- Hi, I am Stacia Ward and I am a dance studio owner in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.

I started dancing at the age of four all the way up through junior high, high school and collegiate dancing and dancing starts at a young age and if you interested in dancing, this is just for you.

(upbeat music) Okay.

Well, the history of Majorette came from Germany from the Carnival dancers.

They used to dance with the big pretty blinged hair pieces, the pretty little uniforms.

So when they came into the United States, we took it and put our own twist to it with a Southern style, and so that's how the Majorette got started but the community of Majorette got bigger when the Tiki show started bringing all the dance communities onto the show.

(upbeat music) The importance of HBCU culture is to give African Americans an opportunity to receive the education that they need and tuition is also more reasonable at HBCU.

Being on that Majorette dance team will teach the dancers to learn the art of dance, the purpose of a dancer and the values of the dancer while they're young.

It also inspires young African American girls who strive to uphold the highest self confidence, self respect and discipline and positive attitude.

These tools will help them become one of the best HBCU dancers.

(upbeat music) The students would have an experience like no other.

They try out an audition and they make the collegiate dance lines and so that's why all the little girls in the community dance on dance teams.

(upbeat music) - Hey, my name is Alexius Bartlett.

I'm from West Helena, Arkansas, but I currently live in Pine Bluff.

I started dancing at three years old.

I feel like my majorette journey was kind of difficult, growing up it was difficult cause like my memory was so bad.

As I got older, I started to accomplish more, remember more and just actually take it serious.

What inspired me to start dancing is my mother and my auntie.

I used to always see them on tapes of them dancing in high school, in majorette.

And I just feel like that that's what I wanted to do.

My mother actually started the legacy on dancing while she was in high school.

And shortly after her, my auntie took part in dancing.

So me seeing them like on TV and on video tapes dancing and having fun with it, I thought like, this is what I wanted to do This is what's going to get me where I want to be.

My goals for majorette dancing was that I always wanted a scholarship at HBCU dance.

For me I could say majorette helped then a lot of stress that people didn't know about.

A lot of anger that was built up, a lot of confidence.

Cause you have to have confidence going on the floor in front of everyone.

That could boost your confidence.

I liked that majorette was competitive and how everybody was having fun on the floor with everyone competing.

So it was really like a little stress release thing for everybody.

And I actually did get a scholarship for HBCU dance.

The kids that want to dance, I say you should go for it no matter how old you are or what you think, difficult or complicated, I feel like you should always go and beat the obstacle.

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