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This could very well be the first time that the phrases gyrating on stage and prevention of child abuse are used in the same sentence. However, these two phrases are practically synonymous with the University of Georgias Sigma Delta Taus philanthropy event, Greek Grind. Every year, a vast majority of the seventeen Panhellenic sororities at UGA compete in the hip hop dance competition in the efforts to be christened the champions of Greek Grind, while also raising money to stop child abuse in our country. The label of Greek Grind champion is much coveted among the sororities who are usually the top contenders, and the fight for the title is always intense, with weeks of rumors about what each team has been choreographing, as well as mild trash talking preceding the actual event. While Greek Grind is the most successful philanthropy event in Panhellenic history at the University of Georgia, generating an astonishing $36,000 this past October for Prevent Child Abuse America (Red&Black.com), it is difficult to watch the competition and not think to oneself what actually motivates each sorority to compete year after year. It begs the question of why this competition of lewd hip hop dancing rakes in such a significant amount of funds; is it because each team of sorority women genuinely cares about the cause of preventing child abuse or is it because sorority women cannot resist the chance at being the best? While one can never know the psychological motive of each participant, the meaning that is portrayed to the audience is one that seems to be in conflict with the purpose of the event. This paradoxical situation possesses two components: erotic dancing and charity, and one could be compelled to wonder why these two components are linked for this competition. In this essay, numerous academic sources will be used in order to examine the phenomenon of Sigma Delta Taus philanthropy event, Greek Grind. For just under a decade, the sisters of Sigma Delta Tau at the University of Georgia have been coordinating Greek Grind for their national philanthropy, Prevent Child Abuse America.

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Greek Grind is an opportunity for each Panhellenic sorority to present a choreographed hip hop number performed to a conglomeration of the most popular rap music. Upon hearing about the event, one might contemplate how adept these sorority women could actually be at the craft of hip hop dancing. After all, sorority women at UGA do have the reputation of being upper class as well as Caucasian, which are not characteristics that are indicative of most dancers featured in the hip hop videos of todays top artists. However, many can attest to the fact that these performances are actually quite extraordinary. With the incorporation of ballet, gymnastics and occasional stepping, Greek Grind provides sororities with a stage to demonstrate the exceptional skills of their talented members. The competition is hosted at the Classic Center in downtown Athens, and tickets have sold out every single year of the events existence. In fact for the past two years, a live stream of the competition has been shown at the Manor in downtown Athens, where people who could not receive tickets for the Classic Center could view the show for a cover fee. The competition is usually hosted by a semi-prestigious figure; for example, last years Greek Grind was emceed by retired anchor of WSB-TVs Channel Two Action News in Atlanta, Monica Kaufman. The judges of the competition are also an attraction in and of themselves; not only did UGA football players Aaron Murray, Tavarres King, and Keith Marshall judge last years event, 2012 Olympic gold medalist swimmers Shannon Vreeland and Allison Schmitt were members of the high profile panel as well (Red&Black.com). While the actual performance is the most important part of the point system, Sigma Delta Tau has also created ways in which teams can earn further points before the actual night of the event; for example, each sorority must paint a banner to hang up in front of their sorority house by a certain date so that a winner of the banner contest can be named by Sigma Delta Tau and granted points. The spirit contest is another aspect of the

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competition that is not correlated with the dance component; the winner of this contest just has to simply raise money for the charity, which can be done in many ways, including billing every member of the sorority $10 each. All of these factors can combine with the points from the choreographed number to result in a higher ranking than just the dance alone. Greek Grind has been one of the most famous events among students at UGA for the sheer rivalry of each sorority team, and with the amount of people who want to view the competition; it is no surprise that Sigma Delta Tau has raised such a large amount of money each year. In the months leading up to Greek Grind, Sigma Delta Tau does an exceptional job at advertising the affair. With flyers on display in dormitories, on buses, around the study hotspots on campus, plus the hype on the Facebook event, it is difficult to not receive word that this competition will be incredible, not only for the dancing, but also because it will give Sigma Delta Tau the chance to top the funds raised the year before for their national philanthropy. The purpose of Greek Grind, to raise money and awareness for Prevent Child Abuse America, is conveyed to all those who come into contact with any form of advertisements. The act is also obvious because the funds and awareness cannot be accumulated without the paying attendees. With each ticket selling at $18 each for last years competition, Sigma Delta Tau was able to generate $36,000, which is more than they have ever appropriated. Thus, one could conclude that since the goal of this philanthropy event has been exceeded each year, the meaning behind the purpose before the competition is understood by the audience and participants because they are aiding in the cause, whether they want to help or they simply want to see a good, old-fashioned sorority contest. Taken at face value on the actual night of the event, the purpose of Greek Grind seems to be more about which team can not only out-dance the other teams, but also which team can win

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over the affection of the judges, which are usually comprised of the most revered of the UGA football players. The way that sorority women dance for Greek Grind presents a similar situation to that of exotic dancers because of what they are inherently doing. Even though these women are not dancing to make a living, they are still dancing for the approval of a panel of men. At the actual event, the purpose is not to raise awareness for the prevention of child abuse in our country, but to win the competition by appealing to male demands. Rather than promoting a positive environment for women to feel as if they are empowered by the absence of objectification, the dancers in Greek Grind openly engage in actions that breed objectification and low self-esteem. These emotions, which can be found in homes of abuse, can potentially cause a young person to become an exotic dancer herself. Even before adulthood, it is likely that a girl or woman (exotic dancer) has experienced dehumanizing references, to the point where many women eventually see themselves as little more than the sum total of their body parts (Downs, James, & Cohen, 745). Statistics also show an interesting relation between childhood sexual abuse and women who are involved in the pornography and exotic dancing businesses: According to University of Pennsylvania psychologist Mary Anne Layden, in a statement published by the obscenity crime organization Morality in Media between 60 and 80 percent of nude dancers were raped or sexually abused as children (Janssen). While the participants of the sorority teams at Greek Grind are not in similar situations to these women, it is still a paradox that they are dancing in ways which objectify them, similar to how an exotic dancer would perform. Another interesting issue that contributes to the meaning of Greek Grind is one aspect of that is intended to be humorous but further perpetuates the objectification of women, which occurs on the night of the event. Before the first dance is performed by a sorority, there is one

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dance that is performed by men. Each sorority competing is represented by one boy, and this group choreographs their own dance number for the entertainment of the audience1. This is always executed in an absurd, jaw-dropping manner; however it creates a parallel to the sexual dance numbers which are performed by the sorority women and how male and female exotic dancers are perceived in different ways in our society. According to a study completed in 2003 which explored the environments of male and female exotic performers, Female dancers offer a sexual fantasy to their clientele, whereas male dancers sell fun and entertainment (Bernard). With the incorporation of their own sexually explicit dance moves, it seems as if the boys of Greek Grind were inspired by the moves of the women which are executed in a mocking fashion. Further, this element of the event conveys a meaning of the norms of how male and female dancers are supposed to be viewed by the public by. The differences of the how the genders are perceived in our society are manifested by the difference in the ways in which the performances of Greek Grind are accomplished. Bernard explains, Whether or not dancing displays the female dancer's real self, this is how she spends much of her time. Given this time investment, she is identified, more so than male dancers, by this occupation. This means the negative connotations associated with exotic dancing are more likely to be applied to her, and she recognizes this. This finding provides a harsh realization about how male and female exotic dancers are treated by others and how they view themselves, which if applied to this element of Greek Grind conveys the meaning that male dancers serve the purpose of comic relief but women dancers serve a sexual purpose.

The 2012 Greek Grind boys performance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18VgqdFIAy8

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The last point of analysis for Greek Grind is the title of the event itself which is also conflicting with the ratio of purpose-act prior to the event. Greek Grind does not appear to sound like it would have any relation to raising awareness for an altruistic charity, but rather the word choice would be more fitting for a themed dance night at a sleazy club. The title of the competition is light-hearted and fun on the surface, however the connotation of the word grind draws attention to the lewd dancing that will be taking place, which detracts from the purpose of the event in the weeks leading up to it. The sexually explicit dancing at the competition has not been avoided through the usage of the title and contradicts the purpose-act before the show. The show could be tile Dance to End Child Abuse and still transcend the message to potential attendees. However by using the title of Greek Grind, and with the reputation that the competition has around UGAs campus, the undertones of sex are present, which contributes to the sale of tickets. As the saying goes, sex sells, and this is indicative of how the purpose of the actual show helps to generate such a large number of funds for Sigma Delta Taus philanthropy. This essay has shown by utilizing several academic sources that Sigma Delta Taus Greek Grind does in fact create an interesting and unique paradox that actually harms the image of a charitable function. As mentioned previously, there is not a possible way to determine the motivations of every person who participates in the competition that is known as Greek Grind. Many women on each sorority team could genuinely want to aid in the fight to prevent child abuse in our country. However once the opening dance begins, and the first rap song to blast the auditorium is Sir Mix A Lots Baby Got Back it is difficult for the audience to remember that the reason of the event is to in fact help abused children.

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Works Cited Deese, Megan. Sigma Kappa stomps to the top. Red&Black. 11 Oct. 2012. University of Georgia. 9 Dec. 2012. <http://www.redandblack.com/news/sigma-kappa-stomps-to-thetop-at-greek-grind-raises/article_4a349464-135f-11e2-9054-0019bb30f31a.html>. Deese. Megan. UGA sororities Stomp the Grind. Red&Black. 9 Oct. 2012. University of Georgia. 9 Dec. 2012. <http://www.redandblack.com/news/uga-sororities-stomp-thegrind-to-help-prevent-child-abuse/article_9e30aad0-1193-11e2-8605001a4bcf6878.html>. Downs, James, & Cowan. Body Objectification, Self-Esteem, and Relationship Satisfaction: A Comparison of Exotic Dancers and College Women. Springer 54 (2006) : 745-752. Print. Janssen, Shelby. Stripping Down the Layers: The Psychology of Childhood Sexual Abuse and Exotic Dancing. The Sex Industry. 10 Dec. 2012. <http://coloradosex2010.wordpress.com/stripping-down-the-layers-the-psychology-ofstripping-and-childhood-sexual-abuse/>. Bernard, DeGabrielle, Cartier, Monk-Turner, Phill, Sherwood, & Tyree. Exotic Dancers: Gender Differences in Societal Reaction, Subcultural Ties, and Conventional Support. Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture 10(1) (2003) : 1-11. Print.

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