Members of the Divine Nine fraternities and sororities have been putting in hours of training with one goal in mind — stepping their way to first place this Friday night.
MSU’s Divine Nine organizations, which are primarily made up of African American students, will step up to the challenge 7 p.m. Friday at the East Lansing High School auditorium for its annual step show contest, expected to reel in hundreds of attendees.
Every year since the 1970s, Divine Nine has hosted an annual show where the organizations compete against each other publicly, stepping for the first place cash prize and bragging rights.
Eight of the nine Divine Nine organizations will compete in front of four judges and fans for a $500 cash prize. Judges will determine a winner based off of voice clarity, precision of the routines and crowd reactions.
In stepping, the body is used as an instrument to produce complex rhythms and sounds through a mixture of footsteps, spoken words and hand claps.
With the event falling on Homecoming weekend this year, National Panhellenic Council Vice President and psychology senior Brannon Bass said the organization is expecting a record turnout.
“I’m really excited about the show,” Bass said. “It’s a way to give back to the community and to rebuild the council’s image and brand.”
Bass said it took five months to plan for the show and now he’s putting in the final touches. He said he doesn’t want the show to be just an event where attendees just go watch then leave — he wants it to be entertaining as well as beneficial to the community. Two $500 student scholarships, $500 toward Lansing’s Boys and Girls Club and an assortment of canned goods, clothing and hygienic items will be donated to the MSU Student Food Bank.
NPHC President and civil engineering senior George Williams said to prepare for the show his brothers of Kappa Alpha Psi have sacrificed late hours to give the crowd their best.
“We’ve been working diligently for the past two weeks to make sure we have a nice show for everyone,” Williams said. “We’ve been practicing from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. every night.”
Zeta Phi Beta sorority member and public policy senior Merchell Hunt said her team has been practicing for hours every night as well. She said the show is something the sorority does to show the MSU community who they are.
“The show is something we display to the campus to let them know we do our scholarships and our services, and that we like to have fun,” Hunt said.
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