Miss Majorettes promotes inclusivity through dancing

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Photo courtesy of @unh_majorettes on Instagram.

Miss Majorettes dancers in the Charger Gymnasium, West Haven, March 8, 2022.

On Sept. 29, Miss Majorettes started tryouts for their dance team in the Beckerman Recreation Center. Tryouts took place over the weekend and allowed people to learn more about the organization as a whole.

Ariel Henery, a senior graphic design major and treasurer of the Miss Majorettes, spoke about what the Recognized Student Organization (RSO) does around campus on a given day. “We dance during basketball games and now football games,” Henery said. The team dances to hip-hop music and does a bunch of different styles such as “stand-style, bucking [and] milking to perform for the school.”

According to a Miss Majorettes Instagram post, they were also part of the Spring Showcase on the Bixler/Gerber quad this past April. The caption said, “Today in the quad… We’ll be serving milk at [two P.M].” Other RSOs performing at this event included the Monsoon Dance Crew, which is another UNH dance team that promotes diversity and dancers from different backgrounds.

Miss Majorettes was founded in 2018 by alumni Briana London, who is now a paralegal that continues to dance today. The organization was created as a safe space for Black women and women of color at the University of New Haven to dance and foster inclusivity.

Henery emphasized how “fresh we are to the school,” as the foundation of the team was only four years ago.

“We’re all Black females and we added a Black guy to our team, so the fact that we take in anybody and show the diversity with the school and that the school can see.” Henery said, “that’s one of the best things I like about the team.” Finding clubs or groups to be a part of can be hard, especially when trying to find a space to be comfortable.

When discussing try-outs, Henery advises that “bringing good energy” is enough. “We don’t have any experience required,” she said.

“If you are willing to come and dance, then you’re always welcome on the Miss Majorettes,” said Henery.

While tryouts concluded on Oct. 1, there is always next year if students are interested later on. If you want to cheer the Miss Majorettes on at any events, be sure to check out their Instagram page and keep an eye on the events posted on their Charger Connection page.