On Jan. 8, Banner Drop not only kicked off another exciting season of Step Sing, but also acted as a debut for our new Step Sing hosts: seniors Ambria Underwood and Jancyn Gordon.
During the big weekend of Step Sing shows, Underwood and Gordon will share the honor of taking the stage before, after, and between performances, introducing the program and entertaining the crowd. Both hosts expressed just how thrilled and grateful they were to be chosen for this critical role.
“I’m so excited,” Underwood said. “This is just one of those things where you’re just like, I can’t believe this is happening to me.”
Underwood and Gordon’s first moments onstage during Banner Drop were received with loud cheers and applause, a grand introduction to what the coming performance days will look like.
“We were so nervous behind the scenes, but everyone was so supportive, so encouraging!” Gordon emphasized. “We got out there and everyone was cheering for us, which gave me a second to calm down.”
They were able to introduce themselves to the crowd of students: Underwood a senior nursing major and nutrition minor from Decatur, Alabama, and Gordon a senior accounting major and Spanish minor from Huntsville, Alabama. Gordon and Underwood have been roommates at Samford for several years, and first discussed the idea of hosting Step Sing together when watching recent alumni Will Green and Jason Stucky host last year’s program.
After a process of interviewing and submitting video tapes for review, Underwood and Gordon received word during Christmas Break that they would be hosting Step Sing 2023.
“This is my first experience in involvement with Step Sing,” Underwood said, “but prior to (this) I’ve seen the shows and had watch parties, but thought, ‘how can I graduate and not have been part of it in some way?’ So, we’re going for gold!”
“This is such a pinnacle (for me)” Gordon said. “Even though I went and saw my sister perform in Step Sing, I didn’t want to go to Samford at all. But I would go to Step Sing and think, ‘I hope whatever university I go to has something like this…’ I feel like it is so full circle for me to be in the crowd thinking ‘I don’t want to go here’ to my senior year (of college) being on stage.”
Gordon and Underwood both expressed their different goals and expectations for this upcoming experience.
Underwood primarily hopes to break barriers surrounding who should or shouldn’t be involved in Step Sing -as a show participant or as a host.
“Neither of us have a major that goes into public speaking, and so I think this is something any person across campus can do. You don’t have to be a theater major, communications, anything like that, you can do it,” Underwood said. “(Also), my sorority (Alpha Kappa Alpha) has never really been involved with Step Sing, so I want this to be a kind of introduction.”
“There is so much value in Step Sing,” Gordon said.” “My freshman year, I was in Freshman Ladies and a lot of my friends were in Freshman Girls and I was heartbroken, but I met so many people that I’m still friends with now, and I feel like it just connects everybody–even if you aren’t in step sing, you still have a lighter academic load… everybody benefits from it, everyone buys into it! I am really looking forward to being able to facilitate that community aspect that Samford has.”
Staff Writer
