Sorority Hosts Line Dancing Philanthropy

Due to the fraternity Lambda Chi Alpha no longer having a house, the Pi Beta Phi sorority had a creative alternative to their annual haunted house with the fraternity: line dancing. 

USD student and Pi Beta Phi member Ella Wittmus came up with the idea along with friend Chloe Birney. They called it “Line Dancing for Literacy.”

“I thought it would be a fun event that would involve everyone,” Wittmus said.

The event took place at Old Lumber Company, where the group learned popular line dances. The reason Wittmus picked the space was due to the big second floor where they could fit enough people. 

“I really liked the big open space on the second floor because I knew it could fit a lot of people for dancing,” Wittmus said. “We just had two instructors teach (the dances) to those who came.”

The night began with the two instructors demonstrating the dances and then the crowd attempting after them. About halfway through the night, the crowd gave it a try on their own.

“My favorite part was watching everyone dance while I played the music,” Wittmus said. “It was so exciting to see everyone having fun at the event I put on.”

All proceeds are being donated to Pi Beta Phi’s national philanthropy.  

“Our philanthropy supports efforts towards kids who cannot read, which is 1-in-4 children,” Wittmus said. “It donates books to schools, buys literacy supplies for classrooms and much more.”

Compared to some of the sororities’ events in the past, this got all members involved.

“We have two other philanthropy events, Pi Phi Sugar High and Pi Phi Bow Tie,” Wittmus said. “We just serve food at these events, so it was fun to have something else for people to do at Line Dancing for Literacy.”

Even with having a generous crowd, Wittmus thought there were improvements that could have been made. 

“I would have promoted it around town a little more, so we could have gotten more involvement from the community,” Wittmus said.

Despite not having a set goal and it being a brand new event, Wittmus said they achieved their main goals: having a fun time and a good turnout.

Photo Credit: The Volante | Nathan DeGreef