Correction appended
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. will host its 18th annual Green Key Weekend Step Show in Leede Arena on Saturday, according to Alpha Phi Alpha member John Albert '11. This year's performance promises to be larger and more exciting than those of previous years, Albert said.
The show, which is free and open to the public, will feature the three members of Alpha Phi Alpha on campus, according to Albert. This will be the first performance for Albert and fellow member David Johnson '11, and the last for Frank Obi '09, Albert said.
"People used to step and perform on a smaller scale in front of the [Hopkins Center]," Albert said. "Every year we've been increasing in attendance and popularity."
Over 2,000 attendees are expected at the event this year, he said.
Alpha Phi Alpha members keep the show's theme secret from the public prior to the event, Albert said, but added that two trailer videos, which the fraternity began advertising through e-mail, YouTube and Facebook on Monday, provide a preview of the show.
"We are putting out two trailers before the show," he said. "They are also shown during [the performance] as a commercial."
Stepping, which has roots in African culture, is a popular dance tradition in the southern United States and has become a favorite activity for African-American fraternities and sororities across the country, Albert said.
Alpha Phi Alpha's signature Egyptian-style stepping "is nationally known," Albert said.
"The [fraternity's] symbol is the sphinx, so we incorporate a lot of Egyptian symbols in how we step," he said.
Stepping's powerful history also highlights passion, brotherhood and creativity, which Alpha Phi Alpha members plan to convey in their performance, according to Albert.
"People want to have an idea of what will be presented to them, since there is a story behind every step show," he said.
Past themes have included sports championships and the television show "24."
Other groups invited to participate in the show tend not to adhere to the theme Alpha Phi Alpha chooses each year, Albert said. Usually, additional organizations compete for a limited number of spots, but this year all organizations who wished to participate will do so, he said. The step show will feature SHEBA, Roots of Rhythm and Ujima, as well as Greek organizations Alpha Pi Omega Sorority, Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc.
The two-hour annual event was first held in Collis Common Ground in 1990, but moved to Leede Arena eight years ago due to the steady growth of its audience, Albert said. It has also been held at Leverone Field House three times.
Albert said the step show is a significant cultural event at Dartmouth, chiefly because it showcases minority Greek organizations, cultural and dance groups that the campus at large often leaves unnoticed.
The original version of this article incorrectly stated that the Greek organizations participating in the show would include Sigma Lambda Upsilon Sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and Lambda Epsilon Lambda Fraternity. In fact, the participating organizations include Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc. and Alpha Pi Omega Sorority, Inc.
