The glass breaks. "Everybody pay attention." The crowd around you begins to part and soon enough, a line of men wearing Greek letters filters through the clearing. You've found yourself in the front row of a performance, and the audience is buzzing with energy.
"This right here is my pretty boy swag," onlookers rally, hyping up the dancers as they travel across the floor. Their movements are clean and sharp, and they dance completely in unison. The choreography is almost hypnotic and everyone in the room is captivated.
The song you're hearing is Soulja Boy's "Pretty Boy Swag," and the performance you're watching is a stroll — a synchronized, traditional dance performed within historically Black sororities and fraternities. Members line up, with a "stroll master" on the front end, leading the line forward as they perform their organization's distinct choreography.
You'd likely witness these performances on campus at yard shows, probates (new member presentations) or other events organized by "Divine 9" fraternities and sororities. D9 refers to the nine historically Black organizations that make up the National Pan-Hellenic Council.
Strolling is just one of many significant traditions and practices carried out by Black Greek- letter organizations. It is unique, however, for its deep historical roots and, further, the space it holds as a form of resistance and expression within the African American cultural tradition.
Emergence of a vernacular dance
Long before this tradition began in 1920 among Black Greek-letter organizations, gold miners in Apartheid-era South Africa were developing a way to communicate through movement.
Gumboot dancing, named for the Wellington rainboots distributed to workers to protect their feet, was developed from restrictions on speaking traditional languages within the mines. As a result, miners would communicate undetected through the rhythmic stomping of their gumboots.
Down the line, this practice became less about communication and evolved to be more recreational. Workers would hold performances with groups of miners joining in to participate. In cities like Johannesburg, where the ethnic makeup of the miners was incredibly varied, the dance became an amalgamation of several tribal influences.
This dance was passed along through different communities and continued to absorb every dancer's unique additions. Because gumboot dancing was learned through oral transmission, its style continued to evolve and change through each distinct performance of it.
By the early 1900s, the first Black sororities and fraternities began to pop up predominantly in historically Black colleges and universities in the U.S. Soon thereafter, the tradition of stepping began across these organizations.
Power in performance
Within Black Greek-letter organizations, strolling has been a distinct form of expression among various fraternities and sororities, each creating and passing down their own versions and additions to the dance.
"We have different signs, different calls, steps and strolls, all of that encompasses how we represent ourselves and showcase our own identity," James Thorpe, a junior studying justice studies and Phi Beta Sigma’s Lambda Xi chapter vice president, said.
Phi Beta Sigma has a handful of distinct strolls to popular songs, like Meek Mill’s "Dreams and Nightmares." The Sigma Walk is also a dance unique to the fraternity.
"Even in some places where you may see the same move, you might see them do it differently. For Phi Beta Sigma, one of the most famous moves is the Sigma Walk. And some chapters might not even do it. Some chapters, they'll use both legs. Some chapters, they'll use one,"
The processes in learning these strolls as a new member are different across every chapter and organization. According to Serenity Reynolds, a senior studying journalism and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., many of the strolls in her chapter are passed down from prophytes to neophytes (older members to newer members). For newer strolls, the chapter president, the song and dance chair and the co-chairs facilitate practices for members to learn and rehearse.
Donovan Drummer, a senior studying sports business and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. described the learning process within his chapter as a great opportunity for bonding among his brothers.
Rehearsing the strolls in private is only the first step in this process. Taking the dances public and performing in front of an audience is an important milestone for many new members, and some view it as a rite of passage.
Thorpe shared the story behind his first time leading a new stroll, taught to him by one of his older brothers.
"We all rushed to the floor to do the stroll, (and it) made me feel good, not only because he let me lead the stroll, but because I was confident enough (to do it),"Thorpe said. "And he also had that confidence and pride in me, that I could not only lead it, (but) teach it to other people as well."
Within D9, strolling symbolizes unity among members of individual organizations and throughout the entire NPHC as well. Alana Lynch, a junior studying journalism and a member of Parliamentarian of Zeta Phi Beta’s Sorority Inc.'s Kappa Iota chapter, said strolling makes her feel a part of something, and having her sisters surrounding her further solidifies this feeling.
"Especially when we're strolling with our grad chapter as well, it just shows (that this is) a generational thing, (that) it's a tradition, and it's our history," Lynch said.
Thorpe resonated with this feeling. "I feel as though, when I’m strolling with my brothers, that this chapter feels like, 'This is us,' this is our mark that we're putting on not only the yard at ASU, but just how we represent Sigma," he said.
Continuing a legacy
The cultural and historical roots that strolling has made are an important part of the identities of these organizations, further reflecting their individual beliefs and values. D9 organizations as a whole were born out of resistance to exclusion. The traditions they carry reflect and honor this past.
"We didn’t even have that space (or) the opportunity to represent ourselves in the way that the (Infraternity Council) fraternities and (NPHC) sororities had — we couldn't join them. We couldn't represent ourselves. D9 exists as a way for Black people to not only showcase (both) their excellence and culture," Thorpe said.
For centuries, Black Americans have pioneered pop cultural trends in arts, music and entertainment. Strolling fits into this history in a unique protected space. As an art form that only exists within the D9 umbrella, it has been preserved singularly within Black culture, which is a rare occurrence for Black art.
"The reasons our organizations were founded were because there wasn't a space for us. We had to make our own space," Reynolds said.
The protection and continuation of this tradition is incredibly important to D9 organizations, especially in the world of social media, when increased visibility online can give way to misrepresentation.
A major fear in the perception of strolling online is a lack of understanding about its deep-rooted meanings. "Most importantly, it needs to be respected. I know there's a lot of people, especially now, in the age of social media, where a lot of things can be showcased just for clicks and likes. It's really easy to get lost in that … Strolling itself needs to be respected in the sense that it is a cultural identity," Thorpe said.
Popular videos depicting the dance on platforms like TikTok have turned this tradition into a sort of spectacle. Members have expressed the importance of reminding audiences that while the dance is entertaining, it still holds deep cultural significance that those outside of the organizations should not attempt to recreate.
Members also stressed the importance of understanding that strolling is just one of many traditions and services that D9 organizations devote themselves to.
"That's not all we do. And we do showcase our principles in other ways (like) through community service, scholarship (and) sisterhood. But in the same breath, strolling has its significance historically and to just respect that," Lynch said.
Because D9 organizations have carried this tradition on for over 100 years, current members now hold the responsibility of continuing and preserving the practice, while honoring its longstanding and weighted legacy.
Reynolds expressed her thoughts on this responsibility as a member of the organization accredited with beginning the tradition. "Coming out here, learning more about D9 (and) specifically, wanting to be an AKA, and going through the process and then finally getting on the other side, it means a lot to me to represent a legacy that's been for so many years before me," Reynolds said.
"When I stroll, or even when I'm just wearing pink and green with the letters, it's nothing small. For lack of better words, it's something that's huge and much larger than me. And I know whenever I am representing my organization, to represent it well, (and to) represent it with pride."
Edited by Leah Mesquita, Natalia Jarrett and Abigail Wilt. This story is part of The Culture Issue, which was released on March 25, 2026. See the entire publication here.
Reach Keyanee Walls at kwalls6@asu.edu.
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Keyanee Walls is a magazine reporter at The State Press. She is a second year student at ASU’s Walter Cronkite School.
