step sing 2014 {the sacred tradition}

"Without tradition, art is a flock of sheep without a shepherd.  Without innovation, it is a corpse."

-Winston Churchill

Participating in traditions allows us to infuse ourselves into a larger past history, while simultaneously allowing us the opportunity to distinguish our present self.  Last weekend, I had the privilege of participating in a Samford University sixty-three-year-old tradition: Step Sing.

I first heard about the infamous Step Sing through a family friend.  He shared whispered accounts of his participation in the legendary singing and dancing competition and the harrowing details of executing a sweepstake wining show. 

Now, I know this sounds totally absurd!  But like any tradition you have been a part of, the participation in something larger than you has a way of creating a bigger-than-life immediate experience and subsequent memory out of that experience.  As a freshman at Samford, I knew that I had to get a taste of Step Sing. 

Students have one month to put together their six minute mash up of a show.  Blood, sweat and tears go into selecting a creative, yet developable theme, choosing the perfect songs to tell your story, choreographing interesting moves including ripples, formations...and then actually practicing everything over and over until you have a seamless performance.  And the reward?   Bragging rights for one year for the one lucky sweepstakes winners.    

I participated in my sorority's show and it was everything I had imagined.  The chills were there and I was hooked!  Unfortunately, I was disappointed to discover fairly quickly that 1. I couldn't sing and 2. I wasn't very coordinated.  Of course these are the two main components of Step Sing!

 I then spent two years on the overall student-run committee that puts on the show.  I enjoyed learning about all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into this beloved campus event.  

This year, I received a call inquiring whether I would be interested in being a part of the judging process.  I loved it!  That is the truest thing about traditions.  When traditions thrive over the years, as a result of what Churchill distinguishes as being able to evolve and inspire innovation, the tradition will always take you back to that magical experience you lived out, while allowing new memories to be made.