Monday, March 1, 2010

Step. Step on the Soapbox.

I typically don't touch on controversial topics here on BitP but today there is a soap box I am willing to stand on. I recently read an article about the winning of the predominantly black "Sprite Step Off" contest by a white sorority: the Zetas of University of Arkansas.

Stepping has always fascinated me. As a tutor for at-risk youth in high school, I was amazed at how you could convince the kids to focus on their studies for just a few more minutes by dangling attendance to step class in front of them. Being pretty uncoordinated myself I was in awe by the rhythm and art that went into a series of step, stomp, & claps. It takes patience, time, and practice to learn the drills just as any other synchronized dance would take.

This is why I am having a hard time accepting that there is a controversy surrounding the 2009 contest. Every single competitor spent hours of time creating, rehearsing, and perfecting their programs. Just as in any other dance competition, someone shines a little brighter than the others and is deemed the victor. If we are a nation of equals why must stepping be deemed a "black tradition" and that the Zetas stepped into territory in which they were unwelcome. Watch the video: they were great & deserved to win. Why must there be a double standard?





6 comments:

Wendy said...

Sadly, we are not truly a nation of equals.... no matter how far we think we've come. I agree it should not matter who won, hard work was put in by all competitors.

Victoria said...

There was a similar national controversy (side note--is it a good thing that instances like this receive national attention??) when Hampton University in Hampton, VA crowned a white student as Miss Hampton in, I think, 2008. Full disclosure there was a additional grumbling because she was a part-time student at a satellite campus. But everyone was really up in arms about her ethnicity. It was pretty intersting.

Dollface said...

I am not familiar with the step off thing with frats and sororities... but I do not ever agree with double standards on anything... xxxooo

Denim and Pearls said...

Agreed! Nothing more to say - it was completely unfair.

Lisa said...

Where did they find that many girls in one chapter that were THAT coordinated? And I thought we did a rockstar job during Derby Days ;-) I only watched the first 5 minutes... but that was pretty sick! Kudos to those girls for rockin' it.

Victoria said...

This was in the post today: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/03/AR2010030303895.html