A new group has emerged on the campus football fields and basketball courts: UC Davis’ first majorette team. Founded by third-year students Leah Roberts and Sade Adams, the team combines elements of jazz, hip-hop and contemporary dance to showcase an important element of black culture.
“Creating the majorette team was like finding that missing piece in my experience at Davis,” said Roberts. “It was like a piece of home.”
What is majorette?
Majorette is a dance style combining elements of jazz, hip-hop and contemporary dance. Known for high-energy routines with sharp expressions, majorette has been a hallmark of the culture at historically Black colleges and universities, or HBCUs, for decades. Majorette teams typically perform alongside school marching bands.
Recently, there has been a surge of majorette dance teams forming on the West Coast, from San Francisco State University to the University of Southern California.
“Naturally, we felt the need to bring majorette to UC Davis, too,” said Adams.
Team formation
UC Davis’ majorette team was formed with the help of Dionica Bell, former director of the Center for African Diaspora Student Success, or CAADS. She was the team’s first advisor and quickly helped them with a roadmap for their majorette vision.
“She gave us a step-by-step plan,” Roberts recalled. “Tryouts in March, practice in April, performances in May and June. She really was able to make it happen.”
In the beginning, Adams and Roberts handled the majority of the administrative work, choreography and practices, especially after Bell stepped down as the director at CAADS.
“It was just us at first,” Adams said. “It was a little overwhelming, but we kept pushing.”
Soon, they connected with their current advisor, Char’reale Stuger, program coordinator for the University Honors Program, who helped find a coach and choreographer. The majorette team is now a group of six with members: Adams and Roberts, as well as Lyric Thomas, Ta'Jae Drake, Paris Wright and Alexis Ratliff.
Events
The majorette team’s first performance was at Yolo County’s Juneteenth celebration. Since then, the team has become a regular feature at UC Davis football and basketball games, where they perform at halftime. This year, they plan to participate in UC Davis’ Picnic Day Parade.
Beyond dancing, the team also prioritizes creating a supportive space for Black students on campus.
“We’re actually hosting a karaoke night soon,” Roberts explained. “Winter quarter is pretty slow, so we want to make sure we’re keeping the morale up and holding space for Black students.”
“We want to do more than just perform,” Adams added. “We want to build a sense of community. It’s so important to us that people feel seen and supported.”
Hopes for the future
Roberts and Adams said they envision the majorette team becoming a beloved part of campus life, as well as a symbol of cultural appreciation and unity.
“We would love to be a part of UC Davis Athletics one day,” said Adams. “Right now we’re just a club on campus, but we’re hoping to eventually become an official athletics team.”
“This is just the beginning,” added Roberts. “We want people to be excited to see us and think that we’re doing something special. That’s the legacy we want to leave.”