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The University of Denver stepped up to a challenge last weekend.
Setting a record for Hamilton Gymnasium by filling it with 2,600 spectators, DU hosted the third annual “Step it up in the Mile High City Step Show,” providing a forum for a diverse crowd to enjoy the art form of step.
Fans from across the Front Range gathered in Hamilton on Saturday at 6 p.m. to cheer on a variety of African American sororities and fraternities as they competed in the step competition.
The competition featured sorority and fraternity members ranging in age from undergraduates to working professionals. Each of the eight groups in the competition performed a 10-15 minute step routine featuring the unique dancing style.
“In the purest form, step is a rhythmic dance movement that is pretty much led by your feet,” said Tony Daniels, the director of Diversity and Community Relations for DU Athletics. “Your heart provides the soul and your feet play the drums. It is done in a synchronized fashion.”
Judged by a panel of seven judges, each team was evaluated on their overall performance.
“Usually, the judges are looking for originality, uniformity, synchronization, creativity and the uniqueness of each respective presentation overall,” said Daniels.
“They want to see if everyone is doing the same thing the exact same way.” Each performance also included costumes and props matching the individual themes.
The Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity took home the first place honors on Saturday night for its stepping skills and the sisters of Alpha Kappa Alpha were awarded the first place glory in the women’s competition.
The event commenced with a singing of the black national anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing” followed by a video presentation produced by the sponsors, the Delta Sigma Theta sorority. An exhibition performance followed by the 50-and-older Denver Delta Divas, electrifying the crowd with their dancing rendition of “Soldja Boy.”
Emcees Bazi Kanini of 9 News and author Chet Sisk then introduced the competitors.
Proceeds of the event, which cost $10 before Saturday and $20 the day of the event, went to both the Colorado Sickle Cell Association and the Denver Kids, Inc.
“In addition to the proceeds, the event was a forum to help educate the community about sickle cell. It was a real cultural and a real community event,” said Daniels. “We played host to the event because we knew there was a cultural element in regard to the display of the actual art of stepping. We also knew of the community contribution to inform the community of sickle cell.”
DU also hosted the event for the first time in an effort to increase campus diversity, according to Daniels. “We want to help improve and increase diversity on campus. Hopefully this event was one way of illustrating that,” Daniels said. “I’m really proud that we at DU were the host of such an event. By facilitating that program on campus, we brought a different constituent group to campus. I think that begins a great relationship.”
