Majorette
A group of young majorettes
Occupation
NamesMajorette
Activity sectors
Entertainment, dance
Description
CompetenciesHand–eye coordination, physical fitness
Fields of
employment
Marching bands, parades
Related jobs
Cheerleader, dancer
A ‘’Funkenmariechen’’ (ger. diminutive for “Glistering Mary”) majorette is lifted at Rose Monday Parade of the Cologne Carnival in Germany

A majorette is a baton twirler whose twirling performance is often accompanied by dance, movement, or gymnastics. Majorettes are primarily associated with marching bands during parades. Some majorettes also spin knives, fire knives, flags, light-up batons, fire batons, maces, and rifles. Some also do illusions, cartwheels and flips, and sometimes twirl up to four batons at a time.[1]

Majorettes are often confused with cheerleaders; baton twirling, however, is more closely related to rhythmic gymnastics than to cheerleading.

Origin and development

University of Texas at Arlington majorettes, circa 1960s

Majorettes originally performed a typical carnival dance originating in the Rhineland, where the young women who perform this dance are called Tanzmariechen (Dance Marys) in German or Dansmarietjes in Dutch.

During the carnival, the normal form of government was parodied. Also the army and defense forces were traditionally parodied as a way of protesting against the Prussian occupation of the Rhenish area at the time. In Cologne, these imitations arose in particular to make Prussian militarism look ridiculous.

The Tanzmariechen show clear origins in the camp followers in the 18th and 19th century, and have a vibrant and eventful past. Around this time, Germany had a large number of armies, and in each regiment there were women and girls selling and providing food and drink and taking on chores like washing clothes. Many also offered themselves as prostitutes.

Around 1800, more regulations began to emerge in the armies, which were gradually applied to the camp followers as well. Increasingly, camp followers were women married to corporals or privates, with tasks like washing the linen. They became no longer typical army prostitutes but also not proper married women. Besides caring for the soldiers, they could still continue entertaining them in various ways.

In the carnival mockery, both officers and camp followers were depicted: the officer as an effeminate, wig-wearing, conceited fool, and the camp followers as women who were militarily but provocatively costumed, and also clearly recognizable as a man: the Tanzmarie.

In the late 19th century, the carnival associations found further inspiration in the revue girls performing in theaters at the time. They were scantily clad young women, accompanied by military attributes like peak helmets and military backpacks, dancing provocatively in small groups. The revue girls became nightclub-like stars. It cannot be denied that the carnival with its Tanzmariechen has popularized and even parodied the sparkling shows that could otherwise be enjoyed only in the major European cities.

During the post-war carnival, young women and girls again took on the role of Tanzmariechen instead of men and performed in parades. A show element was added to carnival, partly because of rapidly evolving ballet education. Majorettes or Tanzmariechen increasingly began to act in groups. Some parts of the Prussian military background are sometimes still reflected today in the majorettes' movements, music, or clothing.

The somewhat slovenly camp followers who accompanied the troops have evolved into a show dance group, but still inspired by the Prussian army. This metamorphosis went through the intermediate step of the role performed by men as Tanzmarie. Although current majorettes have their roots in the carnival scene, majorette associations widely break these historical ties, appearing more as sports or dance clubs.[2]

Fictional majorettes

HBCU Majorette dance

Historically black college or university (HBCU) majorette dance first started in 1968. The first performance was introduced at the orange blossom classic by a majorette dance team named The Golden Girls. The Alcorn State university golden girls took majorette dance to a different level. The team had a mixture of jazz, ballet, and hip hop all in one.[3] The performance had a great outcome and made an impact on majorette dance forever. Today they are known for their bright outfits, kick lines, tricks, and song selections. [4] HBCU majorette dance is now a huge tradition to HBCU culture and even black culture. Almost 55 years after that December 1968 game, majorette culture has grown in popularity from Tik-Tok trends to being featured in Vice President Kamala Harris inauguration procession. [5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Twirl/Majorette info"
  2. ↑ "Wat is carnaval? | Fen Vlaanderen". Fenvlaanderen.be. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  3. ↑ Peebles, Nyah (March 8, 2023). "Top HBCU Dance Teams 2023". hbcubuzz.com.
  4. ↑ "Sass and Shimmer: The Dazzling History of Black Majorettes and Dance Lines". November 2, 2022.
  5. ↑ "The rich history of HBCU majorette teams". ABC News.
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