Red Team captain Johnson said “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. Being so busy and focusing on my schoolwork at WSSU made me feel that I may never achieve my dream of being a professional backup dancer. This trip and the experience working with Ciara made me see that achieving my dream is really possible.”   

Like most interactions in this day and age, this opportunity blossomed with the help of social media. One of Ciara’s dancers saw the team online and knew that they would be an excellent fit for the song. Washington said when the team arrived on the set, she could see that the dancers had done their homework.

“Ciara’s team was fantastic. The thing that impressed me most is that they had watched our videos on Instagram and TikTok and were very familiar with our moves. They even knew each of the cheerleaders’ names and the positions that they usually held during Powerhouse routines,” Washington said. Johnson said, “This made for a magical collaboration. Ciara and her team didn’t treat us like cheerleaders; they treated us as a full part of the project.” Martin says the team exchanged dance moves with Ciara’s dancers, creating a showstopping routine worthy of any viral TikTok Challenge. “Ciara and Jamaica kept pulling me over to watch the dancing and the playbacks. They were giving me too much power in Hollywood, and I loved it!” Washington said.  

This is not the first time social media has put the WSSU Powerhouse of Red and White in the national spotlight. Video of their natural curls, dynamic steps, and it-girl/it-guy confidence has landed the team on “The Real” and Martin with her own deal with Champion. In a world where many young people are focused on filters, influence, and lives where people live as caricatures of themselves, Washington says it’s incredible that the team is getting their due recognition for being authentic.

The best part is these young show-stoppers are learning tangible skills they can use once they graduate. Creating a strong presence on social media has given the team opportunities to learn about marketing, tech, and graphics. “They are bringing many skills to the table and learning so much,” Washington said.

While going to Los Angeles to showcase their talents was undoubtedly a whirlwind experience, the student-athletes remained focused on their primary goal, school. “We went to LA during finals week.” Cheerleader Tiffany Jacobs said, “I woke up at 5 a.m. to take a final exam. Waking up early, being on set all day, and still being able to do a great job with my coursework made me feel like anything is possible. We did one of our finals in an Uber on the way to the beach. We always have to make sure to plan and to have school be our number one priority.”