Black Greek Letter Fraternities & Sororities Unity Steps & Unity Strolls (information & videos)

Harold Brown, Oct 21, 2016

Vanderbilt NPHC Homecoming Unity Step 2016 [Tennessee]

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Southern University Greeks | Stroll Off | SU Basketball Game 2020 | *MUST WATCH*

Marvin Price, Mar 6, 2020 [Louisiana]

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This pancocojams post showcases a YouTube video of historically Black Greek letter organizations (BGLOs) performing a unity step and showcases a YouTube video of members of historically Black Greek lettered organizations (BGLOs) performing a unity stroll.

Links to several additional YouTube videos of historically Black Greek letter fraternities and sororities performing unity steps or unity strolls are also included in this post. 

This post also presents information about Black Greek letter fraternities and sororities unity steps and unity strolls.

This post also presents links to three additional YouTube videos of historically Black Greek letter fraternities and sororities performing unity steps and three additional YouTube videos of historically Black Greek letter fraternities and sororities performing unity strolls. 

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to all those who are featured in these videos and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
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This pancocojams post doesn't provide examples of all of the different ways that BGLO originated unity steps and unity strolls are presented. For example, this post doesn't showcase any videos of unity steps or unity strolls that include representatives of sororities or fraternities that aren't members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC, also known as the "Divine Nine".)  

Click the tags below for more pancocojams posts on stepping and strolling.

Also, click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2020/11/saturday-night-lives-skit-strollin.html for a pancocojams post entitled "Saturday Night Live's Skit "Strollin’" (video, information, lyrics, and comments)". That skit parodies the "Stroll to the Polls" voter outreach projects by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sororiy, Inc and other historically Black Greek letter organizations which have received a lot of recent attention. One video of the "Stroll to the Polls" voter outreach efforts is this Oct. 19, 2020 video   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWilCKWiH2A&ab_channel=11Alive entitled "Atlanta 'Stroll to the Polls'.

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INFORMATION ABOUT HISTORICALLY BLACK GREEK LETTER ORGANIZATIOS (BGLOs) STEPPIN AND STROLLING
[written by Azizi Powell, Oct. 31,2020]

STEPPIN[G]
Steppin (Stepping) is a syncopated, choreographed group performance art that occurs at competitive "step shows" and other venues. The performance art of steppin originated among historically Black (African American) university based Greek lettered fraternities & sororities.

I've seen the 1940s given as the date that historically Black Greek lettered organizations began steppin'. I'm willing to accept that 1940s date as long as it's understood that the beginning of what steppin has become didn't look like steppin now.

In her book Soul Stepping Elizabeth Fine quotes a 1924 Howard University student newspaper The Hilltop article entitled "Hell-Week" in which members of Omega Psi Phi and Kappa Alpha Psi fraternities are described as pledges "dancing about the campus..." (p.15).

 That dancing or marching on campus that is documented in that book didn't look the same as the Black Greek lettered organizations' steppin' styles that developed in the 1980s and 1990s. Elizabeth Fine  wrote that "The shift from the old-style circular stepping of the 1940s and 1950s to the increasingly complex synchronized movement style of the 1980s and 1990s attests to the new role stepping has in asserting black cultural identity" (p. 6).
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The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) consists of nine historically Black Greek letter fraternities and sororities. Here's a quote about the members of the NPHC from http://www.blackgreek.com/divinenine/
"Collectively, these organizations are referred to as "The Divine Nine." Each of these fraternities and sororities is rich in history - ties to one or more of these organizations may be found in many college-educated Black families in the United States.

• Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Founded 1906, Cornell University
• Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Founded 1908, Howard University
• Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Founded 1911, Indiana University
• Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Founded 1911, Howard University
• Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Founded 1913, Howard University
• Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Founded 1914, Howard University
• Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Founded 1920, Howard University
• Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Founded 1922, Butler University
• Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Founded 1963, Morgan State University"
  -end of quote-

Each fraternity & sorority has its own distinctive way of stepping. Some organizations usually step with props such as canes which are twirled, thrown between team members, and rhythmically hit on the ground. However, other fraternities or sororities never use canes. One of those organizations which never uses canes, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., has distinctive hopping movements, and actually prefers the reference "hops" rather than "steps" to describe their routines.

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Click https://thedailyaztec.com/98827/artsandculture/fraternities-and-sororities-step-into-a-part-of-black-culture/ "Fraternities and sororities Step into a part of black culture" by Devin Whatley, Staff Writer. February 18, 2020

I agree with most of the content of that article, except for the point that is often made- that BGLO steppin has its source in South African boot dancing. My position is that gumboot dancing is just one of the dance forms that influenced steppin, and I don't believe that many African Americans who were stepping "way back in the day" knew anything or very much about South African boot dancing. 

My position is that 19th century Black American Buck dances, Wing dances, and Jigs had much more influence on historically Black Greek letter fraternity and sorority steppin than South African boot dancing.  Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A34OD4eA17o&ab_channel=DukeUniversity  for a demonstration of these dances by Duke University professor Thomas F. DeFrantz. Professor DeFrantz describes Buck dances as those which were very percussive, and weighted down into the foot.  From that description, it seems clear from that description & his demonstration that Buck dances is one of the sources of Steppin. 

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STROLLS

Since at least the 1990s among historically Black Greek lettered organizations (BGLO), the performance art of has been added to  many step routines, particularly at the end of those routines when leaving the stage.  "Strolls" are also performed at BGLO events instead of steppin.

Strolls" are performed in a vertical line to recorded music, usually from the R&B/Hip-Hop records.  The terms "strolls" refer to the strutting, dancing leisurely walk that the organizations' members perform.  Notice that BGLO originated "strolling" and steppin are group activities (i.e. They can’t be performed by just one person.)

 “Party walks” is another name for "strolling" since early on that group activity was seemingly spontaneously performed at parties (dance gatherings), usually to certain recorded R&B/Hip Hop music.

Like "steppin", "strolls" can be performed at a competitive event (a "stroll-off") with fraternities competing against fraternities, and sororities competing against sororities. Strolls (and stepping) can also be non-competitive. Some BGLOs perform "unity strolls" in which members from different historically Black Greek letter organizations stroll together in one vertical line or in a circle formation (with staggered, separate placements for members of different fraternities or sororities). Unity strolls may also feature multiple organizations performing their distinctive strolls in a performance space at the same time or taking turns for each group to perform their signature strolls by themselves.  

Non-competitive BGLO strolls are also performed at any number of picnics, wedding receptions and other social events that are hosted or attended by members of Black Greek letter organizations.

In this 2015 pancocojams post http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/04/african-american-examples-of-walk_11.html"African American Examples Of Walk Arounds - Cakewalks And Other Non-Religious Examples", I maintain that historically Black Greek letter fraternity and sorority strolling should be considered as a contemporary example of a non-religious Black American "walk around" (circular dance movement) performance art tradition.

 Other historical and contemporary examples of Black American non-religious walk arounds are "the cakewalk", "Chicago stepping" (dance), and "Detroit stepping" (ball room) dance. The "ring shout" is a historical example of a Black American religious walk around.

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THREE ADDITIONAL LINKS FOR YOUTUBE VIDEOS OF BGLO UNITY STEPPIN

1. NCAT GREEK UNITY STEP 2013 [North Carolina A&T] 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcZNIoa9n6E&ab_channel=KristianDixon

Kristian Dixon, Aug 30, 2013

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2. UCA Greek Unity Step [University of Central Arkansas]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbsZ2bmMAMQ&ab_channel=BreyionnaNashay

Breyionna Nashay, Sept. 20, 2013

On Tuesday, September 17, 2013, members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council at the University of Central Arkansas came together and put on a yard show for NPHC Week! Shot & Edited by: Breyionna Nashay Flowers @AllHailTheACE ...@UCA_Deltas @BETA_DELTAQUES @UCA_Alphas @UCA_AKAs @UCA_NUPES @UCASIGMAS @UCA_Zetas

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3. Step Correct Unity Step 2015 [location ?]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVlbuoSeIn8&ab_channel=ZetaThetaIotas

Zeta Theta Iotas, Jan. 7, 2015

#AlphaPhiAlpha #KappaAlphaPsi #OmegaPsiPhi #DeltaSigmaTheta #PhiBetaSigma #ZetaPhiBeta #SigmaGammaRho #IotaPhiTheta #DivineNine #D9 #NPHC #CTNPHC #StepCorrect2015 #GreekUnity #UnityStep #LetsGetIt

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THREE ADDITIONAL LINKS FOR YOUTUBE VIDEOS OF BGLO UNITY STROLLS 

These videos are presented in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

1. NSU's NPHC Unity Stroll [Norfolk State University in Virginia]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fszyhM6Ajsk&ab_channel=PMA6thsense

PMA6thsens,Apr 9, 2012

The National Pan-Hellenic Council of Norfolk State University doing their unity stroll during the Spring 2012 Battle of the Bay Step Show hosted by Hampton University.

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Representatives of Divine Nine sororities performed this stroll. 

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2. SCSU Divine Nine Greeks 2014- Unity Stroll [South Carolina State University]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yhgR4Ce9Ks&ab_channel=WeAreOVEN

We Are OVEN, Feb 24, 2014

*Please Watch In 1080p!* The Beta Delta Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, The Beta Sigma Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, The Alpha Lambda Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi, The Alpha Xi Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, The Eta Alpha Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma, The Psi Alpha Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta, and The Zeta Kappa Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Stroll Together To Snootie Wild's "Yayo" (Cameo Appearance at the end from the Gamma Nu Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi)

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3.  Southern University Greeks Strolling On the Yard 🔥 [Louisiana]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nlBrity8n4&t=831s&ab_channel=TRIN

TRIN, Mar 30, 2019 

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