The Winston Salem State University Powerhouse Red and White cheerleaders make headlines as they star in the music video for Ciara’s new song “JUMP.”
The Powerhouse squad flew out to LA early spring for the oppertunity, and were met by an excited team of choreographers and individually assigned crew members. The dream come true experience started as a DM from one of Ciaras dancers and quickly blossomed into an unforgettable experience for the team.
Red Team Captain William Johnson reminisced on how young she was when she began to dance, stating “being there was very inspiring.I’ve wanted to be a backup dancer since I was very young. I come from a small town, so the dance programs there were not great." She goes on to account how the feel of being in studio with the team began to assuage that desire as the choreographers displayed the knowledge of the squads names, moves and position.
The team maintained a balance as they completed finals while learning the steps to the Ciara song co-written by 4x Grammy-winning songwriter Theron Thomas of Saint Thomas Virgin Islands, (home to Orville E. Kean Campus of the University of the Virgin Islands), Sean Smalls and Sam Sumser who also host impressive resumes.
As the old adage goes, a little love goes a long way. The amount of care and affection being shown to HBCUs in 2022 is unprecedented, with gifts like Charles Barkley's most recent donation, internships such as with Princeton, and chances like this continuing to arrive for students as they focuse on their long-term goals.