Say what??

What a Steppin' Conundrum!

This week, the internet and the airwaves are abuzz with angry Black folk over the issue of Zeta Tau Alpha and their victory at the Sprite Step Off. Some folks are angry because a white sorority won. Others are angry because they feel Black folk should not discriminate against the Zetas because they won a show featuring an art that was created, and until recently, performed exclusively by Blacks. The latter are crying reverse racism. For my part, I found myself part of the first group when I first heard news of the “controversy” on the radio.

“Daggonit!” I yelled at the radio. “White folk have done it again! First they stole mac n’ cheese, collard greens and gumbo from us and are making millions selling “soul food”, and now they are taking step from us. What’s next??”

Fuming, I walked into the house and began doing searches on YouTube to see just how good these white chicks could actually be. I mean, how could they outstep the Alphas? The Deltas? The AKAs??? My anger soon turned to admiration. I mean, these Beckys could step. They stepped so well, they looked like dudes. I was impressed! Even host Ryan Cameron noted “If you can step, YOU CAN STEP.” Skin color didn’t matter; and I found myself a bit ashamed of myself.

So why was everyone so upset and felt like the AKAs were robbed of the competition? The answer lay in their performance. As to be expected, the AKAs were tight. I however had to agree with all the criticism online though: They flipped their hair way too much and took to many pauses between routines – like the were tired. The Zetas on the other hand stepped all the way through, and that takes stamina. In comparing the two shows, something seemed off to me. Like I said, the Zetas stomped like dudes. I can only speculate that some Sigma somewhere thought it would be cute to teach his little Anglo-Saxon beauty how to step and she, being an enterprising young woman, shared the art with the rest of her sorrors saying “Look guys! Look what I can do!”

The rest, as of February 23rd, became history.  This user on YouTube summed it up best:

betadeuce

Pledged APhiA @ Howard in 1990. The first thing I noticed about ZTA’s show was that every step was borrowed. They were dope, but, one critical element of stepping is your own style…reminds me of what HipHop in its former life….Step’s gone pop…….

When it comes to technical prowess and the fundamentals of step, the Zetas took it: hands down. But if you factor in style and originality, I mean honest to goodness innovation? The sisters of Alpha Kappa Alpha Inc. should have come out the original victors. It was like watching a  basketball game where the Zetas were throwing 3 pointers and the AKAs came out dunking on every move.

In the end, what I or anyone else thinks is of no consequence. Sprite caved in to public pressure and opinion and both organizations are $100,000 richer and 1st place winners. The world is a-changin’, my people; the world is a-changin!

*Shaking my head*

White girls steppin’.