Boost Mobile is sponsoring “Stomping On the Yard National Step Show Tour,” beginning at Florida A&M University’s campus, featuring representatives of the National Pan-Hellenic Council facing off in step shows on college campuses throughout the United States.
“The movie was inspired by the tour,” said Nichole Felix, film producer and media contact of the Stomping On the Yard National Step Show Tour.
Felix said over 160 teams participate in this cultural celebration that culminates with a one day national championship.
On the first day of the tour on campus beginning this Thursday, the career panel is held with Elton Gumbel, a sports anchor and Fonzworth Bentley, a entertainer, and fashion designer.
“It’s three components that we do on each of the campuses,” Felix said.
She said the career panel, yard fest and step show are part of these components. The career panel will be giving students insight on careers in the entertainment industry and what classes will help them the most to achieve success.
While there are a series of events for the tour, most students on campus seem to be focused on the Greek Step Show.
Monica Hughes, 21, a senior secondary English education student from Jacksonville said the tour would contribute to FAMU’s positive light.
“I think it’s a good promotion tool for them to come to FAMU,” Hughes said. “It brings some more publicity here.”
Felix said that Bentley is hosting this years Greek step show for FAMU.
Josh Smith-Benson, 18, a freshman pre-pharmacy candidate from Jacksonville was another student who was interested in the Greek step show.
“I love the Greeks and how they perform,” Smith-Benson said. “It’s just the energy they have and the passion for what they stand for.”
Smith-Benson said he likes the fact the step show was inspired by the movie, “Stomp The Yard.”
“It’s a big thing for FAMU,” Smith-Benson said. “FAMU produced box office producers.”
Other than the FAMU producers of “Stomp The Yard,” the movie related to many organizations in the United States.
Felix said they are over a million African-Americans who belong to the nine fraternal organizations with active chapters on nearly all college campuses with alumni chapters throughout the world. Each of these fraternal organizations developed their own rituals. Felix said that a very popular ritual is stepping, a competitive performance involving synchronized, percussive movement, singing, speaking, chanting, dancing, and drama.
“This is our final stop for our fall,” Felix said. “In the fall, its only HBCU homecoming.”
With the Greek step show just a few days away, some students still don’t know exactly if they are going to attend.
Pendo Waryoba,19, a first-year business administration student from Tanzania, Africa said the tour is responding to the producers of the movie, and she might be of attendance.
“I’ll try to attend because I haven’t been to one of the events before,” Waryoba said. “”I feel that they’re supporting the producers by doing it [Greek Step Show].”