NPHC, dance department, perform at step tease

by Emily Mosier

A large crowd of students gathered Thursday night to watch the annual Step Tease event at the Janice Hawkins amphitheater. 

Step Tease, put on by Troy University's Activities Council (UAC), takes place every fall. There were dance performances by NPHC Fraternities and Sororities, the Sound of the South Danceline, and the Troy University Dance Ensemble.

Jermaine "Funnymaine" Johnson, a comedian who rose to stardom with his videos analyzing Alabama Crimson Tide football games and who has hosted every on-campus Step Tease, as well as DJ Red , kept the crowd hyped. At times, the music was turned on and off, and students could be heard singing along to the songs.

“The atmosphere was very crazy and new, especially for a freshman, but a very fun experience overall,” said Sarah Francis, a freshman dance major from Jacksonville, Alabama.

According to Francis, even though her favorite part was watching the dance routines, Funnymaine Johnson made the event even more enjoyable.

“What made event very entertaining was the speaker in the beginning cracking all the jokes, Francis said.  was calling out all the sororities and fraternities one by one to hear their chant. He had something very funny to say about all of them .”

The crowd was so large, the entire amphitheater was filled, and many students sat in clusters on the surrounding hills.

Libby Wiley, a freshman dance major from Tifton, Georgia, said that a tremendous amount of work went into preparing for this event, as rehearsals had begun more than a month in advance.

“I chose to participate for fun at first because I did not really know what step tease was,” Wiley said. “But I also knew that this style of hip-hop would challenge me and push me in many ways.

“My favorite part about this routine is the fun energy. We always have so much fun in rehearsals even though they are hard core, and I feel like I gained experience on picking up details quick.”UAC holds free events every Thursday. Students can stay up to date about events by following UAC on Instagram, @troyuac.