On the evening of Friday, Nov. 10, McAlister Auditorium came alive as crowds gathered to watch Tulane University sororities and fraternities battle it out on the dance floor in the 2023 Greek Groove Dance Competition. The event was the culmination of the week-long Greek Groove competition organized by Tulane Panhellenic Council to benefit charity.
Between coin wars and carnivals, the week was loaded with potential for participation for Greek chapters to earn points towards the contest. On Wednesday, chapters set up individual booths on Brown Field as a part of the Greek Groove Carnival event. Sigma Delta Tau’s cotton candy booth won first prize for having the most chapter participation.
“I thought it was a really fun way for the Greek community to come together and raise some money,” senior and SDT panhellenic delegate Rachel Hahn said. “In our chapter, we always promote going to other sororities’ events; it’s really important to support our friends in other sororities. I think that kind of participation is characteristic of SDT and of other sororities too.”
All the proceeds collected from this year’s festivities were donated to Eden House and Bati School. Eden House is a local nonprofit shelter that supports survivors of human trafficking by providing long-term housing and comprehensive recovery services, guided by their foundational principle that “love heals.” Based in Haiti, Bati School provides free K-12 education to Haitian children. The school is funded by Papa Rozier Farm, a sustainable farming initiative in Haiti focused on building “economic development and sustainable change.” In total, the campaign raised $29,540, just shy of its $35,000 goal.
Friday night was definitely the highlight of the competition with electric sorority dances and awkward yet endearing moves of the fraternities.
In the dance competition, Alpha Epsilon Phi took first place for their dynamic, tightly choreographed number. Kappa Alpha Theta came in second for their powerful and spirited race-car themed dance. Delta Tau Delta was third for channeling their inner Ken on the dancefloor, in addition to placing first overall out of the competing fraternities.
In the total competition, Chi Omega placed third behind second place Tri Delta, who raised an impressive 15,600 donation points, the most out of any competing chapter. However, Kappa Alpha Theta came away with the crown as a result of their chapter participation, leading performance in events and high number of donation points.
It was evident that “panhel love,” a term often thrown around during panhellenic recruitment to describe the bond between Greek organizations, was present in McAlister that night. The abundance of Britney Spears music, sexual innuendo and flat jokes by the event emcees were all made tolerable in the name of unity and support of a good cause.
“Greek Groove has given me a great opportunity to meet more people in my chapter and step out of my comfort zone,” senior Cassie Sika, who danced for Alpha Delta Pi, said. “It’s a very comforting experience, all my sisters are always there to support me, whether they’re in the dance or just coming to watch. It’s really nice to have that sense of community.”
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