“A stroll is a series of dance movements that are special to a fraternity or sorority. They hold relevance and reverence to their respective organization and should only be replicated by members of said organizations,” said Akeim Thames.
Thames is the Tau Iota Chapter President of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc, which performs its own specific stroll as a way to celebrate black culture.
On Saturday, March 24, at the men’s basketball game against ESTU, the timeouts and halftime shows featured strolls from fraternities of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), commonly referred to as the Divine Nine (D9). These fraternities and sororities are historically black and put most of their efforts into recruiting black college students.
On a special occasion like this, each dancer brought something different to the table. At the first timeout, Phi Beta Sigma put on their exhibition. They did moves that matched each other’s with pinpoint accuracy. Their hip-hop style stroll was executed by three of their members, all students from Miles College.
The second stroll was another feature from Samford’s own Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. It featured a series of smoother asynchronous movements demonstrated in a line format. This allowed Chapter President Akeim Thames and NPHC President Tito Cavales-Alvarado to do a move where they linked their arms. This move got raucous applause from the crowd.
The main event took place during the halftime show. It featured strolls from Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. All eyes were on the court as the groups did special exhibitions of their synchronized movements.
Kappa Alpha Psi’s stroll featured longer, drawn-out forms that included shoulder and knee movements closer to the ground. Their show featured a variety of turns that almost made them look like they were synchronized swimming.
Omega Psi Phi had a different caliber of show. They put on two, which featured both collegiate and alumni members who performed stomping, hopping and kicking movements in their first stroll and a hip-hop presentation in the second. Phi Beta Sigma’s halftime stroll consisted of hand movements, and steady, consistent leg motion.
Overall, the NPHC put on a halftime show that honors their predecessors and paves the way for future members of each organization.
