A couple of days ago, I was having a conversation about stepping with a younger friend of mine. As usual, we engaged in a heated dialogue, covering such topics as what shows we think will be the most exciting this spring, what new stunts will be incorporated in routines, and what effect stepping movies, i.e. How She Move are going to have this season. But when we got down to the age old debate about which black greek-lettered organization is going to be the perennial powerhouse, he responded by simply saying, “Who cares?”

I must admit, I was taken aback by his nonchalant comment. Who Cares?! I mean, black greek-lettered organizations are the hallmark of modern stepping. How dare he dismiss the importance of Greek steppers? (sidenote: by now you should have guessed that I’m a member of that category). In his own defense, he offered a simple yet savvy explanation: “I mean, who doesn’t step better than greeks these days?! Hell, I STEP BETTER than greeks THESE DAYS!”

Now, although my non-greek friend satirizes greek stepping, he raises an interesting point. Non-greek step teams have been flying underneath the proverbial radar for several years now (which must be extremely low, since stepping in general wasn’t in the public eye until recently). Elementary/ High schools, churches, youth groups, and community centers all have been known to have step teams, with anywhere from 4 to 40 members. Freshmen in college form or join step teams and compete against other inter-collegiate squads; non-HBCUs even have unity step teams with co-ed membership, showcasing their moves at multicultural affairs. And, as stepping has evolved from extracurricular activity to performance sport, non-greek teams have too evolved from remedial pattycake groups into bands of creative & energetic stepping virtuosos. But what makes these teams better than their more-renown counterparts?

Stay posted for Part 2 of this discussion. In the meantime, check out some of these non-greek step teams and compare them to the greek teams you’ve seen.