Alana George, Campus Carrier Asst. Arts & Living Editor
A newly formed step team, BC STEP, will be an addition to the halftime shows of Berry football games this fall. There are currently six members and they hope to steadily increase their membership over the next few years.
The team had their debut performance at the African-American read-in on February 19. Since then, they have received a large amount of support from the Berry community for their creativity and determination.
Junior Chris Arnold is the spokesperson for the other five members of the team. He has been spreading the word and building support for this new endeavor. He also assists in developing the creative expression of the team.
“The first step was to get our name out there, so we got that,” Arnold said. “The next step is to actually come up with new routines so we don’t just come up with the same thing over and over again, to keep the audience on their toes, expecting something new.”
Arnold hopes that the team will develop into a well-established club and continue to grow after he and the other upperclassmen graduate.
“Our main goal is to come up with new routines, and also myself and two other upperclassmen want to be able to leave Berry, and when we come back see that this team is still progressing and still doing its thing,” Arnold said.
The other members of the step team are sophomore Journey Pitts, junior Tanayja Warren, freshman Peyton Figueroa, senior Brooke Burnett and freshman Shelby Fuller. Pitts and Figueroa are the co-captains of the team, and they are both very excited to see the team grow.
Pitts said that she was fairly nervous for their first performance but has been delighted by the amount of support the team has received.
“Preparing for this was pretty nerve-wracking because of concerns about if we were qualified to be co-captains not having had any real experience or if the group as a whole would be well received by the Berry community,” Pitts said. “We were blown away by how much support and positive feedback we’ve received since our first performance and I’m so excited to watch BC STEP grow in the upcoming semesters.”
Figueroa was also excited for the performance and is optimistic about the future.
“Performing at the African-American read-in was a great opportunity that we all enjoyed and makes us looking forward to the future of our team,” Figueroa said.
The other members of the team are all enthusiastic and ready to make their team great. They are all friends, and all enjoy working together to come up with new routines.
Burnett loves the camaraderie that is present in rehearsal and the chance to show Berry a different cultural tradition.
“We’re really supportive and helpful when one of us aren’t getting the routine right away,” Burnett said. “It’s also a good outlet for us to express ourselves and show Berry a little culture.”
Pitts is also excited for the opportunity to bring more cultural diversity to her school.
“With stepping being such a big part of African-American culture, especially in schools, I’m excited to be able to bring a new cultural perspective to the Berry community,” Pitts said.
The team will continue to rehearse and will perform at Berry football games in the fall.