TAMPA, Fla. — College and youth teams will compete at the Stompdown step competition on Jan. 7. 

The competition is held at the Florida State Fairgrounds at 7 p.m. 

Stepping is a form of percussive dance — popular in African American Greek life, fraternities and sororities, and beyond.

“It’s a very big impact, right,” said Djaun Ballinger. “Because it’s a great style of dance that’s goes deep beyond what we do today. It goes back to the early 1900s and Africa.”

Jason Berry is getting ready for redemption — his fraternity’s step team, Kappa Alpha Psi, placed second in 2022.

When asked how the spotlight felt, he said it was nerve-wracking but also really exciting.

The University of South Florida senior says they’ll use any prize money for the fraternity’s charitable works.

“That’s one of the biggest things to me,” said Berry. “How we can give back to the community in the best way possible.”

The historically black fraternity formed in 1911, and their canes are an homage to their founding brothers. 

“It was a symbol of how they were gentlemen,” he said.

Today, they twirl colorful canes, showing there is a place for everyone on the USF campus.

“Cuz I understand how it is — especially when you are new here,” said Berry. “Because I was a transfer student, I didn’t know anyone. I try to use that to make it more welcoming, and my brothers do the same.”

Turns out, the fraternity offers more than social trimmings — there are career mentors too.

“Especially if you’re an African American student, you might not have your parents who went down that same road, so you may not have a lot of guidance,” he said. “They are like uncles, grandfathers, they are able to help in that way, like another parent, another uncle would.”

Something Berry and his fellow Kappa Alpha Psi brothers will all do for their future brothers too.