Boston College doesn’t maintain fraternities in the traditional collegiate sense. You won’t find a fraternity row, and the majority of conversations on campus that mention “Alpha” or “Delta” regard underwhelming evenings spent experiencing the Greek life of a neighboring school.
But below the surface, within BC’s vibrant dance scene, you can still find fraternity—in every sense of the word.
“I resonated with the mission: being a brotherhood and being a space for people of color, people of marginalized identities, to come together and bond over step,” said Levi Ngabirano, president of Sexual Chocolate (SC) and CSOM ’25.
Navigating a predominantly white institution like BC as a minority can pose difficulties—especially for incoming students. In 1999 a small group of freshmen, Options Through Education (OTE) scholars, founded SC, BC’s only all-male step team, in hopes of instilling a sense of community for students feeling lost in the mix while also giving them the chance to express themselves.
“I think that’s what I was really looking for when I first joined the team … [to] introduce myself to a more diverse community,” said Team Captain Andrew Moynihan, CSOM ’25.
SC has grown dramatically since its founding—from doing small shows during the Black Student Forum’s Black Family Weekend to hosting and performing their own shows at the Margot Connell Recreation Center and Robsham Theater.
The group even branched out to perform off campus at other East Coast universities before COVID-19 halted their off-campus ambitions. Despite the group’s expansion, in membership as well as the scale of their shows, SC has managed to maintain its roots in OTE. Recently renamed the McCrory-Francis Scholars Program, the summer enrichment course is for students who have overcome a socioeconomic disadvantage.
“It’s something that’s really prominent within OTE,” said Dylan Duncan, MCAS ’26 and head of Sexual Chocolate’s Alumni Outreach. “You hear a lot about Sexual Chocolate.”
Along with maintaining its outreach within OTE, community and brotherhood are also still at the forefront of SC’s mission. While many clubs on campus offer an opportunity to meet new people, SC members emphasized the especially strong bond within their group.
“Outside of practice we’re always getting lunch, or talking to each other, or doing something … it never feels like we’re just part of the same dance team,” said Event Coordinator Jaylen Keller, MCAS ’25.
One contributing factor to SC’s close community is mentorship. New members, or rookies, are offered guidance from senior members of the group who—after multiple years on campus—have a better sense of how to get the most out of their BC, which is particularly helpful for the group’s students of color who may feel isolated.
“As a freshman, having those seniors that helped me navigate BC as a young, 18-year-old kid, you know, just being there for me … that’s the part [of Sexual Chocolate] I’m gonna remember the most,” said Duncan.
The benefits of the team’s mentorship don’t stop once you transition from mentee to mentor, though. For Ngabirano, mentoring the group’s younger members is an experience he will never forget.
“Being a mentor, after you’ve been able to reap all the benefits of being a mentee, taking [on] that role as a mentor is something I’ll take away with me for the rest of my life,” Ngabirano said. “Seeing people grow as well, into the team, seeing people grow on campus. I mean, it’s something that’s very fulfilling for me.”
SC’s group chemistry is always on display during their performances, whether it be in the form of comedically bro-ey vignettes between dance numbers or total synchrony of steps in performance. But what the audience doesn’t see is the work that goes on behind the scenes.
The team efficiently assembles their shows by dividing the group—this way there are specialized sectors for each aspect of the performance’s composition.
“There’s a lot of thought behind everything we do on stage,” said Creative Director Philip Mwangi, MCAS ’28.
The creative process begins when the whole group gets together in a circle to spitball ideas for a theme. After that’s been decided, SC begins to put together the script and dance routine for the show. Each person works to bring the group’s vision to life—some members focus on designing the choreography, while others work on the costumes and set alongside Robsham staff.
“When we first get to campus in the spring semester we have pretty much nothing made, and then within a month’s time we have a five-act script and six to nine new dances made,” said Moynihan.
As a freshman, Mwangi was pleasantly surprised by the opportunities the team gave to its rookie performers. Most decisions go down to a vote, and SC actively tries to incorporate rookies, who they believe can offer a fresh perspective. The democratic structure gives each member a chance to make their mark on the group’s work.
“SC is the group that gave me the chance to build my confidence,” Keller said.
The practice schedule can get intense, especially during the final few days leading up to their shows when the group ramps up the frequency and length of their meetings.
The acting component of the performances is always incorporated into the shows just a week prior, giving them a pinched timeframe to mesh all of their script ideas with a semester’s worth of dance.
But despite the increased workload, SC members still find these rehearsal times to be a safe haven from responsibility and an escape from the rigors of day-to-day college life.
“It’s an outlet to be creative, an outlet to have fun, an outlet to step away from the stressful, very busy, intense college schedule that we all have,” said Ngabirano.
While members stressed SC’s impact on their college experience, being a member of the group doesn’t end with their time at BC. The group’s strong and tight-knit alumni network allows members to talk with SC alumni of similar backgrounds, providing invaluable guidance on navigating the professional world after college.
For its members, SC is much more than a fun, extracurricular aspect of their time at college—the bonds made in the group are built to last.
“On a deeper level, it’s a brotherhood that extends past just your time on the team, your time at Boston College,” Duncan said.
Leave a Reply