New Docu-Drama Chronicles Step Teams Contest

Get out the crimson and cream and the pink and green. Get ready to “skee-wee” or “ooo-ooop.” The best fraternity and sorority step teams around the nation are competing at the "Sprite Step Off," the largest step competition ever held, with $1.5 million in scholarships up for grabs. And MTV2 will be there, right up until the contest is decided on Feb. 20th in Atlanta, GA.Premiering on MTV2 on Sunday, Jan. 31, at 3 p.m. EST, “Sprite Step Off” is a six-episode documentary will follow six step teams around the country as they lead up to the main event. Rapper/actor Chris “Ludacris” Bridges will host.“I love that MTV2 and Sprite are giving a step competition national exposure and introducing this creative dance form to an audience outside of the urban college landscape," says Ludacris. "The teams competing on the show are not only dedicated but diverse and will take step competitions to a new level."If you attended a black college, are part of one of the nation’s historically black fraternities and sororities or if you saw the feature films “School Daze,” “Stomp The Yard,” or “Drumline,” you already have some idea what stepping is all about.The major black fraternities and sororities, founded for the most part because blacks on white campuses were excluded from white organizations, have long had a tradition of stepping. Stepping is simply a choreographed set of dance steps incorporating many historical African-American dances and cadences and from which each sorority or fraternity has created their signature moves.While college and universities nationwide hold regional step competitions every year, and there has been a national step competition in the past, the "Sprite Step Off" is one of the largest of its kind ever produced. The scholarship money riding on it is certainly a huge upgrade from the traditional step shows.“This step competition promises to be the hottest dance challenge to hit college campuses and cities this year,” said Chris McCarthy, senior vice president of strategic development and digital TV networks for MTV. “We are thrilled to be partnering with Sprite to bring these student performances to television as part of our new original series lineup for MTV2 and to provide a platform for the rich and historic tradition of college stepping.” CONTINUE READING...