The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Fraternity takes traditionally black stepping routines to higher level
NEW HAVEN» It’s like 100 lightning bolts hitting the Earth’s crust.
That’s how some describe the thunderous vibrations when members of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. perform their traditional stepping routines.
The steppers’ mantra is “E’d-up,” drawing off the word enthusiasm, which some members of the local Chi Omicron and Epsilon Iota Iota chapters express when it’s show time.
For those fraternity members, the rhythmic stepping, or “hop,” routines are more than a tradition, as the performances serve as a platform for human expression.
“It’s all about enthusiasm. It’s takes us being on the same page, not just with the moves, but having the same mentality is key, (to successful routines)” said Chi Omicron chapter member Malcolm Welfare.
Welfare, 29, who has been in the fraternity for almost 10 years, said it’s important that hop members spend time to create a certain bond before a performance and the time spent together also is a way to foster camaraderie among the chapters.
So, “when we hit the floor we’re in tune with each other from our minds to our hearts,” he said.
Chi Omicron chapter was chartered in the city in 1947 while Epsilon Iota Iota was chartered in North Haven in 1990.
Historically, stepping is a rising art form and an important part of America’s artistic and cultural heritage. In stepping, the “body is used as an instrument to create intricate rhythms and sounds through a combination of footsteps, claps and the spoken word,” according to www.StepAfrika.org
“Stepping is based on a long and rich tradition in African-based communities that use movement, words and sounds to communicate allegiance to a group. It draws movements from African foot dances, such as Gumboot, originally conceived by miners in South Africa as an alternative to drumming, which was banned by authorities,” the website said.
The site also notes that the stepping tradition in the United States grew from “song and dance rituals practiced by historically African-American fraternities and sororities, beginning in the early 1900s.”
A different level
Among the brotherhood of Omega, there is a distinct difference in the routines, as the men have taken stepping to the next level: they really hop.
“It’s a customary fashion to the brothers of Omega. Hopping has a strong tradition in the fraternity and amongst the younger brothers in my chapter, said Olafemi Hunter, 32, a member of Epsilon Iota Iota chapter. and a school counselor for the Innovation, Design, Entrepreneurship and Action Academy, or I.D.E.A., an after-school program at the James Hillhouse High School.
“When I came into the fraternity I was 23, so I fell in line and I had a passion and enthusiasm for hopping,” said Hunter, who earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Morehouse College and a master’s degree in educational psychology with a concentration in school counseling from the University of Connecticut.
More importantly for Hunter, “the kids like it, we’re able to put on shows for the community and it bonds us as brothers; it’s another form of fellowship.”
Hunter said he continues to hop to stay connected with the younger men in his chapter, but he also is more of a mentor. “I do more of teaching the hops and working with my mentees,” he said.
Hunter’s chapter won the First District Hop championship for the New England region.
The group has performed in Las Vegas, the Bahamas and other cities across the country.
According to Welfare, who’s a hop expert, stepping is more clapping and stomping to create rhythm patterns and sounds. But, hopping is used to create the foundations of the movements.
While hopping has become popular within the organization and among other black Greek organizations, member David McKinnie said for him it’s a form of art and a way of expression.
“It’s my way of expressing myself. Some people use words and actions, I use a little bit of both; I use the words that I say along with the action and I make everything mean something,” said McKinnie, 25, a member of Epsilon Iota Iota chapter and a Southern Connecticut State University graduate.
“I’ve been hopping since high school and it was an easy transition when I entered college and into the fraternity; it’s feels like I was born with it,” he said.
Art, hard work and enthusiasm
McKinnie also said youth love the performances.
“It gives the community excitement to see us hop with such enthusiasm,” he said. “Some are curious, especially when you’re doing something positive for the community.”
According to Welfare, hopping embodies the fraternity’s four cardinal principals. Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, the first international fraternal organization to be founded on the campus of a historically black college or university, holds as its cardinal principles: manhood, scholarship, perseverance and uplift. The fraternity was founded Nov. 17, 1911, at Howard University.
“It takes a lot of handeye-coordination, body consciousness, but it also requires all the muscles in your body; it takes strength, endurance and wind,” Hunter said of the performances.
Hydration and eating the right foods play a critical part of the training.
“It takes discipline and mental power, because it requires us to memorize all the hops,” said Welfare, a University of Hartford graduate and a nation hop champion.
But when kids witness the hopping, Welfare said, “its like magic to them.”
“It has a huge affect on the psyche - it really gives the community hope and understanding that black men can come together and coordinate efforts.”
For George Pressley, being able to hop has filled a long-time void.
“Growing up I’ve been watching hopping since I can remember. My father, who has passed, was a member, my brother and uncles are members,” said Pressley, 34, a Chi Omicron chapter member and the environmental services director at Yale New Haven Hospital.
“It was something I’ve always wanted to be a part of; I love the enthusiasm, energy and friendship,” he said.
Pressley, who was initiated into the fraternity in April, said it gives him a chance to continue the legacy within his family.
“It gives me a lot of pride and dignity to be able to hop; it’s a way for me to express my love for the fraternity.”
Hopping is all about enthusiasm for David Nooks.
Nooks said that while he was growing up in Brooklyn, New York, all of his coaches and mentors were Omega men.
“Once I got of age and seeking fraternal life, I knew that this was the route for me,” said Nooks, 25, a University of New Haven graduate and Epsilon Iota Iota member.
Nooks has performed with the chapter in various competitions nationwide.
“When you put in all the work and the crowd goes crazy; they really see and appreciate all of the hard work you’ve put in,” said Nooks.
Hopping was one of the things that drew Nooks to the fraternity.
“Seeing the brothers hopping around and doing high kicks, was amazing to me,” he said. “That was one of the main things that had a draw on me.”