The City of Knoxville will hold its 3rd Annual High School Step Off Show at 7 p.m., Friday, March 7 in the Tennessee Auditorium of the Carolyn P. Brown Memorial University Center.
The student center is located on the University of Tennessee campus at 1502 West Cumberland Avenue.
Teams from Northwest Middle School, West High School, and the boys and girls Esquires, a Knoxville-based club, will be competing at the step off. Additionally, teams out of Atlanta and Chattanooga will be participating.
Awards and cash prizes will be presented to the top three teams.
The purpose of this event is to give high school students an opportunity to obtain college connections. College fraternities and sororities will judge the step show and meet with the students.
Participating fraternities include: Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Psi Phi, Alpha Phi Alpha, and Phi Beta Sigma. Participating sororities include: Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Sigma Gamma Rho, and Zeta Phi Beta.
All students competing in the step off will also be given a tour of the University of Tennessee campus the following Saturday morning.
"We are proud of this event and the attraction that it has received in the last two years," said Joe Walsh, City of Knoxville Parks and Recreation Director, noting that last year's step show drew over 1,000 spectators.
"This event accomplishes many goals that we as the City Recreation Department work to achieve," Walsh added. The step off competition encourages teamwork, exercise, community involvement, and hopefully, it encourages middle and high school kids to start thinking about college education."
Step shows, which have their roots in African American fraternities and sororities, have become an increasingly popular form of entertainment and fraternity and sorority competitions are common throughout the country.The groups perform elaborately synchronized, high-energy routines incorporating cheerleading, military and drill team moves in the competitions.
Tickets are $3 in advance and $5 at the door. To order a ticket in advance, call Nikki Crutcher or Darrow Davenport at 865-971-4746.