In what has become an integral part of every Green Key weekend over the past two decades, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. will host its 19th annual Green Key Step Show in Leede Arena on Saturday, according to Alpha Phi Alpha vice president John Albert '11. The show, which coordinators expect will attract more than 2,000 spectators from the Dartmouth and Hanover communities this year, will also feature performances by several other dance groups and Greek organizations, Albert said.
Albert described the step show as a way of sharing Alpha Phi Alpha's culture and traditions with the greater Dartmouth community.
"This is a celebration and display of something that is part of our fraternity's culture," he said.
Stepping is a form of dance with roots in African culture that is popular among historically black fraternities and sororities, The Dartmouth previously reported. Alpha Phi Alpha traditionally includes some form of Egyptian-style stepping in its performances, since the fraternity's symbols are Egyptian-themed.
Alpha Phi Alpha has been preparing for the event for several months, Albert said.
"We've been planning since the beginning of spring, but we've been thinking about it since Fall term," Albert said. "It's always in the back of our minds, as it takes a while to start learning steps."
Each year, Alpha Phi Alpha chooses a theme for the step show that it keeps secret leading up to the performance. Prior to the event the fraternity provides a "preview" of the upcoming show through two trailer videos e-mailed to campus, Albert said.
"The theme plays a major role in the stepping and what we try to communicate through the step," Albert said. "In the theme there's always something we're trying to overcome or rescue."
Past themes have included "The Most Interesting Man in the World," based off of the popular character from Dos Equis commercials, as well as the television series "24."
All members of Alpha Phi Alpha participate in the step show, Albert said. In addition to Albert, five other members of the fraternity David Johnson '11, Charles Bay '11, Aaron Limonthas '12, Tyler Melancon '12 and Michael Simoni '08 will be performing this year. Last year, three members of the fraternity performed, according to Albert.
The other minority Greek organizations participating in the show Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and La Unidad Latina Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity also choose themes for their individual performances, according to former LUL president David Jackson '10.
Each step show performance incorporates different moves, all with different meanings, Jackson said.
"We have some traditional steps that our fraternity always does," Jackson said. "There may be some different ones or changed order of steps to make our performance suitable for the theme."
The annual step show, which was first held about two decades ago, continues to grow in popularity each year, Albert said.
"We used to hold the show in [the] Collis [Center], but as it got bigger and more popular, it moved to a bigger stage," he said.
The show usually draws an audience that includes Dartmouth students, faculty, staff, alumni and members of the Hanover community, Albert said.
In addition to the performers from Greek organizations, the show will also feature SHEBA and Ujima as well as Staccato step group, Albert said.
Members of the various student groups performing in the show described the event as an opportunity to showcase their talents and said they hope to give strong performances this year.
"This will be our first year anniversary performing at the show," Natasha Herring '12, a member of Staccato, said. "We want to come out strong with the same energy as last year."
Herring described the step show as one of the "highlights" of Green Key, adding that the show is an opportunity for student organizations to show "their best" to campus.
Harmony Gbe '10, co-director of SHEBA, echoed Herring's enthusiasm for her group's performance in the show.
"This is the last big show we have before our own show in the spring," Gbe said. "We try to put together really exciting new dances for Green Key because it's such a popular event."
