Homecoming 2025

Tradition, Precision, and Style Take Center Stage at Howard Homecoming Greek Step Show

The annual event draws students, alumni, and guests eager to witness one of the university’s most anticipated Homecoming traditions.

Larry J. Sanders , Caleb Robinson
Nov 5, 2025 5 minutes

Each October, Howard University’s Greek Step Show transforms Burr Gymnasium into a living archive—part competition, part cultural memory—where precision footwork, rhythms, and call-and-response chants link generations of Bison and the wider Black Greek world.

The artform at the heart of the night is a percussive performance style that turns the body into an instrument through synchronized stomps, claps, chants, and song, often arranged with military-sharp formations and theatrical storytelling. Its roots reach back to African and African American expressive traditions of body percussion and collective rhythm.

Over the 20th century, it was shaped and popularized on college campuses by historically Black fraternities and sororities, whose members fused song, chant, and drill-like movement into a distinctive ensemble language. By mid-century, informal “Greek sings” evolved into full productions: public showcases where chapters displayed creativity, discipline, and pride before campus audiences. Accounts point to Howard University as the site of the first widely recognized “official Greek Show” in 1976, a milestone that signals how the form matured from campus ritual to stagecraft.

Howard’s centrality to stepping is inseparable from its role in Black Greek life itself. Several National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) organizations—among them Omega Psi Phi (1911), Delta Sigma Theta (1913), Phi Beta Sigma (1914), and Zeta Phi Beta (1920)—were founded at Howard, making the campus a crucible for Black fraternal culture, pageantry, and performance. As the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture notes, many Black Greek Letter Organization (BGLO) traditions trace back to The Mecca, and stepping is one of the most visible of those traditions today.

Within that lineage, the Homecoming Greek Step Show stands out as a signature rite. The event annually assembles Howard chapters of the “Divine Nine” to compete for bragging rights before an electric crowd of students, alumni, and families. Productions blend historical references, contemporary music, acrobatics, sorority and fraternity calls, and narrative themes—an aesthetic that honors ancestors while speaking the vernacular of the present. Recent shows have sold out Burr Gymnasium and anchored the Homecoming week’s marquee slate, underscoring the Step Show’s role as both entertainment and intergenerational gathering.

If Homecoming is where Bison come home to heritage, the Step Show is where that heritage moves, literally. It is a performance tradition that carries the discipline of The Yard into the spotlight, connects Howard’s founding Black Greek chapters to their modern heirs, and reminds the audience that rhythm can be both art and archive—an embodied history you can feel through the floorboards of Burr. And each year, when the drumless thunder of hands and heels rises together, it affirms why stepping, and Howard’s stewardship of it, remains a defining heartbeat of Homecoming.

As it does each October, Burr Gymnasium roared with excitement on Friday night of Homecoming weekend as the 2025 Howard University Homecoming Step Show brought together the “Divine Nine” organizations for a night of tradition, creativity, and precision. The performances showcased the artistry and discipline that define the culture of stepping infused with themes, storytelling, and athleticism that captivated the packed crowd.

The sold-out event drew students, alumni, and guests from across the country, all eager to witness one of the university’s most anticipated Homecoming traditions. Each fraternity and sorority brought its own theme, energy, and flair to the stage, combining creativity with the deep-rooted discipline that defines the art of stepping.

Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. opened with a Space Jam-inspired performance that blended high-energy choreography, showmanship, and signature cane mastery. With characters like “Michael Jordan” and “Lola Bunny” brought to life, the Nupes captivated the audience from start to finish.

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. followed with “They Cloned the Deltas,” one of the night’s most dynamic routines. Mixing gymnastics, backflips, and intricate step sequences, the Deltas’ synchronized power echoed across the gym — earning thunderous applause from the crowd.

Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. impressed with a performance rooted in technical excellence. Emphasizing precision, rhythm, and control, the Iotas showcased the quiet strength and coordination that define their centaur spirit.

Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. took creativity to another level with their “Poodles of the Galaxy” theme. Their futuristic routine featured blindfolded cane stepping and daring stunts, including one member stepping while held upside down — a feat that left the audience in awe.

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. entered with “Beta Wars: Battle for the Yard,” a Star Wars–inspired production that embodied power, unity, and precision. Their synchronized formations and commanding presence proved why they remain at the top of their game.

Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. embraced their inner agents with “Spy Kidz 096Z,” combining blindfold stepping with clean, coordinated formations. Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. followed with “Sig Matrix,” delivering powerful, cinematic stepping that drew roars from the audience.

Closing out the night, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. delivered a standout performance with “Ladies in Pink,” a clever twist on Men in Black. Dressed in sleek pink suits and stepping to Kanye West’s “Monster,” the AKAs blended elegance, precision, and power, earning one of the loudest ovations of the evening.

With Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. taking home winning honors at the end of the night, the victory represented more than a competition—it was a testament to preparation, creativity, and pride in their historic chapters.

Howard University’s 2025 Homecoming Step Show wasn’t just a display of talent; it was a celebration of community, tradition, and the enduring spirit of step. The night reminded everyone in attendance that at Howard, legacy doesn’t just live on it performs, with power and purpose.