Deepher Dude teams showed off their dance moves for an enthusiastic audience at the fifth annual philanthropy event hosted by Delta Phi Epsilon on Tuesday, Nov. 5 in the Ritchie Coliseum.
Deepher Dude is an all male dance competition, where teams of four to eight men are coached by members of the Delta Phi Epsilon sorority with dances that correspond to that year’s theme, which was “Movie Soundtracks.”
“I think the theme was great. They chose classic movies that everyone had seen, so everyone knew where the moves were coming from and could fully appreciate the songs,” said Jordyn Gelle, a member of Sigma Kappa.
Soundtracks this year ranged from Slumdog Millionaire to Burlesque to Mean Girls.
“I was never been part of a dance team, so I wanted to try it out. I liked the theme, ours was Mean Girls and we did jingle bell rock, enough said,” said Kevin Zhu, a participant on the Phi Sigma Kappa team said.
Although last year’s competition was a success, more groups participated this year and more money was raised, according to Elise Holtzman, a member of Delta Phi Epsilon.
The dance competition featured 18 fraternities, the Maryland varsity lacrosse team, and the club rugby team, each performing a two-minute dance routine.
“It’s a tradition for us, we always put something together. I think this year was definitely a success because there were a lot more people than last year,” Cody Chamberlain, a participant on the Alpha Tau Omega team said.
Elise Pruissen, a member of Sigma Kappa, agrees.
“I thought it was a great success. They had a large amount of attendants and co-sponsors which is great because it raised a lot of money for Cystic Fibrosis which is the point of the whole thing,” Pruissen said.
However, there is room for improvement for next year.
“I thought it was a successful event, however, the music was poorly managed and cut out during a lot of the events,” Bernstein said.
After a deliberation by the six judges, from Alpha Epsilon Phi, Sigma Delta Tau, and other Greek life organizations, Sigma Nu, who danced to the Grease soundtrack took home the first place prize—a Sony stereo system. Alpha Tau Omega who danced to the Bring It On soundtrack and Delta Sigma Phi who danced to the Night at the Roxbury soundtrack received trophies for second and third place, respectively.
“The only thing that I wish they would have done differently is to have kept the second place prize as a Bentley’s gift card like last year,” Chamberlain said. His team won second place.
Delta Phi Epsilon fundraised through personal donations, corporate donations, fundraisers at local restaurants, sponsorships, and ticket sales. Delta Phi Epsilon sold Deepher Due shirts at the events, and held fundraisers at Chipotle and Slices in the days leading up to the event.
“The event was definitely a success. There was a great turn out and everyone seemed to be having a good time. We raised a total of $11,571.22 for Cystic Fibrosis, which is really incredible,” Stella Gordon-Zigel, a member of Delta Phi Epsilon said. Last year they raised $9,000.
All of the proceeds from the event will be donated to The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
“This event was a great way to build inter-Greek relations,” said Josh Bernstein, a member of Phi Sigma Kappa.