Well, if you read the book Latino by Birth, Lambda by Choice written by Jesus Pena, Esq. he said that Lambda Theta Phi originated saluting. Perhaps yours are different, because yes, I do see you guys giving respect in some of the coming out shows i've seen (mainly frats, I haven't seen a sorority saluting in public beyond an especially long greeting to a member). but, saluting is a lot more than just an extra long greeting, it is about educating the public about who this person was, what they mean to us, and also adding in specific movements to many of those words. but, that is what they say about the origin of saluting, and since I am only Spring 2006, I don't know the whole story.

I do have that book and I disagree with most of it, lol

lol, i haven't read it, just that is what people have related. plus, Lambda Theta Phi ONLY salutes (no stepping or strolling).

Picture it, Georgetown University, 2000.

At this time, the only LGLOs the university was familiar with was LUL and Lambda Pi Chi. My organization, the GU Step Team used to invite LGLOs from up and down the east coast to participate in our fall exhibition step show.

We invited LTPhi not knowing they only salute. So when they got on stage and there was this one guy wearing a white hoodie talking about "Do you know who I am? DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM????"

The crowd said: "NO!"

That was the last time we invited Lambda Theta Phi. No harm to them, but you have to be in the mood to see saluting.

yeah, and it's hard to understand what people are saying, plus saluting requires a lot of military sharpness in words and movements, which is different from the atmosphere of strolling and stepping.

it's kind of funny, but if it wasn't for my undergrad, I would have no clue who LPCs were since they are really only on the east coast.

You do a good "Sophia Patrillo(sp)." I LOVE IT!!! :p

I thought saluting came from the Spaniards or something. Oh well.

thats real!!! cuz Baruch Coll(in nyc) has this Step, Stroll, Salute show now every February, and its ok for the most part, but when orgs start to go into that saluting business, my attention wanders...

there are definitely signature strolling and stepping from all orgs, and sure, i've seen a frat copy a soror's sig, or vice-versa (with the utmost respect for the most part) but how do people feel about non-NPHC orgs going on youtube, and copying many of the signature moves? I remember at a stepping competition, an asian frat was basically mixing and matching a lot of the NPHC orgs signature moves, and all I could hear were boos from the audience.

Well there ya go.

Beyond the ability to boooo at a show, there are no copyrights or NHQ mandates on (most of) these steps and the mimickers aren't infringing upon us. We move on.

It just confirms that Youtube is THE DEVIL. :)

okay, I guess I was also wondering if people are supportive of non-NPHC orgs that step and stroll, especially the asian ones that really don't have any traditions rooted in it (I mean, unless they added like chopsticks or fans to their routine, and yes, I am being very stereotypical :p)

have you (and by you, I mean you in general, not specifically) ever been approached by these other orgs for help on learning how to step and stroll? if not, if you were approached by them, would you help them or just direct them to youtube and other reading materials about stepping/strolling? or tell them this ain't your tradition, find your own?

true...while there are no copyrights, it is like an unwritten rule tho...but usually when i see another org using Sigma steps and its not a tribute, i just think to myself, they using our step cuz its hot to death...

Right and like I said we move on. :)

Unwritten rules often get broken and you have to get over it.

^^^oh no doubt yo...

My support is that I stay out of their way. They aren't a big enough part of my Greek existence for me to really care. Non-NPHC GLOs rarely step around here and when they do it's usually horrible so that speaks for itself.

Coming to us for help is a form of showing respect to who "originated" stepping. So that's cool. I just wouldn't be the one helping because I reserve that type of Greekdom interest, time, and effort for Delta.

i don't think latinos even have a long history of even going to college, let alone having GLOs (oops, was that too stereotypical?)

Whoops!! ;)

Aaaaaaaaand there it is.

I have a question because I am trying to learn about this viewpoint:

Why does your organization stroll but not step, if your argument is that you only do what has significant ties to the Latino culture? You said that your organization practices strolling because you feel that the movements are similar to those made by slaves. However, you won't step, even though stomping dances have always been a very big part of many Latino cultures (particularly in groups indigenous to the southwest--take a look at Mexica tribal dancing all the way through folklorico).

I'm not knocking your practice, but just want to understand this point of view.

stomping dances while could be similar are different than the nature of stepping we see today. Yes, stepping does have its origins in other places, and they may have borrowed it from many sources including perhaps those latino cultural groups, but stepping in and of itself started as an HBGLO tradition, and we don't do it out of a sign of respect for them as well as the fact that we feel strolling does incorporate a lot of latino roots better. I have nothing but respect for orgs that understand the history of stepping and choose to do it as part of their traditions (btw, I think it is very cool that Lambda Theta Nu steps w/ machetes)

I'm just saying one of the most basic movements of strolling comes from African slaves, and African slaves, Europeans, as well as the indigenous people of Latin America are what make up Latinos today. So, I guess that is why we stroll and not step.

Obviously, everyone interpret things different, and I would not want any org to feel offended for our interpretations of not stepping, but our FMs did discuss it and felt that because it was more HBGLO than LGLO (at the time) and we don't do it out of respect for the HBGLO that came before us.

Hope that helps...

CULater, I appreciate the response (and thank you for the compliment on the machetes). I think each LGLO has had a different experience with stepping (or deciding not to step). My Founding Mothers were invited to first learn and perform a unity step with a NPHC sorority back in the 1980s. I can speculate that it was this event that led my Founders and the early sisters to believe it was indeed "okay" for us to participate in stepping. Soon after, we did add the machete dancing to part of every routine (which was a controversy all on it's own--mujeres performing a machete dance!??!!! :) )

I'm not the strolling expert, but I was pretty sure that strolling was an established BGLO tradition by 1975. Can someone enlighten me?

yea, me too

:wassat:

:dead:

"Can't stop, won't stop...."

:rolleyes:

*passes out* lol.

I mean, I just wasn't ready to read that. Woe unto our Founders who never strolled.:(

lmaooooooooooooooooooooooooo...

yeah i just smh when i read that too...

I'm glad to learn that your organization understands this. Since adopting this tradition from the NPHC, some Latino, Asian, and Multicultural greeks (as well as non-greeks) that step have been disrespectful since learning that stepping evolved from many different influences, when everyone knows that the way it is performed today originated with us.

It's one thing to adopt a tradition but it's another thing to not acknowledge the source and try to discredit it.

I think the history of partwalking/strolling is a lot less clear cut, and honestly, our FMs also debated whether we should participate in this, but ultimately decided that strolling incorporated quite a bit of our latino roots, so decided to allow strolling as part of our traditions.

I would not mind learning more about the timeline of strolling if someone knows it, I just know some bits about the basics of strolling...