STEP BACK UP

The National Pan-Hellenic Council Homecoming Stepshow returned to WKU Friday night in a performance filling Van Meter Auditorium with the sound of stomps, claps, laughter, chants and cheers.

Audience members filled the auditorium, lining the seats from wall to wall. The show sold out completely, NPHC president DJ McCormick said.

The show included nine performances by eight of WKU’s NPHC sororities and fraternities and Nfinity, a dance team based in Bowling Green.

The night’s host, Tez, greeted the audience to the auditorium and began with a roll call, recognizing each competing organization and their alumni in the audience.

The show opened with Omega Psi Phi fraternity, whose performance brought a response of laughter and loud cheers from the audience.

Zeta Phi Beta sorority performed next in a more serious piece touching on current issues involving gun violence. Props onstage included signs reading “stop the violence” and “my life matters.”

Throughout the performance, Zeta Phi Beta dancers shouted out names of shooting victims as they danced, bringing relevance to the issue.

Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity ended the show with the winning performance among male competitors; Zeta Phi Beta placed first in women.

Zeta Phi Beta alumnae Ashiya Robinson said she felt relieved after performing with her sisters.

“I felt like we did a really good job,” Johnson said. “We left our heart on the stage.”

Lexington senior and Zeta Phi Beta member Kierra Muhammad said her team has been working hard, practicing since July.

“We’re thought of as leaders on this campus,” Muhammad said. “People want to see what we have to offer.”

After the performances, two scholarships were presented to students Ar’Meishia Burrow and Bryan Anders in recognition of outstanding service and academic success.

“I thought it was a really good performance,” Radcliffe senior Crystal Belcher said. “I think everybody tried and did the best they can, which is awesome. It was actually fun to see all the unity and everybody coming together.”

Belcher, also a member of Zeta Phi Beta, said she thought her sisters’ win was well-deserved.

“They did a good job,” Belcher said. “The topic was good. Just to see how everything came together was awesome.”

Though the show hasn’t happened in the past few years, McCormick said he’s hoping it will become a continuous annual event.

“Honestly, the stepshow is really to get all nine organizations from NPHC together to where we can all kind of have a unity moment, all coming together to see everybody’s show, kind of to get the black community to come together.”

The show is one of NPHC’s biggest fundraising events, McCormick said.

“It’s really key that all members from different organizations come out and support their fraternity brothers and sorority sisters,” McCormick said. “I think it went well. I’m disappointed the AKAs didn’t get to perform, but overall, I think everyone did exceptionally well. It was a good turnout.”

Reporter Emma Austin can be reached at 270-745-2655 and [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @emmacaustin.