By Janiyah Gaston
Article and Photos provided by the Daily Egyptian
High Definition Step Team hosted its first-ever talent show on Dec. 7 in the Student Center Auditorium.
Vice President Diamond Bluford and Aaliyah Hatter said they wanted to join the group because of movies like Stomp the Yard and because they thought the group would be a great addition to Southern Illinois University (SIU).
Janiyah Gaston @janiyah_reports
High Definition Step Team Members perform on stage Dec. 7, 2022 at SIU Student Center Auditorium in Carbondale, Ill. “Today we are having this event to bring out Black talent around SIU. We also just want to showcase some of the things that we have been working on like these girls put in so much work and also the other talents,” Bluford said.
“I feel like we need it because it's something a part of our culture and [...] it goes back with step so I just feel like we needed something to bring us closer and inform others about it,” Bluford said.
She said being a part of the step team pushed her out of her comfort zone.
Hatter said the talent show was important because it was the first event they hosted to get the group's name out there and show the students what they can do.
“So we're trying to also showcase our talent so that we can get more people to join like maybe next semester, and especially after that,” she said.
High Definition Step Team being a part of the SIU community will inspire a lot of Black students, especially the Black women on campus, Hatter said.
NaTrel Williams, the host of the talent show said he has hosted a lot of the Black events on campus for a while now.
“We just did the Ebony ball for the first time, which we do annually, starting last year. But I had started posting for that and it was great administration, liked it, and everybody liked it,” Williams said “So it's just after that everything just kept going and kept going and I was actually the host.”
He said although he did not plan on being the host for most of the Black events on campus he enjoys doing it and is glad he has the role.
Williams said he was excited to be the host of High Definition’s first talent show.
“I feel great because I know the people on the team and I know that they got a lot of great potential and I know that they couldn't participate in the step show. So I'm really ready to see what they bring. I know it's gonna be great,” he said.
He said this event allowed Black talent to be showcased on campus because Black groups and students were able to share their talents with the school and be recognized.
The first act of the night was the Vanity Fashion Fair Models, to start off their performance they walked down the aisle and handed out candy bags to the audience. Once they handed out all the bags they made their way to the stage and danced to various Christmas songs.
Next up was Ashley Hinton, a second-year student who sang an original song she wrote titled Freedom and Nina Simon’s song Feeling Good. After Hinton was Frankie Stewart, a first-year student read a poem about her life.
Janiyah Gaston @janiyah_reports
Ashley Hinton sings at the High Definition Step Team Talent Show Dec. 7, 2022 at SIU Student Center Auditorium in Carbondale, Ill. “I feel like we already showcase Black talent very well here because if we know that somebody has a certain type of talent, we have them like perform for different black events, and stuff like that, but I feel like this will showcase that by the purpose of coming to watch talent to witness talent,” Williams said.
Ace Neal sang Mary Did You Know and Charlotte Smith-Baker, a third-year student aka LatteLand sang an original song No Flockin Remix. K.J Fitz read a poem about the struggles of black women.
Janiyah Gaston @janiyah_reports
Ace Neal sings Mary Did You Know at High Definition Step Team Talent Show Step Team Dec. 7, 2022 at SIU Student Center Auditorium in Carbondale, Ill.
To end the night, High Definition step team performed its step routine. At the start of their performance, they stepped down the aisle, once they got on stage they reenacted a scene from the movie Major Payne. Toward the end of the group’s performance, they played Meek Mill’s song Dreams and Nightmares and got the crowd involved with its performance.
“We are having this event to bring out Black talent around SIU. We also just want to showcase some of the things that we have been working on,” Bluford said.