The Kipp Columbus H.S. Dance Team Shines

By Alisha Martin

The Kipp Columbus Jaguettes High School Dance team was founded by Alisha Martin in 2019. Coach Martin had previous success with a middle school step team and as the girls grew older, they advocated to participate in a style of dance more suited for their high school experience. One student, Te’Ajyah Clark, played a vital role in the building the foundation of this team with her previous majorette dance background. They also were gain an asset in Coach Ciara Williams, who had previous coached this style of dance as well. With their expertise, the Jaguettes were ready to take off! The majorette dance style is becoming more and more popular for young black students across the nation. This dance style is extremely athletic, precise, intense & high energy.

The Jaguettes dance to band music during timeouts and half time at their high school footballs games. In addition to the varsity cheerleaders, the Jaguettes bring a sense of energy and culture to their Kipp Columbus high school fan base. That energy can be most compared to an HBCU danceline. The girls are heavily influenced by the Alabama State University Stingettes. Many of the girls have expressed their interest in dancing at the college level for various HBCU’s. This team has many purposes within their school community. The Jaguettes serve as a creative outlet for their dancers, they bring a sense of culture and pride to their school community and enhances our girl’s college aspirations. The Jaguettes have had the opportunity to travel and compete at various community events throughout the city.

The dance Team have performed at The Ohio State University and have competed in many citywide talent contests, and they have brought back some hardware even as far away as Chicago. The Jaguettes have also developed a significant spike in their Instagram social media page following and hope to continue finding more opportunities to show their talents.