Dudes-a-Plenty takes home the gold to start off Step Sing 2022
Step Sing, Samford’s classic song and dance competition, is returning to campus for the first time in two years.
The festivities for Step Sing began with Banner Drop, the traditional kickoff for the competition. The event took place in the Samford University Wright Center on Sunday, Jan. 9.
Banner Drop is a competition in itself, in which each competing team in Step Sing designs an artistic banner to give a clue as to what their respective shows will be about. The banners present the teams’ themes and are judged on creativity and presentation, and each group brought something different to the table this year.
Seniors Will Green and Justin Stuckey hosted the event. Stuckey and Green will also host Step Sing for each day of performances.
“I think we’re going to see some quality shows, and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun,” Green said. “There are students who know that maybe it’s their last year and they’re putting their heart and soul into their shows.”
Since the actual themes are not revealed until the shows are performed, Banner Drop is a teaser, almost a sampler of what is to come at the Step Sing performances.
This year’s Banner Drop winner was Dudes-a-Plenty, a group generally composed of male independents across Samford’s campus. The name of their 2022 show is “Red Flags,” and their poster, which was created by senior Patton Coon, depicts a matador in a gold outfit next to a bull.
For winning Banner Drop, Dudes-A-Plenty received priority access to Step Sing tickets, which have been known to sell out extremely fast. Step Sing participants automatically get tickets to StepSing, but it becomes easier to invite more people, such as family members and friends, with priority access.
“After two long years of not having Step Sing, the people of Samford, and the students of Samford specifically, are genuinely excited,” Green added. “I think there’s going to be some incredible shows filled with energy that we may have never seen before because there are students who don’t even know what Step Sing is, and they’re all in.”
Overall, Banner Drop successfully introduced the Samford student body to the established tradition of Step Sing. The first Step Sing performance will be on Thursday, Jan. 27 in the Samford University Wright Center.
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