The men of Kappa Kappa Psi winners of the greek stroll off LU v. UCM at Lincoln University of Missouri -snip-
In the context of this video, LU = Lincoln University of Missouri is a public historically Black university in Jefferson City, Missouri. [There is also a public historically Black university in Pennsylvania named Lincoln University.]
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Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post presents some information about that organization as well as information about Tau
Beta Sigma, the sister organization for the co-educational (male and female)
Kappa Kappa Psi fraternity.
The "traditional" definitions for fraternity and sorority "steppin" and "strollin" are included in this post along with information about "Bowl & Stroll" competitions.
In addition, this post showcases two Kappa Kappa Psi bowl & stroll videos and one Tau Beta Sigma bowl & stroll video. This pancocojams post also showcases a video of a unity stroll performed by members of Kappa Kappa Psi and members of Tau Beta Sigma.
This post also includes selected comments from the discussion thread for the third showcased YouTube video.
The content of this post is presented for cultural and entertainment purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos and all
those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
This post is part of an ongoing pancocojams series on
predominately Black fraternities, sororities, and social organizations (or
predominately Black chapters of those fraternal organizations) that aren't
members of the "Divine Nine" fraternities and sororities (National Pan Hellenic Council) . Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Pan-Hellenic_Council for
information about the Pan Hellenic Council .
Also, click the "non Divine 9 fraternities sororities and
social organizations" tag for additional pancocojams posts about KKPsi and TBS .
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INFORMATION ABOUT KAPPA KAPPA PSI AND TAU BETA SIGMA
Excerpt #1
From https://www.kkytbs.org/
"Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma are honorary service and
leadership organizations that serve college and university band programs
through service projects, fundraisers, social events and other projects
designed to promote the welfare those programs.”…
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Excerpt #2
From INFORMATION ABOUT KAPPA KAPPA PSI AND TAU BETA SIGMA
From http://www.tsu.edu/oceanofsoul/about/kkpsi-tbs.html
"Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity is a
co-educational fraternal organization that operates exclusively in the field of
collegiate and university marching bands. Founded on Thursday, November 27,
1919, by 10 founding fathers on the campus of then, Oklahoma A&M College
(now named Oklahoma State University), the once small, local organization has
spent the last 100 years growing into an illustrious organization with more
than 50,000 members on 200 college and university campuses across the country.
Members of this Kappa Kappa Psi pride themselves on dedicated service and
support to bands, encouragement of musical growth, lifelong educational
experiences, leadership opportunities, and recognition. The honorary nature of
membership into Kappa Kappa Psi is based on our premise that “it is an honor to
be selected to serve” this band, its fellow department of music, its sponsoring
institution, and the cause of band in the nation’s colleges and universities.
The Gamma Omega chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary
Band Fraternity was founded on the campus of Texas Southern University on
Wednesday, May 22, 1957, by 23 charter members. The Gamma Omega chapter would
serve as the 96th chapter installed into Kappa Kappa Psi and more importantly,
as the FIRST BLACK CHAPTER of Kappa Kappa Psi. Brothers of the Gamma Omega
chapter pride themselves on being “trendsetters...to all black chapters” due to
the recognition that comes attached with the chapter name. Serving the Ocean of
Soul marching band, no matter what the task may be, brothers of the Gamma Omega
chapter are known for “taking care of business” in the band room and in the
classroom. The Gamma Omega chapter will continue to serve the Ocean of Soul and
Kappa Kappa Psi for as long as there is a need for outstanding bandsmen in
band!"...
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Excerpt #3
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kappa_Kappa_Psi
"Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity (ΚΚΨ,
colloquially referred to as KKPsi), is a fraternity for college and university
band members in the United States. It was founded on November 27, 1919, on
Thanksgiving Day, at Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College, now known as
Oklahoma State University, in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Kappa Kappa Psi primarily operates as a recognition society[3] providing service, leadership opportunities, and social programming for band members. Tau Beta Sigma, National Honorary Band Sorority, has been recognized as a sister organization since 1947, and the two organizations share National Headquarters in Stillwater Station, a converted historical Santa Fe rail depot that was purchased by the fraternity and sorority in 1991.
Since 1919, more than 66,000 men and women have been initiated into Kappa Kappa Psi, with nearly 6,000 collegiate members active today. Members of Kappa Kappa Psi include President Bill Clinton;[4] chancellor and eleventh president of Indiana University, Herman B Wells;[5] composers John Williams and John Philip Sousa;[6] conductor William Revelli; and jazz pianist and bandleader Count Basie.[7]"...
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INFORMATION ABOUT STROLLS AND STROLL OFFS
(written by Azizi Powell, 10/8/2021)
"Stroll" is an English language word that means "to walk in a leisurely way".
"The Stroll" was a popular Rhythm and Blues (R&B) dance in the late 195os. "Strolls" may also be a term that some African Americans use for choreographed "line dances" that are performed by a group of unassociated people standing in horizontial lines. "The Electric Slide", "the Cha Cha Slide" and "The Wobble" are popular examples of such dances. However, members of historically Black Greek letter organizations have another meaning for the word "stroll".
In the context of historically Black Greek letter organizations (BGLO), the contemporary (2021) definition of "strolls" are "processions that are performed by two or more people who are members of a specific Greek letter organization (or members of more than one Greek letter organization in the case of a "unity stroll".) "
Strollers form a vertical line and move forward to the beat of a specific record (usually R&B/Hip Hop) while performing choreographed contemporary social dance steps, and/or hops, and movements that are signatures of their BGLO. The line moves forward in a single file "follow the leader" manner. According to YouTube videos that I've watched, fraternity/sorority stroll lines usually move in a circular manner.
Based on my admittedly limited online research, it appears that the term "stroll off" was first used in the late 1980s or the 1990s before the term "stroll" to refer to "party walks" or "dances" that BGLOs did to recorded music. (Instead of 'dance", the movements that members of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. did/do are referred to as "hops" or "marches".) The term "party walk" was coined because these processions were spontaneously done at parties and other social events. By 2021, "stroll offs" has the more limited meaning of a show in which two or more fraternities stroll in competition with each other and two or more sororities stroll in competition with each other.
I believe that some YouTube videos and some comments in YouTube discussion threads mislabel “strolls offs" and "strolls" as "steps” and vice versa, it appears that the "line" between these two fraternity/sorority performance arts is very murky and what is labeled a "stroll offs" may actually be referring to a faternity/sorority "step show". What distinguishes fraternity/sorority strollin from fraternity/sorority steppin the most is that strollin is performed by people moving forward in a single file to recorded music. In contrast, recorded music is only a small part of some of step shows/ For instance, recorded music is often played when steppers form a vertical line to enter the performance stage at the beginning of a step show and also form a vertical line to exit the stage at the end of their portion of that step show. Recorded music may also be played when steppers perform a small portion of their routine. In that case, the performers are usually standing in a horizontal line.
Members of BGLO chapters choreograph strolls to specific (usually Hip/Hop R&B) records. Chapters of BGLOs may have more than one stroll for the same record. Some records (such as "Wipe Me Down") are considered "universal stroll songs" because they are used for "strolls" that all BGLOS create. Certain other records are associated with specific fraternties or sororities such as "Atomic Dog" for Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., "Set It Off" for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc, and "She's A Bad Mama Jama" for Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. "Strolling" to those songs by people who aren't members of those organizations is considered to be a serious violation of BGLO traditions.
As documented by YouTube videos, strolls are performed during social events in the middle of a wide circle of attendees or in the space between two crowds of attendees who stand (usually quite close) on either side of the procession. The attendees take videos with cell phones raised, cheer on the strollers, and otherwise enjoy (or critique) those performances. Traditions stipulate that no one should cut into an organization's stroll. Also, no no-member of an organization should perform that organization's stroll.
Strollers usually wear their organization's colors with shirts or jackets that include their organization's Greek letters. During their procession, strollers may also throw (show) the organization's hand sign, do the organization's signature call, and/or perform other moves that are associated with their organization. The expression on the faces of strollers depends on the song that is used for the stroll. There are different tempos of strolls. Members of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. are known for their slow strolls and (since at least 2011 or thereabouts) for the shoulder shimmy (shoulder roll) that they do when they stroll..
"Unity strolls" are non-competitive strolls that can be performed in several ways. Some unity strolls are conducted by members of several NPHC who stroll in the same outdoor space (or on-stage indoors or outdoors) in their own lines. Other unity strolls consist of one line that includes people from various historically Black Greek letter organizations. Furthermore, some unity strolls include members of BGLOs and members of non-Black Greek letter organizaions (and/or non-Greek letter organizations.
In addition to the term "step shows", the term "step off" is used to refer to competitive stepping performances. "Unity steps" refers to stepping by BGLOs (and sometimes with non-NPHC organizations) that have the same possible configurations as "Unity strolls".
-snip-
Please share additions and corrections to this description of strolls/stroll offs in comment section below. Thanks in advance.
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INFORMATION ABOUT BOWL & STROLL
From http://www.aaakkpsitbs.org/bowl-n-stroll-stroll-registration.html
"The Bowl-N-Stroll has become a signature event for the Atlanta Alumni Association to kick-off the Honda Battle of the Bands weekend. The first Bowl-N-Stroll took place in 2008 and we have grown each year. During the Bowl-N-Stroll we host a Stroll Off Competition in which chapters go head to head with their best "Strolls" and the winning chapter is awarded a monetary prize. In 2015, we awarded $1000 to two chapters, along with a bragging block. All college/university band members, organizations, and friends are invited to attend.
Each year our event space has grown BIGGER to accommodate room for everyone to dance, fellowship, eat, shop, and stroll."...
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ADDITIONAL SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Video #2: Kappa Kappa Psi, Zeta Phi Chapter 2016 Bowl N Stroll
Stefan Smith, Jan 31, 2016
All 3 rounds of the Tuskegee University chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi winning performance at the 2016 Bowl N Stroll in Atlanta, Ga
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Video #3: Kappa Kappa Psi & Tau Beta Sigma Unity Stroll | ΕΓ & ΔΘ (Spr '19) | Alabama State Univ.
Yasmine Whitehurst, July 29, 2019
Watch us Spring '19 initiates of Alabama State University's
Chapters of Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity and Tau Beta
Sigma National Honorary Band Sorority do two of our most popular unity strolls
outside of our National Headquarters in Stillwater, OK.
Edit: Yasmine W. (Me)
Video Creds: Jazzlyn S. (my line sister)
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Video #4: Bowl & Stroll 2020 (Tau Beta Sigma) NC&T -Theta Zeta vs PV - Epilson Psi
-snip-
NC&T = North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is a public, historically Black university in Greensboro, North Carolina.
PV = Prairie View A&M University is a public, historically Black university in Prairie View, Texas.
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SELECTED COMMENTS
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7joieiQCMp4&t=197s&ab_channel=StefanSmith
Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.
1. Whittney L, 2017
"Can't nobody and I mean NOBODY step like KKPsi!!!! And this
is coming from a Delta! (A band geek Delta with a music degree so I might still
be a little biased.)"
**
2. trutALLENt Galaxy, 2018
"By far the coldest routine I've seen by KKPSI"
**
3. Mr. & Mrs. Barron, 2018
"In my opinion can’t nobody out step them"
**
4. Jakime Ellison, 2019
"Skate fellas! Yessuh! I'm A phi A all day, but I must say, did that!"
**
5. Jurry Dailey, 2020
"no can out step psi. i have seen step shows where they would
not allow psi to participate because they would win."
6.
"It’s not even close....KKPsi murks them all when it comes to stepping or strolling."
**
7. VoiceOf Reason, 2021
"I'm just now seeing this and wooow I'm glad I did. 🔥
🔥.
Never seen that swing move they did that was epic as hell lol"
**
8. Mrs White, 2021
"The entire swing with a dude on his shoulders did it for me"
**
9. mrbigg151, 2021
"Crazy azz routines! I had to rewind a few times to make sure
I saw everything! 😆 Great job, frat!"
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