The street and playground traditions have also been formalized into more involved displays. At the Katie Sexton Community Center, a drill team performed its intricate formation marching. The girls, in black and gold, brightly-sequined costumes, twisted, bent, kicked and turned, accompanied by a band of teenage guys beating out complex polyrhythms on a variety of drums. This year, the Kappa Alpha Psi steppers trump the competition by arriving on the campus in a helicopter. Jumping out, they go into their routine, rapping out rhymes while they dance in tight choreography, executing flashy maneuvers with their canes.
Students crowd around, shouting encouragement, and admiring the slick stylings.