Why I Hate StepShows

[PerroLoco]

I hate step shows because:

How can you win a show by doing another organizations steps?

How can you win a show by mocking other orgs as half of your routine?

How can you win a show by posing suggestively if it is against the rules?

Why did the winning organizations use another orgs steps as their "showstopper"?

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Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.
And imitation of the other fraternities' acts is what got the brothers of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. first place in the National Pan-Hellenic Council's second annual Steel City Step Show, held Saturday at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall.

The winning Sigmas were wheeled to the stage on dollies during their performance, wearing straight jackets and masks -- a nod to the movie "The Silence of the Lambs." The four brothers pulled off their bindings and exposed crisp, button-down shirts showing Greek letters.

With dry ice evaporating in the background, the fraternity members warned audience members not to try this at home. Then they began making fun of other fraternities.

They started by mocking Kappa Alpha Psi, an NPHC fraternity that did not perform at the event. They used "Vogue"-like gestures to mimic the Kappas.

The men daintily stepped, bounced their bodies and raised one hand to show the complexity -- or lack thereof -- of the stepping style traditionally used by the Kappas. They brought out canes -- a Kappa calling card -- and danced crazily to "It's Raining Men" as the audience broke in to uproarious laughter.

Their next victim was Omega Psi Phi. A Sigma brother recounted a story of how he happened upon a group "barking like dogs" and practicing for the step show by trying to turn nursery rhymes into chants. The four Sigma brothers stepped and shouted the words to "Patty-cake" and "I'm a Little Tea Pot."

To conclude their performance, the Sigmas got sexual. Lying on the floor, they unbuttoned their shirts to a slow and sensual R&B ballad. Three of the four brothers then ripped off their undershirts and gyrated their hips. The fourth brother ran off stage and then came back on sporting an off-white thermal instead of a buff chest.

"I gotta start working out again," said host Justin Strong, the owner of the Shadow Lounge in East Liberty.

The sorors of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. -- the constitutionally bound sister sorority of the Sigmas -- won first place for the sororities. They were dressed in white shirts under black corsets with blue sequins and wore bowler hats, black pants and heels.

Shoes became problematic as one of the steppers lost a heel of her black boot. She peeled it off and exposed two brown argyle socks as members from the audience yelled, "We don't need shoes to step!" and, "OK, no-shoes soror!"

The four sorors were joined onstage at the conclusion of the performance by a child dressed as an Omega Psi Phi in a purple shirt, army pants and gold boots.

Second place for the fraternities and the sororities went to the brother/sister organizations Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.

The sorors of AKA were the first group to step. The "sophistAKAted ladies" chanted enthusiastically and proclaimed their status as the first black sorority. Members in the audience yelled, "Skee wee" -- the sorority's unique call.

The Alphas spoofed the MTV show "Making the Band." The five brothers chosen to step dressed in jeans, white T-shirts, bowler hats and suit jackets, and performed a medley of Michael-Jackson-and-family hits, including "ABC, 123," "Thriller" and "Billie Jean."

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. began their performance with a tongue-in-cheek airline safety demonstration complete with oxygen masks, safety belts and gestures toward the emergency exits.

The six sorors performed an "in-flight movie" wearing black outfits with red sequined cuffs and collars and red ruby slippers that left the stage covered in glitter.

Omega Psi Phi was the last organization to perform, beginning their performance with a video clip from "Roots." The Omegas came on stage shackled together wearing purple prisoner uniforms and gold boots. After removing their symbolic fetters, the five brothers chanted, sang and stepped.

The auditorium went dark, and the Omegas revealed white T -shirts with glow-in-the-dark gold "Qs" -- what members call the Omega symbol.

After the lights went up, the Omegas requested the audience to rise for "our national anthem" as a tribute for the brothers and sisters overseas. Instead of hearing any sort of patriotic ditty, a rap song played as the brothers bounded offstage.

Six judges, representing each stepping organization, evaluated the acts on their introduction, crowd interaction, complexity and creativity, as well as enthusiasm, clarity and synchronization. Assorted snaps, claps, slaps and steps from every organization filled the stage in an impromptu finale as judges tallied the scores.

In the end, the blue and white organizations of Zeta Phi Beta and Phi Beta Sigma took home trophies and a $1,000 prize.

"I'm so tired, and now I have energy," said Phi Beta Sigma performer and step show co-chair Demetrius Tucker. "I'm like the Energizer bunny."

Greek adviser Chris Meaner said he thought the show was very entertaining.

"By far [it was] one of the best shows I've seen put on by the University of Pittsburgh," he said.