UMD’s S.T.E.P.P. breaks it down
UMD S.T.E.P.P. president, Sydney Hart, and Elijah Achu stepping at All Niter, a step show hosted by the University of Maryland chapter of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, on Friday, Oct. 4, 2019. (Amina Lampkin/The Black Explosion)
This story was written by Jaime Williams and Madison Hunt.
UMD’S S.T.E.P.P., Students Towards Educational Progress and Philanthropy, has been stomping the yard since 2010 and they don’t plan to stop anytime soon.
The team depicts itself as a family built on the “stepping” stones of collaboration, movement and community. Its uniqueness is displayed from within. Earlier this year, the team stepped at the annual Homecoming Juke Joint, performing a Halloween-themed step that left the crowd begging for more. The vivacious and spirited nature of their steps has allowed them to have continuous success.
In previous years, there were no themes when it came to the performances. According to Sydney Hart, president of S.T.E.P.P and a senior government and politics major, the standard was to stroll in, do one to two steps and then stroll out. But one of their goals into the new academic year was to spice up their performances and add more content.
S.T.E.P.P wants to provide their audience the opportunity to stay engaged and have something to look forward to. The team found that having a storyline allows the audience to get involved in the step as well.
“When you tell a whole story, it’s a completely different dynamic,” said Hart.
The organization is made up of 19 members, which Hart says, “is the biggest team we have ever had.” Because of their size, having to divide and conquer so many different personalities and ideas can be a challenge, but they try to do it in the simplest way possible, she said.
S.T.E.P.P. learns new steps as a whole, but then break into groups so it’s easier to grasp the concepts of their visions. Yemi Djayeola, the vice president of S.T.E.P.P and a freshman criminal justice and criminology major, stated that they come up with their own movements, so their steps and strolls are original and unique to them.
What adds to their steps and strolls and their team as a whole, more than previous years, is the number of male steppers on the team.
“Sometimes it’s hard to get men on the step team, specifically marketing to men is kind of difficult when there specific moves that don’t appeal to men,” Hart said. While the team currently features four boys and 15 girls,they plan to see their male population increase.
Nonetheless, the addition to the team has created an entirely different image and vigor
“We want more [men], it brings more of a dynamic into our performances,” Djayeola said.
Not that they didn’t live up to their expectations before, but it’s just another piece that adds to their identity as a whole, she said.
In the future, they plan to collaborate with other organizations such as The Divine Nine, which are nine historically Black fraternities and sororities, to bring a different experience than what students are used to.
Even though performances are at the forefront of the organization, they want students to understand that they are also a community-based organization.
Djayeola stated that everyone is welcome to come lend a hand to the community through S.T.E.P.P. and one does not have to be a member or a performer to do so.
Ashley Edwards, the community service chair and a senior geography major and geospatial information science minor, said that there are many other roles to be filled, such as publicity and crowd engagement, and they would be a perfect way for students to build their resumes.
S.T.E.P.P is elated for what the future holds and plans to show the campus that their legacy will last beyond the current members’ time on campus.