Fall Block Step Show’s 25th Anniversary VCU’s must-see fall semester event

The Fall Block Step Show is celebrating its silver anniversary this Saturday at VCU’s Siegel Center.  The self-proclaimed “biggest step show in Virginia” will top off a spirited Fall Block week and mark 25 years as one of the fall semester’s biggest VCU events.

At Fall Block — a long-running VCU tradition — teams from each of the National Pan-Hellenic Council fraternities and sororities, led and choreographed by a “Stepmaster” or “Stepmistress,” perform and compete in an all-out step competition.

What’s at stake for the winner? “You get cash money for your chapter,” said senior Morgan Saunders, Fall Block planning committee member. “And bragging rights — and a sweet trophy.”

There are nine historically Black Greek letter organizations (BGLOs) that make up the National Pan-Hellenic Council, commonly referred to as “The Divine Nine.” Ties to one or more of these organizations may be found in many college-educated Black families in the United States.

Monday marked the start of Fall Block with a kick-off event held in the Commons Plaza: the Fall Block Planning Committee sponsored a Richmond area High School Step Show that followed that evening. The 12-hour marathon CAA blood drive challenge on Wednesday was hyped by the free ticket to the step show given to each 25th donor every hour.

When the first Fall Block happened 25 years ago, it was “A small show — not many people,” said Saunders, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha.  But now, Fall Block Step Shows typically pack the 7,500-seat Siegel Center. The trend is expected to continue this year with the buzz surrounding the anniversary. There is expected to be high support from the VCU Greek community — and also from anyone on campus interested in a good show.

“It’s more than just a step show, it is truly a performance,” Saunders said. “Every chapter puts on their own unique show.”

This year’s theme is “stepping through the decades” — perhaps exempilfied by the Alumni Step Exhibition on Friday night at 8 p.m. at the Commons Plaza, which will feature alumni members of past NPHC step teams. The event is meant to “commemorate old school steppers and the Fall Block legacy.”

“It’s so broad,” Saunders said of this year’s theme. “There’s so much you can do with it — a lot of the step teams are excited, because it’s not so narrow.” This fall’s theme was announced last April so that the teams would have plenty of time to prepare. “We pretty much stay here all summer and plan for Fall Block,” Saunders said.

Saturday night won’t conclude with the step show: an after party is scheduled at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. Tickets have been on sale in the Break Points Game Room in the University Commons since September 1st. The after party tickets, at $20 per VCU student, are more expensive than the actual performance.

In addition to the proceeds from ticket sales, The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention provided a $3000 grant to fund the event.  (One Fall Block poster reads, “No stirring or mixing here, just stepping. This is my plan for Saturday night. What’s yours?”)

According to Saunders, alcohol abuse/misuse awareness is a “significant part” of the message the NPHC and ABC support.

Saunders believes that this year will be “bigger and better than ever before. We’re gonna hit this 25th anniversary with a bang.”

Tickets are on sale now for the Fall Block Step Show and Fall Block Step Show after party in the Breakpoint Games Room in the University Commons, $10 for VCU students, $15 for general admission.
Visit http://fallblockvcu.com for more information about the week’s events and ticket sales.