Student steppers will entertain more than 200 local high school students of a nearly 4,000-member audience this weekend at the Cal State Long Beach Walter Pyramid.
The 19th annual National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) step show will include performances by fraternity and sorority step teams. The show is involved with a larger CSULB program called “Step N2 The Beach,” a high school outreach program that informs prospective students about campus life and admission requirements.
On the morning of the show, more than 200 high school students will meet at the College of Business Administration building for a presentation, campus tour, student panel and lunch before attending the show.
Brett Waterfield, assistant director of Student Life and Development, said the title and theme of this year’s step show, “Divine in 09, The Change Starts with Us,” was inspired by the “divine nine,” which represents the nine historically black Greek organizations in the council. He said it also marks the change that needs to happen and has happened in the nation this year.
According to the CSULB NPHC website, step teams will come to Long Beach from New York, Maryland and Virginia to compete.
The step show is a competition with two categories, one for sororities and the other for fraternities. The first place chapter winner in each category will receive, when there are at least four teams competing, $2,500, second place will receive $1,000 and third place will receive $500, according to the NPHC website. When there are only two or three teams competing, the prize for first and second place winners is $1,500 and $500, respectively.
CSULB members of the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity and Sigma Gamma Rho and Zeta Phi Beta sororities will be competing, as well as members of other chapters. They will be judged on incorporation of theme, creativity, uniformity, execution, crowd enthusiasm and showmanship.
Shenelle Gatson, a member of CSULB’s chapter of Zeta Phi Beta, which placed third in last year’s competition, said she goes to the step show every year to support all the organizations, and that it is a way for everyone to get together in a non-violent context.
“I’m looking forward to the upset. Iota Phi Theta came out hard last year and won. This year I’m looking forward to the Sigma upset,” said Bruno Onwu, a member of CSULB’s Phi Beta Sigma chapter, which placed second in the competition last year. The Iota chapter that performed in the show and won last year was from New Jersey.
Waterfield said the hosts of the step show are two radio personalities from KDAY 93.5, Chuck Dizzel and Big P. Wee.
Dizzel is a CSULB alumnus who attended the step shows while in college. Disk jockey Mr. Quick is also hosting, according to the CSULB NPHC website.
The website also said that a portion of the proceeds made from the event will go toward scholarships for CSULB students, leadership training and community service projects.
The step show is Saturday in the Walter Pyramid. Tickets are $20 and pre-sale only. Doors open at 12:30 p.m. and the show begins at 2 p.m.