"Plus Size" Majorette Dance Lines At Historically Black Colleges & Universitites (HBCU)

DoneBySightPhotograd, January 27, 2013

Check out Edward Waters College dance troupe Purple Thunder during the 2013 Honda Battle of the Bands

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“Leave the Door Open” ASU Honeybeez 2020-2021

Bee.U.Niversty, April 4, 2021

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases two YouTube videos of plus size dance lines from two Historically Black Colleges And Universities: Purple Thunder -a dance line auxiliary of  Edward Waters University's (Jacksonville Florida) marching band, and the Honey Bees, a dance line auxiliary of Alabama State University's marching band.

Information about these dance troupes are included in this post along with selected comments from these videos' discussion threads.

The content of this post is presented for cultural and entertainment purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who have been or are now associated with Edward Waters University's Purple Thunder dance troupe and those who have been or are now associated with Edward Alabama State University's the Honey Bees dance troupe. 
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Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2011/10/a-weighty-subject-being-thick-in.html for a related 2011 pancocojams post entitled "A Weighty Subject - Being Thick In African American Culture".

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INFORMATION ABOUT EDWARD WATERS UNIVERSITY
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Waters_University
"Edward Waters University is a private Christian historically Black university in Jacksonville, Florida. It was founded in 1866 by members of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME Church) as a school to educate freedmen and their children. It was the first independent institution of higher education and the first historically black college in the State of Florida. It continues to be affiliated with the AME Church and is a member of the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida."

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INFORMATION ABOUT EDWARD WATERS UNIVERSITY'S PURPLE THUNDER DANCE TROUPE
From https://ewcbands.com/purple-thunder/ Edward Waters College 
Triple Threat Band

Purple Thunder
"During an efficient day of band practice, several young ladies from the choir were teasing the former band director Mr. Marques Graham, confidently stating they could execute the same dance routines as petite dancers but better! Mr. Graham asked them to demonstrate their techniques. Mr. Graham then put forth the idea of having the first plus size dance squad, featuring the young ladies with the Triple Threat Marching Band during the 2002 homecoming show for the first time and everyone LOVED IT! At that time, Ms. Kathy and Bertran Daniels (the founders and leaders of the Purple Thunders) molded the dance squad to what it is today! The Purple Thunder has been an active squad since 2002 and will be often imitated! Our team performs throughout the year at various events, football games, basketball games, pep rallies, parades, and several Battle of the Bands."

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INFORMATION ABOUT ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY'S THE HONEY BEES
From https://theundefeated.com/features/alabama-state-honey-beez-bring-positive-plus-size-attitude-to-hbcu-dance-scene/ Alabama State Honey Beez bring positive, plus-size attitude to HBCU dance scene
The infamous dance squad has changed the game by promoting body positivity, confidence and self-love

Maya A. Jones, November 1, 2017
… "At ASU, band director James Oliver has been leading the charge for plus-size appreciation since creating the Honey Beez in 2004, four years after he began his collegiate career with his alma mater.

In all of Oliver’s years of being a high school band director and moving on to ASU, he noticed something was missing. The cheerleaders and drill teams were uniform in their looks. The Stingettes, ASU’s dance team, boasted energetic, petite young women clad in brightly colored two-piece dance suits, leotards and bodysuits that didn’t seem to go beyond a size 6.

[…]

“There have been plus-size girls that wanted to try out for the dance line. And of course, when I got here, all we had were the Stingettes,” Oliver said. “You can’t really give them that spot on the Stingette line because the uniform doesn’t fit like it should, so usually the plus-size girls run to the flag team. I decided that this is not fair for these girls. I wanted something different.”

[…]

“I asked five of my plus-size girls that were in the band,” Oliver said. “I said, ‘I have this idea. Do I have some plus-size girls who know how to dance and want to dance?’ And I had five girls who came out and said they’d try it.”

[…]

Their first official performance came a few months after the group was established. Their test run would be a home football game against Southern University in 2004. As their first uniforms, the five dancers wore bodysuits beneath football jerseys. According to Oliver, the response, for the most part, was positive. There were cheers after the performance and congratulatory messages to Oliver and the girls. But after the game, Oliver was confronted by detractors.

“There were people complaining to me and asking me why I was making fun of these girls,” Oliver said.

Oliver was in a tough position. Something that he viewed as a positive and inclusive moment had become tainted. Maybe those with opposing views were right. He didn’t want to put his dancers in a position where they’d be subjected to name-calling and more bullying. Discouraged, Oliver pulled the girls from the next game. He needed time to think.

“Did I want to continue to deal with the negativity? Or did I want to keep this going because the crowd loves it?” Oliver asked himself. “But the girls love it too. I made the decision that I was going to keep going. I didn’t care what anybody said. I thought these girls deserved a platform and I’m going to keep them.”

It was a decision Oliver will never regret. With the help of coordinator Ruth Anna M. Williams, the Honey Beez have a complete look with beautiful uniforms that the dancers can wear with confidence — and fiery, attention-grabbing routines to match.

[…]

The Honey Beez are now becoming a national sensation. The team has already appeared on Steve Harvey’s daytime television show and performed on the popular NBC program America’s Got Talent. Oliver’s ultimate goal for the girls is to get them featured on Black Girls Rock!, an award show created to “celebrate Black women who are trailblazers, change makers or dynamos in their respective fields.”

“With God’s will, their platform is out there now and they will tear the house down every time,” Oliver said.”
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Alabama State University's athletic team name is "the Hornets" and the main dance line is named "the Stingettes".

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SELECTED COMMENTS 

Numbers ae added for referencing purposes only.

Discussion thread #1 (This is the discussion thread for the first embedded video in this post.]
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27OXYXgJIV8&ab_channel=DoneBySightPhotograd

1. WhoIsSuper, 2013
"I was there and when I saw that literally everyone around me (including my self and my friends) went crazy!!"

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2. Ibdatvanicca, 2013
"They did that routine!!!! yeesss PT!!!"

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3. Melvin Byrd, 2013
"Yes, i too was shocked and amazed by what I saw.... You go girls, break those stereo types!!! PURPLE THUNDER!"

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4. WhoIsSuper, 2013
"I was there and when I saw that literally everyone around me (including my self and my friends) went crazy!!"

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5. Christopher Hammett, 2013
"this group stole the show...i was in the stands speechless when this girl did the flip!! AwSOME!!!"

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6. yuk747, 2013
"Just goes to prove big girls can be nimble too."

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7. Blue, 2013
"I LOVE these girls!!!!!!"

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8. Domonique White, 2016
"That was great! I really wish our school had a plus size Majorette team. Yall killed it."

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9. Yun 11, 2017
"Oh i was there@ this one!  Omo! I loved their performance! The really got the crowd hyped! Can't wait to see what's in store at the next one!"

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10. UNPACKED with Chief Ja'Nese, 2021
"She KILT that flip. My alma mater 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥"

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Discussion thread #2 (This is the discussion thread for the second video in this post.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnEN6y99ubY&ab_channel=Bee.U.Niversty

All of these omments are from April 2021 through Septemper 2021.

1. Cartina Overton
"YESSS, HONEYBEES BETTA WORK. Yall look good, I love it. They deserve more coverage."

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TLD1979
2. "2003 Alum...The Honeybees are what we needed a LOOOOONG time ago! Love you ladies. You are making a difference."

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3. littleHERSHEY girl
"Our dance line and color guard is switched. We got big girls on our color guard and smaller girls on our dance line!! I’m loving this though!!! They are moving!!😍😍"

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4. Lozet Riley
"That's right big girls can dance and still show up  classy, the wardrobe was very tasteful and they danced with grace. I loved it."

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5. BUTLERU
"There aint nothing like an HBCU. Ya'll did that!"

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Reply
6. Sharon Watson
"You know"

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7. Patsy Brown
"WORK IT GIRLS 🤗👊🤩"

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 8. Carolinas SweetTea
"Let's give it up for Queen 👑 on the frontline not looking back one time and to all these beautiful ladies representing❤️❤️❤"

*️*
9. Marcus Washington
"So.... I actually enjoyed them more than the Stingettes. Their style was more graceful.  Very nice ladies"
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The Stingettes is the name of the main dance line that is an auxiliary to Alabama State University's marching band.  The Stingettes was formed in 1977.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alabama_State_University

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Reply
10. Ernestine Miles
"Why does everything have to be this is better than that?"

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11. Tracy Henderson
"I love the honey bees it gives a lot of thick madame girls ladies understanding that we love to dance just as well and how the appearance can make other people think otherwise but looking at them and give other young or older people happiness to to do something that they love to do is "Dance"... Just like it make anybody other than Plus happy when they dance we're happy when we dance but we get shunned away because of the appearance of our size when we dance"

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Reply
12. Inspirebymikaeli
"Keep dancing your confidence and attitude is what everyone will notice and your size is just an asset."

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13, LatinDynasti
"Yass for the thick girls! Yall are beautiful"

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Reply
14. Renaissance Woman
"Thick and curvy are not the same as plus size. You can be any size and be curvy aka "thick".  The ladies are beautiful, point blank, and they do inspire people to be themselves."

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15. In Control
"....and never forget how good you look doing it Sis, it AIN'T nevah bout ya size, but ya swaga😉💯"

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16. Gwen Washington
"Good job ladies.   Keeping it classy.  Beautiful moves.  Represent!"

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Meanings Of "Bucking", "Stands", "Ace", "Tail" & Some Other Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU) Majorette Dance Squads Terms

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest revision: June 14, 2024 [Title change]

This pancocojams post presents a list of Historically Black Colleges And Universities (HBCU) majorette dance squads terms and their meanings.

I've compiled this list from reading a number of HBCU majorette dance squad video discussion threads, reading other online articles on HBCU majorette dance lines, and reading other internet articles and blog discussion threads.

The content of this post is presented for historical and cultural purpose.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who have been or are now involved in HBCU majorette dance squads. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post.

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DISCLAIMER: 

I'm an African American community folklorist who is interested in documenting and sharing information about HBCU majorette dance squads. I'm interested in this subject because HBCU dance lines are a part of African American culture which isn't well documented on the internet and may also not be well documented outside of the internet.

By no means do I consider myself an expert on HBCU dance line cultures. I really need the help of HBCU majorette dancers and fans to add to and correct this list and improve the way these definitions are phrased.

Some of these terms (such as "ace" and "tail") are also used by historically Black Greek letter organizations with similar meanings..  

The content of this post is presented for cultural and linguistic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Please share your additions and corrections in the comment section below. Thanks!
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 Click the "HBCU majorette dance squad" tag below to find pancocojams posts about these dance squads.

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LIST OF HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (HBCU) MAJORETTE DANCE SQUAD TERMS

Pancocojams Editor's note: If you know what these terms mean, please share additions and corrections in the comment section of this post. Thanks! 

Ace (n) - 

The Ace is the dancer that is right behind the captain when they march in. In the stands the ace is at the beginning of the first row (on the left) behind the captain who is in front of the other dancers. The "Ace" position (spot) is usually the shortest dancer in the majorette dance squad/team.

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Battle (v); (n) - a term for the competition that occurs between the dance lines of  two competing universities (and their marching bands) during a football game. Unlike some stomp and shake cheerleading battles, these dance lines don't compete face to face on a field or in the same section of the football stadium bleachers. However, there's still a competition going on, especially among fans of those HBCU dance lines, and fans of other HBCU dance lines that aren't performing in a particular football game

Read the comments that I wrote regarding "stand battle" in the second entry for "stands"

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Buck (v) - a dance movement that is a major element in many HBCU majorette dance lines, but every HBCU majorette dance line does not buck. "Bucking" refers to performing pelvic thrusts (pelvic contractions) in time to the music; "bucking" in HBCU majorette dance lines isn't the same as the African American originated fast foot work known as "buck dancing" and "buck jumping" that are precursors of tap dancing (buck and a wing), flatfooting, and clogging

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Bucking arrangements (n) - a referent for music that sounds like it would be good for bucking (because of that music's percussive nature)

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Buck down (v) - to buck real hard (real good)

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Captain (n) - the leader of the dance line; the captain stands in front of the other dancers during performance; the captain throws (i.e. "calls") counts, and often choreographs dance routines, the captain is a strong dancer who shows leadership abilities and who is chosen by the director of that majorette dance line; in some dance line, the captain must be a junior or a senior

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Catch-on = the call and response pattern in which the captain, standing facing forward in front on the stands (bleachers), "throws" a count (movement) and it is then performed by the dancers standing behind her

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Counts (n)- a reference for a HBCU dance performance; the term "counts" is used in many other dance genres; here's a quote from http://www.ehow.com/facts_7194768_8-count-mean-dancing_.html
"Significance

When learning or practicing dance, most songs are broken up into segments or units called 8-counts. Each of these segments is measured in counts of eight beats, or how long it would take to count out "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8" in a rhythmic fashion. Once the count of eight is reached, dancers start over from one and a new segment begins.

Function
Dancers and choreographers use 8-counts on a regular basis to learn and teach dancing because most popular dance forms are based on 8-counts, which are essentially two 4-count measures back-to-back.

Fun Fact
Even though the majority of dance styles are based around 8-count divisions, the number of counts in each segment can vary. Certain styles of dance can feature 3-count, 6-count, and even 12-count segments."
-end of quote-
Some commenters in HBCU dance line discussion threads referred to 16 count routines.

In HBCU dance line culture, "counts" are also known as "cadences", and "stands". In HBCU dance lines, each count is known by a specific name, new counts are choreographed each season, but a dance line may perform certain count routines for decades or may only slightly revise an older count that was well received by the dance line's fans; although Bring It!, the nationally televised (United States) series on majorette youth dance lines uses the term "stands", it appears from my reading that most HBCU majorette dance lines and fans of those dance lines use the term "counts". Read the definition below for the term "throw counts"

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Crab (n)- a first year member of a HBCU dance line, often a university freshman; according to MACKG, a commenter on http://www.hbcusports.com/forums/threads/whats-a-crab.8534/ "What's a Crab?", May 30, 2002
"..."most Freshmen are known as CRABS. When I was a crab in the band...they said Freshmen wondered* about the campus lost all over the place like a CRAB fresh out of the water. Hence the term CRAB."
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*wondered = a typo for "wandered"

Notice that this term is also used in HBCU marching bands. On a HBCU dance line (and probably also in HBCU marching bands) the opposite of a "crab" is a "vet" (veteran); the term "seasoned vet" may also be used, meaning that dance member knows what she is doing on that dance squad because she has been a member of that squad for two or more years

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Dance Line (n) - a team (group, squad) of HBCU majorette dancers; also known as "dance squad", "dance team"; HBCU majorette dance lines are auxiliaries of their university's marching band and perform to the instrumental music played by that marching band; each year dancers (including previous members) must audition for a spot on that team. For example, click http://www.southerndigest.com/article_674b99ab-a7e5-5f02-b11b-d126a6b56855.html for an article about the requirements to be a member of Southern University's Dancing Dolls.

HBCU dance lines perform during their university's football game competitions, perform off season at their university's basketball games, and also march in university parades and other university events; some HBCU majorette dance lines or members of those dance lines have also performed in other venues such as back-ups in recording stars' videos or live performances including the Superbowl; as of this date, HBCU dance lines only consist of females; unlike HBCU step teams or HBCU cheerleaders, HBCU dance lines are always silent when they perform, the university's dance line has a given name which may be similar to the name of their marching band (for example, Texas Southern University's Marching Band is named "Ocean of Soul" and their dance line is named "Motion of the Ocean".

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Field Show (n) - performances that the HBCU marching band accompanied by its majorette dance line does in the football stadium field during a game's half time

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HBCU (n) = Historical Black Colleges And Universities
From http://sites.ed.gov/whhbcu/one-hundred-and-five-historically-black-colleges-and-universities/ "The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, defines an HBCU as: “…any historically black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of black Americans, and that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association determined by the Secretary [of Education] to be a reliable authority as to the quality of training offered or is, according to such an agency or association, making reasonable progress toward accreditation.” HBCUs offer all students, regardless of race, an opportunity to develop their skills and talents."...
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Almost all HBCUs are in the southern region of the United States. Click a link on that page for a list of HBCUs.

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Field Show- routines performed by the dance line on the football field during that game's half time; the dance line performed to the live music of their university's band 

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Grandstanding = a term that refers to majorette dance lines performing in the stands (bleachers)

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Jsetting (n) (also given as j-setting)- a term that has become one of the generic references by the general public for the types of dancing that are performed by HBCU majorette dance lines. Howevr, this term may not be used by majorette dance lines themselves. The the term comes from the name of Jackson State University's majorette dance line, the Prancing J-Settes.

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Majorettes (n) - according to http://www.thefreedictionary.com/majorette, the definition of majorette is
"1. A female dancer who twirls a baton, usually in a group and sometimes with a marching band.
2. A drum majorette.
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It should be noted that males also have performed and still perform as majorettes. However, the reason why the all female HBCU dance lines have been referred to as "majorette dance lines" is because historically, majorette dance lines began as twirling baton majorette squads.

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Marching band (n) - a HBCU majorette dance line is an auxiliary of the university's marching band; the band plays instrumental music and the dance line performs with that music; Sometime the name of their majorette dance line is similar to the name of the marching band (for example "The Crimson Pipers is the name of Tuskegee University's marching band and "Piperettes" is the name of that university's dance line.

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Milk (noun); "to milk" (a dance move); "milking" (verb) 
From https://www.b-better.org.uk/the-alternative-directory-of-street-dance-slang/#M
"Milking it – Prolonging a movement as a kind of ‘bridge’ into the next dance move / phrase"

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From teezy.co/posts/dance-terms-dictionary#:~:text=Milking,re%20dragging%20out%20that%20move. 
"Milking:
When you extend movements throughout a portion of the piece or music.

At the end of a move, instead of “putting a period” on it and ending it definitely by stopping the movement, think of it as a “…” – like you’re dragging out that move."
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"Milking" results in a smooth, silky, sensuous style of dancing.

I've read comments in YouTube discussion threads of Historically Black Colleges And University videos about certain majorette dancers "milking that dance" or "serving milk".  For instance, some commenters in discussion threads for Southern University, wrote that Kayla Pittman's dancing was "smooth like milk and honey". Kayla Pittman is a former captain of Southern University's Fabulous Dancing Dolls.

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Ramp kick (n) - a custom found in many HBCU dance lines or individual members performing the same high kick when they begin to climb the ramp to their seats in the football stadium

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Routines (dance routines) (n) - a referent for the choreography that is performed by the HBCU majorette dancers

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Singles (n) - a referent for individual count performances that are done one at a time by HBCU majorette dance line members, the last person to perform her count is the tail, who purposely ends with a showy, elongated movement; in some video, the captain is shown raising her right arm straight above her head to signal to the dance line to perform singles

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Stands (n) - a referent for the football stadium bleachers; the HBCU marching bands and their dance line auxiliaries perform in the stands during football games

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Stands (stand routines) (n) - another way of saying "counts", a referent for a HBCU majorette dance lines' performance of counts in the stands of the football stadium; the term "count" is used much more often in the HBCU video comments that I've read than the term "stands", however the term "stands" may be gaining in popularity because it and not "counts" is the term that is used on Bring It!, the national television series about Jackson, Mississippi's Dancing Dolls and other youth j-setting squads.

Note that the term "battle stands" (a face to face competition between two majorette dance squads or the captains of those squads) which has been popularized by the Bring It! television series and which occurs at gay male j-setting team events doesn't appear to be used by HBCU dance lines because that type of face to face competition rarely [never?] occurs. That said, there are some off-season majorette competitions where HBCU dance squads perform one at a time in a gymnasium setting*, but "battle stands" don't occur during those events

*The Asymmetrix Indoor Nationals Competition is an example of majorette dance lines competing against each other. Here's a link for a video of a 2012 competition in which four HBCU university dance lines participated https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRsJX1UuMZw
Essence of Troy danceline from VSU performing at The Asymmetrix Indoor Nationals Competition"
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Update: 8/3/2016: I've found comments about "stand battles" in this discussion thread of HBCU marching band Morris Brown College and Tennessee State University https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2ybU5Zn5TA. "Stand Battle" refers to the marching bands musically competing against each other in the stands (bleachers) of the football field. That definition is different from the definition for "battle stands" that is used in the Bring It! television series.

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Swac (n) - from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southwestern_Athletic_Conference
"The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is a collegiate athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which is made up of historically black universities (HBCUs) in the Southern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; in football, it participates in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), still frequently referred to by its former designation of Division I-AA.
The SWAC is widely considered the premier HBCU conference and ranks among the elite in the nation in terms of alumni affiliated with professional sports teams, particularly in football"

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"Tail (noun)- the tail is the Historically Black Colleges And Univesities (HBCU) majorette dance position that is the second most important position in the dance squad (after the captain)

Tailing (verb) - performing the movements of the tail position

Traditionally, the person in the tail position was the tallest dancer. Because the members of the dance line were arranged by height, the tail was the last person in the (horizontal) row of dancers. However, dancers are no longer assigned the position of the tail based on their height. Instead, every dancer on the squad/team- including the captain and the tail - have to compete every year for a position and the Squad's Director decides who has the best skills for that position. A "crab" (first year member of the squad) can be a Tail, but the Captain is almost always an upperclassman. Also, a dancer who was a Tail can advance to the Captain position.

The tail is known to exaggerate her end movements at the end of the squad's dance routines, dancing in slow motion, and performing other motions such as how she sits down at the end of the routine. These exaggerated, slow dance movements attracts attention to her. The dancer is said to be "extra" (in this context, "extra" is a complimentary term that means that the person is doing a lot more than what other people are doing. The person is "over the top". excessive, dramatic, doing a lot). For example, the Tail takes her time sitting down at the end of her majorette squad's routine. Her "tailing" movements are designed to bring attention to her. 
-snip-
Added 8/3/2016 - My daughter reminded me that historically Black Greek Letter organizations (BGLOs i.e . fraternities and sororities) also use the term "tail". The tail is (or was?) the tallest person in that fraternity's or sororities' line (of people who are "pledging" or working to join that organization). In BGLO yard shows/step shows, the tail is the last person in a horizontal or vertical row. The tail usually exaggerates his or her movements, moving in slow motion and is "extra". This exaggerated, slow motion movement can especially be seen during a ripple (the movement is done in a staggered manner, each person does the same movement or similar movements, one right after each other).

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Throw Counts -(v) a term which refers to the action by the majorette dance line's captain in designating which count is to be performed; the action of performing counts, (also sometimes given as "throwing stands", or "throwing cadences")

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Uniforms (n) - the outfits that the majorette dance line wears; "costume" is an incorrect referent for these outfits

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