The Center for the Arts Main Stage Theater was alive with stomping and clapping on Saturday evening as UB Step Troupe hosted their sixth annual Spring Extravaganza.
Step teams and dance groups from Canisius College, City College of New York, Cazenovia College, Tufts University, Le Moyne College, Cornell University and one high school brought their A-game to UBST's annual step show and dance competition.
"A lot of hard work and preparation went into this show," said Jamil Crews, senior African American studies major and treasurer of UBST, during his introduction of the show. "People have come from all over - It's going to be serious tonight."
The stepping competition might have been serious but the show's host did his best to make sure the audience was anything but serious. Michael Blackson, a comedian best known for his role stand-up performances on BET's "Comic View" and his role in the movie "Next Friday," had the audience roaring the entire night.
During the brief intermissions between the fierce performances, Blackson made it a point to push the envelope with his racy jokes. He poked fun at audience members, UB's football team, his complexion, his homeland Ghana, relationships and kept a running joke about the impressiveness of one of his body parts.
"He was hilarious, he said some funny things and he was funny-looking," said Dean Edwards, a senior exercise science major. "He wasn't afraid to make fun of himself. I just think he shouldn't have made fun of that big kid so much - that was the only negative."
While Blackson did his job as comedic host, the steppers did their best to wow the crowd and the judges - comprised of UB graduates and former steppers - with their steps.
The young ladies of the Zeta Archonettes were the only high school performers and won their segment of the competition by default. They put on a good show with stylish steps and confident chants proclaiming themselves to be "so, so sexy."
Rochester Institute of Technology, with their precision steps and comedy routine, came away with first place in the university step division.
City College of New York, the crowd favorite, took second place. Their routine peppered with speeches about academic excellence, African American empowerment and their tribute to the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), elicited appreciative applause from the audience. The group's fierce exhibition of feet stomping, hand clapping and complicated steps impressed the crowd.
Third place went to the all-male step troupe from Tufts University. The group's intensity was well suited by the men's powerful chants of "oohs and aahs" and their army getups.
The scantily clad ladies and gentlemen of Cornell University with the sex-charged performance took first place in the dance competition. Canisius College's all-female dance group had a slightly less suggestive performance and came away with second place.
The ladies and gentlemen of UBST treated the audience to elegant and hysterical performances respectively.
The "Elegant Ladies of UBST," headed by Raquel Davila, president of UBST, invited the audience to dinner in their restaurant-themed performance. Their performance was accompanied by pop songs and brought to life with waitress outfits and props.
Abraham Robinson, senior communication and psychology major, took on the persona of P. Diddy as he introduced and hosted UBST's men's performance. The men came out dressed as Rick James, Prince, "Tyrone the Crackhead," "Ashy Larry" and "Buck Nasty," all characters from the hit comedy "Chapelle Show;" and Dylan from P. Diddy's "Making the Band."
The audience was thoroughly amused by the performance.
"I thought (the parody step) was really original, I tried to do something different, something that would catch the crowd's attention. I think it was funny, people were laughing," said Crews, the coordinator of the men's exhibition step who also played "Tyrone the Crackhead." "I had fun performing and the guys shocked me, I didn't think they were going to stay in character like they did."
Davila, junior English and African American studies major and president of UBST, said the comedy and the performances came together to make a good show.
"The performances were so on-point it was unbelievable and the comedian, Michael Blackson, was a great addition to the show," she said. "Of course there was lot of hard work and effort put into it and the show was a success."
