Step dancing has long been a traditional part of culture in black sororities and fraternities, and Nicholls students have also embraced this historic custom. Inspired by previous step shows held during Homecoming festivities and spring Jubilee, Student Programming Association hosted the first annual Divine Nine Step Show on Feb. 20 in Peltier Auditorium

This event, honoring the nine historic African American fraternities and sororities of the Pan-Hellenic Council, was one of many University activities held in celebration of Black History Month.

Rochelle Jones, accounting junior from New Orleans and multi-cultural chairperson for the Student Programming Association, organized the event.

“I wanted to really educate people. We can educate ourselves as a whole if we incorporate step shows and events that make it fun for people to come out and learn,” Jones said.

The Divine Nine Greek Organizations of the Pan-Hellenic Council are: Delta Sigma Theta, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Alpha Phi Alpha, Zeta Phi Beta, Kappa Alpha Phi, Phi Beta Sigma, Omega Psi Phi, Sigma Gamma Ro and Iota Phi Theta.

For Jones, ensuring that each of the nine fraternities and sororities were represented in the performance was a challenge, because only seven of the nine groups have established chapters at Nicholls.

The members of Sigma Gamma Ro of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and the members of Ioda Phi Theta of Louisiana State University were asked to participate in the step show to ensure that members of each organization were included in the performance.

Sixty-five performers from each of the Divine Nine fraternities and sororities choreographed their own precision step dancing and liturgical, spiritual dance routines.

“Our show in a large part is a collaboration, from outfits to music and everything,” Christina Berry, mass communication senior from Chicago and sorority president of Alpha Kappa Alpha, said.

The members of each performance group spent many hours rehearsing their original dance routines.

“We tried to practice at least four days a week for one hour or more, depending on how difficult the steps are,” Ashanta Covington, accounting senior from New Orleans and member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority, said.

In addition to organizing dance programs, the members of all nine fraternities and sororities also created Power Point displays to be presented during the step show. The Power Point programs focused on the origins and history of the individual organizations.

“The sorority set up a committee and they came up with ideas for the Power Point show. Then they presented the ideas to the chapter as a whole,” Covington said.

Individual sororities and fraternities also compete in local dance competitions. “We’ve gone to the Bayou Classic. Eventually we hope to compete on a regional level. That’s pretty much everyone’s goal; to create a show that’s good enough to perform elsewhere,” Berry said.