wished to become members of this sorority when they grew up.
The ladies from Zeta Phi Beta won. They had a baseball theme, wearing blue baseball jerseys and caps. They also threw miniature baseballs into the crowd and had the audience chanting, “We will, we will rock you.”

Steppin’ Up, celebrating their fifth year anniversary, performed a tribute to one of the group’s founders: Ricky Blakes. Blakes, was a Southern student who was shot and killed in the summer of 2004. They also did a tribute to the Divine Nine, historically black fraternities and sororities.

“The show showcased the ongoing tradition of Black Greek organizations,” said Perkins.