As part of its week of events, Phi Beta Sigma gave a crowd of more than 200 students and members of the Muncie community a treat by hosting its first Sigma Exhibition and Stepshow at the Muncie Center for the Arts Saturday evening.
The stepshow consisted of four talent acts, which ranged from poetry to singing, and the main event featured step routines from the South Madison Center's Sister to Sister step team and the fraternity's Tennessee State and Indiana State chapters.
Senior Chantell Barnhill said she enjoyed the show and was glad to see the turnout.
"It was nice seeing everyone get together for a good time enjoying something that has so much culture in it," Barnhill said. "Putting together a show like that takes time and determination, and it was admirable how it all came together."
Phi Beta Sigma member Jason Anderson said the show was a representation of African-American history.
"It's keeping our history alive," Anderson said. "It's something our ancestors started, and it's a tribute to them."
"Stepping" is an art form that involves the use of the hands, feet, and other body parts to create a synchronized rhythm, sometimes with the help of music and instruments.
According to Ball State's Phi Beta Sigma chapter Web site, the tradition originated around the early 1900s, when African-American fraternities and sororities were newly founded organizations.
Fraternity brothers would gather and sing in the quads of their campuses, and it eventually evolved into dancing and, from there, stepping.
As time evolved, the brothers began to mimic the steps of the popular singing groups of the time, such as the Temptations and the Four Tops, who were popular around the 1940s and '50s.
During the '60s, groups in Africa centered around the art form, and it began to flourish with the incorporation of some traditional African ritual dancing and other elements such as cheerleading, tapping and gymnastics.
Today, as new routines are invented with every generation as well as the continuation of traditional ones, stepping has evolved and become more modernized.
Phi Beta Sigma president Irving Washington said that, on average and depending on the time length, it takes almost an entire semester to prepare for a stepshow.
"Many people don't realize the time and effort that goes into a 15-minute show," he said. "It's time-consuming, but when you perform it's a release, because it's like you've accomplished something."
"It allows us to express ourselves without words," said junior Taleia Lockett, a member of Zeta Phi Beta sorority. "Physical expression is a very powerful medium."
"It's something that we identify with and (allows us to) differentiate ourselves from other greek organizations who may not do it," Anderson said. "It's something we're recognized by, and what people love to see."
Sophomore Erica Long, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, said stepping is an important part of African-American greek life, and it is important for it to be embraced and not forgotten.
"It represents our culture, where we came from," she said. "We've been doing it for so long and it continues to be updated. People put so much heart into it, so why would they not keep the legacy going?"
Washington said stepping is more than just dance because of its deep history, dating back to a time when African-Americans' rights were limited. He also said it is only a small aspect of what the minority fraternities and sororities are all about.
"Another aspect people don't necessarily realize is our scholarship and community service," he said. "Stepping is an important part, but it's not the only part."
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