Majorette Dance History

From the 20th century to the 21st century, Majorette Dance has evolved from being just a march in a parade to being a rhythmic competitive sport. According to Dyshae Tenan, a modern majorette dancer, “Majorette Dance is a new dimension of dance that incorporates different types of dance with bucking.” Over the past 100 years though ‘bucking’ wasn’t even thought of. Bucking consists of performing rhythmic pelvic thrusts (pops) as part of a dance routine (Powell, 2016). In the 90s being a majorette was all about twirling and leading a band in a parade.
Majorettes came about from baton twirling. It is believed that the founder of the sport in the Republic is Jir Necid according to IFMS Majorettes. Mr. Necid’s experience and knowledge started to

Hip-hop majorette dancing is high-energy, synchronized, rhythmic dance moves that draw from ballet, jazz, modern dance, hip-hop and gymnastics (Pierce, 2015). Although that is the common definition now, Azizi Powell in fact does object that majorette dance has changed since the 90s. Powell informs readers that at one time, historically Black universities did have drum majorettes who performed routines with batons while wearing a uniform. These majorettes were usually part of a group of girls who participated with musical groups such as marching bands or drum and bugle corps. But, this type of majorette group within African American circles are in decline. What is replacing these groups are Hip Hop majorette groups which have incorporated many dance styles under a new definition of majorettes (Berman, 2017). To also agree with Powell, Peggy Ussery says “you can find majorette teams in historically black colleges and universities where marching bands are accompanied by dance lines. (Ussery, 2016)” Some of the top squads at an HBCU according to Rinny are Southern University Dancing Dolls, Alabama A&M University Dancing Divas, Texas Southern University Motion of the Ocean, Jackson State University The Prancing J-settes,Alabama State University Stingettes, Alcorn University Golden Girls, and Virginia State University- Essence of Troy. All of

“Dianna Williams is a Dancer and Choreographer who rose to prominence after the Lifetime network dance reality TV show ‘Bring It!’ went on to become a huge hit. Known to her students and fans as Miss D, Dianna is the owner of the ‘Dollhouse Dancing Factory’ in Jackson, Mississippi. She founded ‘Miss D’s Dancing Dolls’ in 2001 and the reality show is based on the performances of her protégés against various challengers. A lifetime native of Jackson, Mississippi, Dianna dedicated her life into perusing dance after college. Having perfected her dance moves through training in varied genres, she decided to compete in various dance competitions before establishing her own hip-hop dance troupe.” (TheFamousPeople.com, 2017) . Dollhouse Dance Factory opened it doors on August 23, 2010 with 23 students enrolled in its 1st semester. As the studio grew, its 2nd semester embodied 45 students. To date, the Factory is in its 3rd semester and has 101 students enrolled. Mrs. Williams has and continues to teach all of her students the importance of a good education, persistence, determination, great self-esteem, respectable manners, and a positive self worth. She is a phenomenal mentor that excels not only in her dance ability but also in her abilities to be hardworking, dependable and extremely likeable. Dianna is a great individual, her work is valuable and she is an extreme