The Black Student Union step team from Missouri Western State University and the University of Minnesota Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. step team took first place in the women and men’s division of the C.O.L.O.R.S. Step Show on Saturday night.

The C.O.L.O.R.S. (Coalition of Leaders Organizing Radical Segue) Step Show was the last big event of the 34th annual Big XII Conference on Black Student Government. Teams hailed from schools throughout the Midwest, including Nebraska, Minnesota and Missouri, but came together at one event to step.

“We stepped in this show because the rapport the Big XII Conference has in the black community,” said Elizabeth Lassiter, Tau Alpha chapter member of the Zeta Phi Beta Nebraska step team. “It’s also a positive way to show our organization.”

Winning team Alpha Phi Alpha of Minnesota drove 10 hours to step in the conference show.

“Originally we wanted to step somewhere else,” said Damola Ogundipe, Alpha Phi Alpha step team member. “Then we found out that Big XII was having a step show too, so we decided to take our talents to Missouri.”

Although most step teams were Greek Life affiliated, the BSU women’s step team came out on top.

“It feels great to be non-Greek and come out and go up against Greeks and win,” Denae Phillips said. “This show was an opportunity that was presented to us and we wanted to show what we had.”

All teams maintained a theme throughout their stepping performance. The Zeta Phi Beta step team collaborated on steps that would fit into its theme of “Ms. White and the seven Doves,” a play on the fairytale “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”

“After some time and a lot of failed ideas, we eventually stumbled upon something,” said Tanisha Wrather, Beta Psi Zeta graduate chapter member of the Zeta Phi Beta Nebraska step team. “We mostly tried to stay away from ideas we’ve seen before.”

Women’s step teams also need to be concerned about uniforms, Lassiter said.

“We have to think about what we can physically wear on stage and what can present our theme well,” she said.

The Zeta Phi Beta team as performed at South Dakota and the University of Missouri—Kansas City before stepping at the conference show, Lassiter said.

Not all team members in the show were conference attendants, but the show was a good break for the students that were, said Candra Burnett, Big XII Conference Volunteer Coordinator.

“We’re here all day learning, doing workshops and getting educated,” Burnett said. “This is a nice break for the conference attendants as well as an opportunity to bring in people from other schools so they can get a feel of our community at Mizzou.”

The step show is not unique to the Big Xii Conference, but not every conference can facilitate the show, depending on the university hosting, said Planning Committee member Laquisha Fears.

Wrather said this conference show was an amazing opportunity.

“We always try to get out of Nebraska as much as possible,” she said.