Zetas on TV
Arkansas Zetas step into national spotlight perfect their step routine, all while having cameras follow their every move.
By Ashley Martin Staff Writer
I
t sounds simple enough. “Z.” Stomp. “T.” Clap. “A.” But this basic ZTA chant helped create a whirlwind experience for the members of the step dance team from Epsilon Chapter (University of Arkansas). On Saturday, Feb. 20, these women stomped, clapped, chanted and stepped their way to become winners of the Sprite Step Off, the world’s largest step competition. Stepping, a form of dance that can be traced to African roots, incorporates cheerleading, military and drill-team moves to create elaborate synchronized group routines. Stepping was made popular by National Pan-Hellenic Council fraternities and sororities, and many campuses across the country host “unity nights” to teach National Panhellenic Conference and NIC groups about this important piece of African-American culture. That is how Epsilon Chapter began stepping 16 years ago—the Arkansas chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., started a Unity Night to help diversify its campus. Over the years, Epsilon Chapter members have truly embraced the style of dance. “It is something we pride ourselves in, and it’s something that we have done well in,” says Alexandra Kosmitis, this year’s Epsilon step team co-captain. “It has become a part of our chapter identity. It’s just a really great thing that we do.” At the start of each school year, Epsilon holds step tryouts and the chosen members practice every day for two months before the Unity Night performance. Over the competition’s history, ZTA is perennially a first- or second-place finisher.
“It was interesting to have the camera crews follow us around,” Alexandra says. “It took us awhile to get accustomed to wearing a microphone while practicing. It was definitely something none of us had experience in.” Another thing the women did not have experience in was competing in a step competition away from their campus. Before heading to Houston in January to compete in the Sprite Step Off’s Regional Semi-finals and Finals, the chapter members worried about their reception from other competitors and the audience. ZTA was the only non-historically black group participating in any of the competitions across the country. In Houston, their fears were quickly put to rest. The other sororities and fans praised the Zetas for their talent—talent that earned them first place (and another $21,500 in scholarships) and advanced them to the National Finals in Atlanta. “Being the only Panhellenic chapter to compete definitely presented some challenges,” Alexandra admits. “With change always comes adversity. I think after Houston, it was a little easier because we knew we had people who accepted us. We were obviously a bit nervous about the competition, but we felt more comfortable going into Atlanta than we did Houston.” Working with the fellow competitors in Atlanta also helped the team alleviate any fears. All 12 teams (six fraternities and six sororities) participated in a service project at a Martin Luther King, Jr. historical site where they got the chance to spend time together and give back to the community.
This success and love for stepping prompted team members to enter the qualifying round of the Sprite Step Off when it came to Fayetteville, Ark., in October 2009. The goal of this nationwide competition was to broaden awareness of step dancing and provide scholarship opportunities for participants. MTV2 even came on board to produce a docuseries hosted by actor and hip-hop star Chris “Ludacris” Bridges that would follow various teams throughout the step off process. The ZTA team members performed their 2008 Unity Night-winning “Matrix” routine to win the qualifying round (and $5,500 in scholarships) and earn a place on MTV2’s television program. Over the next three The story of Epsilon’s road to the national step championship in Atlanta became part of a months, the Zetas worked feverishly to documentary series on MTV2.
10 • Themis of Zeta Tau Alpha