Kleist takes first in dorm step show

Anticipation began building for the homecoming dorm step show hours before the Monday, Nov. 15, event.

Starting at noon during lunch, the dorms participating -- West, South, Kleist, Highrise and Dunton -- performed small routines showcasing just a little of what was to come later on at the show.

Starting at 7 p.m. in the Jonas T. Kennedy Wellness Center, the show drew a large audience that buzzed with excitement from the earlier showcase during lunch.

Students like Brittney White, a junior, said she was excited to attend and show support to her friends who participated in the show.

Yael Jones said “every dorm did a great job, I was really shocked by all the stunts they pulled and the creative concepts they came up with.”

Coming in third place was Highrise, a freshman male dorm whose team opened the show and set the bar high as many members of the audience sang cheers and praise during their performance dedicated to a student who passed away earlier this semester. The show had a race car concept.

In second place was South, an honors male dorm whose step concept was based on the “Matrix.”

And in first place was Kleist, a freshman honors female dorm whose team’s concept was ladies in prison. It was Kleist's second title in a row.

During the act, the "female inmates" of Kleist caused a bit of a ruckus as they looked to escape the prison. Throughout their act, they performed different steps, including being handcuffed to chairs and the puppet and puppet master. The finale of the show was the inmates distracting the guards and finally escaping.

“Without the right kind of determination and discipline, this process would’ve been extremely hard but because we persevered and kept an open mind, it was fairly easy. ... Overall it was hard some nights, but we stuck it out and kept pushing and made this process a fun one,” sophomore Weveney Williams-Barber said.

The coaches for Kleist were the steppers for the first trophy. They wanted to keep the winning tradition alive.

“Both wins were well-deserved. We left it all on the floor so there was no question of the outcome," coach Jaliah Robinson said.

“It feels great,” coach OT Thompson said.

By Kleist Hall coming in first place, the step team gets to open for the Greek Step show on Saturday, Nov. 20, at 8 p.m. in the Jonas T. Kennedy Wellness Center.