[ambient music] [bright upbeat music] - [B.Brian] And I think how we move our bodies.

Dance, performance, can have a storytelling effect.

And stepping is that to me.

Stepping is a way for, and what we know about the history of stepping in Black Greek Letter organizations has been a way to, among other things, tell stories about individuals, about individual organizations.

And I think about black community life, with large, in general, about how creative, how talented, how defiant, sometimes, we can be, we have to be, we often are.

And you know, for my money, I wonder what would happen if when we consumed, if we watched a step show or performance we thought about it as, not just a performance, not just something to do at homecoming, or some other time of the year, but as a space where important storytelling is happening.

[audience chattering] [man shouting] [loud stepping beat] [audience cheering] [loud stepping beat] [audience cheering] [upbeat music] - So if we was going to pour out the elements of the show on the floor, yeah, am I missing something?

Bruno island first step, my step, Nick quarter step, rewind.

You gotta stroll somewhere, okay.

- Boom, P, B, P, B, S, step!

[group clapping] [group stomping] - My brother's retired.

- I'm just not in for the show, but we gonna win.

- We gonna win.

To all those chumps coming tryna play with us.

Not going to do nothing.

[group stepping] [group chatting] - That's it?

- [Dontique] A lot of people mistake brotherhood for friendship, or just like a different way to have friends, but that's not what it is because you don't get to choose your brothers.

You get to choose your friends.

And when you get brothers, you just, the bond that y'all have just from being brothers, it just make you wanna work differently when you're around them and make you want to move differently.

- So everyone, y'all y'all are doing this like very precise, which is fine, but I think you front and center to start the steps.

If you, for that, the more you exaggerate it the better.

[group chatting] Go ahead and get into practice zone.

So at least... Derek, P, B, P, B, S, step.

[group stepping] [group chanting] - 2, 3, 4.

[group stepping] - Yes.

Yes.

- [Jerrett] You gotta be careful who you talk to.

And there's some people who won't even like, won't look your way, or like, even like talk to you or anything.

So coming down here from Memphis, it was like, it was real different to get used to it.

And I had to, I had to surround myself with people of color, to get, you know, to be involved and find friends.

- There's a, there's a certain level of brotherhood when you join a fraternity.

And particularly in Mississippi, when you are away from home and you're at a large university and trying to understand the culture, and understand how to be successful as a student, particularly as a student of color, and so joining a fraternity, help demystify some of the, the process of how to navigate the system at old miss.

- Exhausted.

I'm excited though that we're gonna win.

Maybe the best steppers in the south, best steppers in Mississippi.

I don't know what they doing.

- We gotta practice starting tomorrow and Friday.

[group chatting] [group singing] [upbeat music] - Turn up, turn it up.

Turn, aye.

You all better stay in this order.

- It started way back in 1914.

- When three white brothers had a dream.

Before they died this is what they said.

Don't pledge no purple, black, or red.

- Stomp the history.

[group shouting] [men shouting] [crowd cheering] [crowd cheering] [group stepping] - Period.

Period.

[group chatting] - Aye, what is your problem?

- Real church shoes.

So we just started flipping in them.

So yeah, we'll see how it goes.

I was a good hit on the step team.

We ain't got lot of people no more.

- And it last the night?

[thud] - Everyday.

One person dropped, and another person got a little fender bender, so we don't know if we're going to still, but we'll adjust to the show.

- Like that over nothing else, make sure you rock to get the effect that you changed your leg.

I think it should be.

[grunting] [clapping] [group clapping rhythmically] [crowd cheering] - Blue, blue, a blue, white, you, you, you, you know.

Blue, blue, blue, white, you, you, you, you know.

[group stepping] - But y'all will feel something right?

Remind the time of three weeks ago, where was we at then?

Y'all this is y'all.

y'all done build something.

Enjoy this.

- All right coach, talk to me.

- All right.

- I feel we like we in the championship.

- Come over here and pray.

- Grab everybody hands.

God, thank you for this day.

- God thank you for waking us up this morning God, and blessing us at the end of the day.

[happy upbeat music] - [All] Amen.

- Man, this is my time to shine.

[laughing] It's my night.

I'm the main star tonight.

Might sign me after this.

- Ooh, I got a boo boo.

I got a boo boo.

[crowd laughing] - Stop!

Calm down.

I told you to be seated.

[crowd cheering] Y'all are good [mumbles].

[mumbled chatting] [crowd laughing] - P, B, P, B. S. Go.

[group stepping] [crowd applause] [group clapping rhythmically] [group stepping] [crowd cheering] P, B, P, B, S, Go.

[stomping and clapping rhythmically] [crowd shouting and cheering] [crowd cheering] [group stepping] - Hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it.

- [Announcer] Now the winner, first place goes to Eta Beta Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma.

[crowd cheering] - Eta Beta man.

That's a thousand dollars in the bank account.

What's up?

- Yes sir.

- Hey, we told y'all it was going to happen.

- That's two times in a row.

Two times in a row.

[group chatting] - We win every time.

That's a finny, that's a fact.

[hip hop music] - [woman singing] ♪ Blue, you, bad than ♪ ♪ bad than ♪ ♪ Blue, you, bad than ♪ ♪ bad than ♪ ♪ Step up on the scene ♪ ♪ Lookin' real real clean ♪ ♪ Tell 'em mind they business ♪ ♪ You know what I mean ♪ ♪ Back up!

♪ ♪ Don't get to close to this sauce ♪ ♪ It might spill on ya ♪ ♪ Might spill on ya ♪ ♪ Ain't nothin' you can swipe off ♪ ♪ Whew!

♪ [crickets chirping]