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April 21, 2017
Team perform at Broad Ripple Magnet High School for the Arts and Humanities,
she was a seventh-grader who, admittedly, was more than a little star struck.
them, and I thought that they were so classy. … I thought, ‘Wow, I have to be
on that team,’” said Katara, now a 19-year-old Broad Ripple senior who serves
as the team’s current captain. She’s been a member of Fire and Finesse for four
years, and captain for two.

different team across town.
School, LaDeana was waiting outside the gymnasium door before a school
basketball game when she caught a glimpse of something shiny. It turned out to
be part of the Tigerettes’ uniform.
that?’” said LaDeana. “I saw them dancing and the band playing,” and thought,
‘That’s going to be me.’” The Crispus Attucks senior has been a member of the team for
three years, and captain for the last two.
since the early 1900s. While Attucks and Broad Ripple have had teams throughout
their storied histories, the Tigerettes and Fire and Finesse have only been
around since 2007 or 2008.
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), like the Southern University Dancing Dolls, the Alabama State Stingettes and Kentucky State University’s K’Rette, these teams know how to move a crowd through synchronized
choreography, colorful, eye-catching costumes, and lots of showmanship (or
swag).
Blackburn) and Fire and Finesse (Nicole Hargro) admit to watching lots of
online footage of HBCU dance teams to stay true to the history of the dance
teams — and for inspiration.
makeup, the costuming, the boots … are all styled after the HBCU style of
majorette dancers,” said Hargro, who became the coach of Fire and Finesse in
2010. She’s the second coach in the team’s history.
bands perform throughout the year at school sporting events (basketball and
football games), local parades (including St. Patrick’s Day, Circle City
Classic and Indianapolis 500) and at special events. They also participate in
the annual Bands of America competition at Lucas Oil Stadium.

it’s also the dancing — which can include a combination of eight counts using
everything from hip-hop to current dance styles — that makes some people cringe
because of the “suggestiveness” of the moves.
“We don’t pop, drop and lock it, and we don’t twerk. But we
do buck (a popular move in which dancers are in a squatting position while quickly
moving their pelvises back and forth),” said Blackburn, who has been an IPS
educator for 45 years. She also is the choral director at Attucks. “I wanted to
make sure to create an image for the girls that is respectable for everybody’s
eye.”
Hargro said the dances that teams do have to keep up with
the changing times to remain relevant.
dance teams have to memorize anywhere from 20 to 25 dances (also called stands
or sparks) throughout the season, because they never know what the team’s
captain will “throw” during a competition or performance.
Ripple, serves as the choreographer for Fire and Finesse, with help from her captain
and team members. The Tigerettes often use former team members to serve as a choreographer,
but Blackburn said the team’s captain (LaDeana) and co-captain (McKenzie Turner)
are also excellent choreographers.
Fire & Finesse has 14 to 18. Tryouts are held yearly and there’s never any
shortage of girls vying to be on these teams. Teams practice at least 10 or
more hours per week, and more before competitions.
much more — including team building, developing a sense of sisterhood, and
family. Teams also serve as confidence boosters for the girls.
of them had not done anything like this before,” said Blackburn. “Some of them
were shy and a lot of them weren’t used to being in front of crowds, so I think
it’s a good character builder for these girls’ self-confidence and self-esteem.
It also promotes camaraderie. We try to promote the team as being a family.”
helped her develop leadership skills and encouraged her to take on
leadership roles.
confidence in my dancing,” she said. “We’re all learning how to show who we
really are and to be comfortable with ourselves and with each other.”
especially HBCUs, for the girls involved. “I’ve aready had a couple of my
dancers audition for the dance team at Kentucky State. It gets them interested
beyond high school,” said Blackburn.
Katara will attend Alabama State University, where she will
study law and minor in theater. Becoming a member of the university’s
Stingettes dance team would be a dream come true for her.
online watching the college teams and they just inspire me because they’re so
good,” said Katara. “I first wanted to go to Southern University to be a part
of the Dancing Dolls because they were the first majorette team that I saw. But
then I started looking at the Stingettes and I was like, “Wow!” I’ve studied
them so much; I know all the names. I mean I don’t know them, but I know of
them.”
become an occupational therapist.
Both students said they have enjoyed their time with their
respective dance teams and credit the teams with helping them grow into strong
young ladies. They also hope they have served as inspiration for the younger
generation who want to follow in their footsteps.