Correction appended.

When the competitors of Face-Off step on stage, they’re battling for glory — and a cause.

“All the greeks in the National Pan-Hellenic Council come out and just show what they can do,” said Jimmy Huff, a junior psychology major from Sparta. “All we want to do is give a good, competitive show to the audience and just excite them.”

Equally as important is that Face-Off highlights the stepping tradition of the African culture.

“When we’re stepping, we’re doing it for fun, but we’re also doing it for our roots,” said Ebony Brown, the vice president of National Pan-Hellenic Council. “When we go out there, it means something more than stepping. We’re honoring our heritage.”

The art form of stepping pays homage to the past, while also unifying those in the present.

“When you step, you’re stepping is one,” Brown said. “Our organizations are based on brotherhood and sisterhood, so we take pride in being able to move together in unity and precision.”

Sponsored by the NPHC — the governing body for the eight traditionally African-American sororities and fraternities on campus — Face-Off has been a highly anticipated annual step competition for more than 20 years.

The competition is so talented and gets so fierce that the performers really need to bring a thrilling and surprising routine, Huff said.

“If that certain step or extra element happens in your routine that no one thinks is coming, then that really gets the crowd wild,” he said.

It’s all about the “wow” factor.

Huff said his fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, has won the competition every year except once two years ago.

The fraternity doesn’t plan on losing again.

“We want to keep the wins coming,” Huff said. “I love putting on a big show for people and entertaining them — but over everything, I’m really competitive. I hate losing.”

However, Face-Off is more than just a passionate step competition: its main goal is to raise money for the NPHC’s chosen national philanthropies each year, while the winning organization is given extra money for a philanthropy of its choosing.

This year, the proceeds from Face-Off will most likely be donated to UGA Miracle, Brown said.

From what previous years have shown, Face-Off continues to bring in a large crowd, and on Saturday, the NPHC expects audience members to come from near and far, Brown said.

“People from out of town, relatives, University alumni from years ago – they all come to support us,” she said. “They come to see us step.”

During the competition, sororities and fraternities are judged on three main factors: precision, entertainment value and uniformity.

In the art of stepping, precision and uniformity are essential – it shows that the group is moving as one.

“When you step, the group needs to be incredibly on point,” Brown said. “Or you lose the idea of moving as a unit.”

Each year, the organizations choose a different theme, so the show is always different. The themes are never revealed until performance time, so the audience never knows what to expect – only a highly energized event.

However, the true power of the show is the effect it has on the community, Huff said.

“It brings unity and connects people,” he said. “On that night, people from different backgrounds and different places come together to watch a great show and to help raise money for the philanthropy.”

For Brown, the most rewarding part of Face Off is seeing the blend of many cultures from the Athens community.

“The University of Georgia was only desegregated a few decades ago,” she said. “So, it’s a miracle to see blacks doing this on stage – not only paying respect to their roots, but also sharing their heritage with so many different people from so many different cultures.”

Although winning is the large focus for the sororities and fraternities, Huff said the purpose of Face-Off is just to have a fun, friendly competition.

“We all just want to go out there,” he said, “have fun and show the audience what we got.”

FACE-OFF
Where: The Classic Center
When: 6 p.m. (doors), 7 p.m.
Price: $20

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly listed Jimmy Huff’s hometown as Smyrna. The Red & Black regrets this error.