The floor is trembling and exciting shouts fill the sticky air. Scattered groups of fans greet the step team of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. with applause and cheers. The 16 girls in blue shirts and black pants move onto the stage, crane their necks, smile, and start stepping.
The evening turns out successfully for the team: For the eighth time, it wins the women's contest of step teams from sororities and fraternities of The University of Memphis.
The victory in the Elma Roane Fieldhouse on Oct. 2 is almost forgotten three days later.
The steppers of Zeta Phi Beta meet at 10 p.m. for practice in the field house. Outside, a fresh breeze is blowing and the girls flit from the parking lot to the heated sports hall.
The practice starts in two minutes.
Some sportswomen yawn and stretch themselves, others are chatting, and three are already repeating step combinations in front of the mirror.
Last night, the new sorority members, called the "neos", practice for their probate show today at 12:30 p.m. in front of the University Center.
Those who perform well during practice and in the show are allowed to join the competition team. Several steppers have already participated in the last competition; the others must still prove themselves successful.Ashley Kemp, 21-year-old Spanish major and one of the three step captains, asks the steppers to get into their positions. While the girls are stepping, clapping, and shouting, they form circles, rows and rhombuses.
The rhythm of the steps sound throughout the hall. Kemp's expression shows discontent.
"Could you guys step, not move - because this looks bad," she tells her pupils.
The choreography begins anew, and soon, sweat runs from the foreheads of some steppers. Karita Carr shakes her head. The 23-year-old journalism major has been a step captain for three years and knows that the steppers can do a better job.
"You guys look tired. Like no energy," she says. Carr encounters silence and embarrassed looks. The ceiling light flickers, and at once, the air conditioner seems to buzz louder. Kemp and Carr encourage the students to show energy and to smile.
On the stage, stepping looks quite easy. Behind the scenes, all easiness has vanished.
Lakesa Greene, third step captain and the choreography's creator, knows that effort precedes success.
"You have to focus when it comes to step practice," the 22-year-old communication major says. The rule is simple: If you want to be good, practice hard. If you want to be better, practice harder.
The step captains have their equal share in the work. Besides training the steppers, they are responsible for producing a friendly atmosphere during the practice. "You have to deal with a lot of different personalities," Greene says. "Stepping is a very emotional sport. And since we are all women, that's makes it even more emotional."
Greene had been stepping for several years in the Zeta Phi Beta women's team before she decided to change roles this summer.
Today, she is the creative source of the team, and ideas for the choreography pop up naturally in her mind: "I listen to music, I listen to beats. And then I see the steps -- I have a vision. It's a gift."
On competitions, the judges have an eye on the difficulty of the steps, on accuracy, appearance, and crowd appeal. A simple way to stimulate activity in the seats around the stage is including music in the performance.
"You want to appeal to the crowd and give them what they want. That's the latest songs," Greene explains.
Success is crucial to the step team not only because it satisfies the steppers' pride. The money that they gain on contests or by performing shows has been funding the sorority's chapter since 1968: a show might yield as much as $ 2,000.
The step team of their fraternity brothers, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., is the current national champion and earns $ 3,500 or more for national titles.
After the probate show next Friday, the girls are going to take a rest for two weeks to cool down their bones and muscles. Since there are some important contests and shows during spring, the girls must start learning new steps in November. Greene is already working on another choreography. "The most exciting thing for me is creating the product and see it when it's finished. It makes me emotional," she says.
It is 10.45 p.m. when the steppers enjoy their first break in the sports hall. The step captains grant them some minutes to sip at their water and to change their shoes. For shows and contests, the steppers wear stilettos in order to create a special sound.
On the stage, appearance and sound are equally important, and synchronizing the stepping of more than thirty feet is a tough job. This job becomes even more difficult when the steppers drum their blue-and-white canes on the floor, producing several layers of rhythm. The step captains listen intensely. This time, Ashley Kemp smiles and praises her pupils: "Good energy! You looked a lot better."
The steppers close their eyes, take a deep breath and concentrate for the final run-through of this night. The step captains want to see a great finish.
"You work too hard to let this go down the drain," Kemp encourages the girls.
At 11.30 p.m., the exhausted steppers leave the Field house. On the stage next Friday, it will look so easy again.
