Ogemdi Ude: MAJOR

MAJOR is a dance-theater project exploring the complexity of majorette dance, an electrifying Black femme dance form born alongside HBCU marching bands in the American South. With razor-sharp counts, groove, undulation and passionate showmanship, six Black femmes embrace majorette form–a fundamental relic of Black girlhood–to find their way back to bodies they thought they’d lost. Dance intertwines with a music score integrating Southern rap, horns, drumlines, and melodic R&B and soul by DMV-born musician Lambkin. The Chord Archive is showcased alongside performances, a physical and digital documentation of the creative process and personal historical accounts from former majorette dancers. A fierce investigation of physical memory, sexuality, sensuality and community, MAJOR is a nuanced love letter to the folks who taught the team how to be proudly Black and proudly femme.