Phi Beta Sigma steps up

A guy in a gorilla costume stomped around backstage at the IU Auditorium. And he had less than 30 minutes before he and the rest of his Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity brothers hit center stage at the second annual Lil' 5 Step Down Saturday.\n"We're gonna put a hole in the stage," said senior Marvin Rhodes, an Alpha brother from Purdue. \nBefore the show, Rhodes watched the dressing room rehearsal from a chair leaned against a duffel bag-covered counter meant for stage makeup and veggie trays. \n"The key is confidence," said senior Lamond Brown, Rhodes' fraternity brother. Saturday's show, sponsored by the Union Board and National Pan-Hellenic Council, marks the performers' first.\nAnd for the two-year-old 'Bridging the Gap' committee of Union Board, the show marked its second. IU sophomore Eboni Gatlin and her committee have been working since January to one-up themselves by signing celebrity host Damon Williams and attracting more out-of-state participants, which included teams from Dayton, Ohio, and Atlanta.\n"We follow the money," said graduate student John Jones, a Phi Beta Sigma from Clark-Atlanta University.\nJones and two of his teammates relaxed while "Splash Waterfalls" by Atlanta rapper Ludacris played in the background.\nThe compilation team known as the "Atlanta All-Stars" was comprised of members from five different Georgia-based Phi Beta Sigma chapters. One team member travels 40 miles to practice every weekday and further for performances on the weekends. \nThe members took turns listing the locations of previous performances, which include Mississippi, Washington, D.C., North Carolina and California, in addition to spots along the East Coast as well as southeast regions of the U.S. \nAnd they've never been beaten, which could be why, with only 20 minutes to spare before showtime, their blue button-down shirts and white ties remained hanging from the ceiling pipes.\nAs the show began, more acts emerged from their dressing rooms. There were a member of IU's Delta Sigma Theta strolling the hall in full nurse's attire -- from the white gym shoes with stockings to the white skirt and white cap.\nOn stage, IU's Zeta Phi Betas finished up a "dy-no-mite" 'Good Times'-inspired performance, complete with afros, a JJ-look-alike and music from Gloria Gaynor and Marvin Gaye. \nAs the curtains closed on the team's performance, IU senior Rickesha Ewing-Spates headed straight for the refreshment table.\nBut she was ushered back to the dressing rooms before she could even finish her bottled water.\n"Where are the Alphas at? Where are the Alphas?" asked sophomore and Union Board member Jasmine McCully, as she paced the floor backstage.\nThe guys appeared and waited in the wings as Williams offered up a few jokes and introduced them.\n"I know they're going to place," said McCully after a few flips. \nAnd from the reaction of the crowd of 1,000, things seemed to look good.\nBut when the results were tabulated, it was the Phi Beta Sigmas from Dayton, Ohio, in third, the Delta Sigma Thetas in second and the Phi Beta Sigmas from Atlanta in first.\nThe judges looked for innovative movements and historical-value in the eight teams' performances.\n"The best thing about these step shows is that young people get into the performances for the dancing and the skits," said Lori Patton, one of the judges and director of multicultural outreach for admissions office. "But in the end, they learn the historical significance of the organizations." \n-- Contact staff writer Melanie Sims at mjsims@indiana.edu.