“Divine Nine” (D9) sororities and fraternities at the University of Kentucky competed in the 2025 National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) Homecoming Step Show.
The show on Oct. 17 featured performances by the D9s, historically Black sororities and fraternities in NPHC, at the Otis A. Singletary Center for the Arts.
Eight of the nine D9 organizations currently have chapters at UK, who were then judged by a panel of former D9 alumni to determine the sorority and fraternity winners.
According to NPHC adviser Uriah Carter, stepping is more than a dance, it’s a way to signify unity and give tribute to past members.
“It’s (stepping) a cultural expression through dance, synchronic beats, just making different types of sounds and unified motions with more than one person,” Uriah Carter said.
According to Uriah Carter, proceeds from the event will benefit the NPHC and its individual chapters, with the winning organizations receiving a trophy and cash prize.
Students such as Amia Carter, a sophomore psychology major, attended the show for its cultural significance.
“It’s not just stepping, it’s not just dancing, it’s not just strolling. Throughout all of the movements, there’s a story and a history behind it,” Amia Carter said. “I think this should encourage students to go and look up and see the meaning behind it, because I think you wouldn’t expect it to go so deep, just based on a show, but it really does run deep.”
The show represented not just entertainment, Amia Carter said, but also her African American roots.
“It’s really just a movement, but the meaning behind it, I think, is very interesting,” Amia Carter said. “It goes back to African American culture, just expressing ourselves in different ways that were not typical.”
Alpha Kappa Alpha took first place for sororities with a performance inspired by the Black Panther Party, while Alpha Phi Alpha took the fraternity title with a routine based on the movie “Sinners.”
Buchi Ajaezu, a senior psychology and neuroscience double-major and president of the winning sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, said that while the performance was “nerve-racking,” she felt it was an important form of self-expression.
“D9 hasn’t been around as long as pan-hellenic and other predominantly white organizations,” Ajaezu said. “So stepping was kind of a way of expression and just showing ourselves and our creativity and just our culture.”
Andre Tucker Jr., president and treasurer of the winning fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha, said the feeling of winning was “indescribable,” especially since his chapter hadn’t won the step show in over a decade.
Tucker Jr. a senior statistics and data science major, said their “countless” hours of practicing since the summer had finally paid off.
“As hard as the work is, you get to do it with people that you enjoy being around,” Tucker Jr. said. “It allows us to grow so that we’re capable of doing something bigger than ourselves.”
