HBCU Sports
  • SECTIONS
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Baseball
    • Softball
    • Volleyball
    • Track & Field
    • Tennis
    • Golf
    • Bowling
    • Other Sports
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Features
  • BANDS
  • VIDEOS
  • AWARDS
    • Support the HBCU Sports Awards
    • Donor Wall
  • FORUMS
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • DONATE
  • SHOP
No Result
View All Result
HBCU Sports
  • SECTIONS
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Baseball
    • Softball
    • Volleyball
    • Track & Field
    • Tennis
    • Golf
    • Bowling
    • Other Sports
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Features
  • BANDS
  • VIDEOS
  • AWARDS
    • Support the HBCU Sports Awards
    • Donor Wall
  • FORUMS
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • DONATE
  • SHOP
No Result
View All Result
HBCU Sports
No Result
View All Result
Home Other Sports

Winston Salem State cheerleaders appear in Ciara music video

HBCU Sports by HBCU Sports
July 8, 2022
0
Photo: Winston Salem State Athletics

Photo: Winston Salem State Athletics

761
VIEWS

Ciara broke the Twittersphere when she posted a video of her and her dancers on top of a Ford Bronco to preview her new song “JUMP.”

She’s followed up with intensity, releasing a stunning new visual for the single, which drops today that features the Winston Salem State Powerhouse of Red and White Cheerleaders.

On an early spring morning, nine cheerleaders and their coaches, NeSheila Washington and Tevin Allen arrived at the set in Los Angeles, California. It didn’t look that way at first. “When the sun came up, it looked like we were in New York City,” Washington said.

With some Hollywood magic, the set transformed, and the team was whisked away to hair and make-up to prepare for the day.

“They had a different crew member assigned to each cheerleader. Seeing crew members swoop in throughout the day to touch up make-up or provide little water bottles with straws was so cool. It made me feel like a proud mom watching all of this happen,” Washington said.

The trip to California was all business, but the team says Ciara’s dancers made them feel like family. For Dance Captain Destiny Martin and Team Captain William Johnson, the trip was more than they could ever dream of, Martin said.

“My background is in dance, not cheer,” she said. “Seeing all the dancers that I’ve been watching on Instagram since middle school was incredible. Being in the studio with these dancers was amazing. It was also great to see that these professional dancers started exactly where we are and now have successful careers.”

Like most interactions today, this opportunity blossomed with the help of social media. One of Ciara’s dancers saw the team online and knew 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.

Also read: Southern University Human Jukebox featured in Lizzo’s ‘Good As Hell’ music video

“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.

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.”

The team says the experience motivated them to trust the process and fine-tune their skills, both in and out of the classroom. Johnson said, “This whole experience taught me about being a better leader. I’m upping my game even more. This year I set impossible goals for myself and reached them. I just want to keep elevating and improving.”

Washington said, “I left coaching to raise my family and then returned to the field. I’ve learned that we all need to trust that we are capable and that we should embrace new opportunities,” Washington emphasized, “This is just the beginning of these relationships and opportunities. The coach has big dreams for the team. I want Powerhouse to appear on awards shows. Or maybe have their own reality show. This has shown me that there is no ceiling to what they can do.”

The high-energy track features hip-hop group Coast Contra and is sure to be the summer song. Still, the team says this experience will stay with them beyond the warm weather season.

“Seeing the whole thing come to life. It was amazing to be there really doing this, creating, and seeing our work materialize. We really bonded on this trip,” Martin said. Johnson said, “This opportunity showed me that I could really be successful. It opened my eyes that a career in dance is something that I can truly pursue. It’s right there for us. We just need to keep going.”

Courtesy: Winston Salem State

Tags: Winston Salem State
HBCU Sports

HBCU Sports

Related Posts

First DI HBCU women’s wrestling program lands recruit. She is an Olympic hopeful

by Chris Stevens
July 16, 2025
0
First DI HBCU women’s wrestling program lands recruit. She is an Olympic hopeful

The first NCAA Division I HBCU women's wrestling program has signed its first athlete. Delaware State has announced the commitment of Louise Juitt of Belton, Missouri, as the...

Read moreDetails

Delaware State gets $20 million boost in athletic facility funding

by Chris Stevens
July 14, 2025
0
Delaware State gets $20 million boost in athletic facility funding

Delaware State's Athletics Transformation Project received a significant boost by passing the 2025-26 fiscal year state budget. The university received $20 million for a multipurpose field house to...

Read moreDetails

Schools can now officially pay athletes. Here’s how HBCUs can compete

by Chris Stevens
July 1, 2025
0
Mickey Joseph wants to use Bayou Classic as springboard to ‘restore order’ in SWAC

July 1 marks the dawning of a new day in college sports While school is out for the summer and athletes and coaches are preparing to return to...

Read moreDetails

‘Disheartened’ HBCU gymnast expresses disappointment in Fisk ending program

by Chris Stevens
June 10, 2025
0
Morgan Price leads trio of Fisk gymnasts as national championship qualifers

Naimah Muhammad is proud of her place in history as a part of the Fisk gymnastics team, the first in HBCU sports. However, she's not pleased with the...

Read moreDetails

The first D1 HBCU with women’s wrestling has a national championship coach

by Chris Stevens
June 9, 2025
0
The first D1 HBCU with women’s wrestling has a national championship coach

The first HBCU with a women's wrestling program now has a coach to lead the way. Delaware State University has announced that Kenya Sloan, a former NAIA national...

Read moreDetails
Next Post
Fayetteville State student to intern for New England Patriots

Fayetteville State student to intern for New England Patriots

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe

RSS HBCU Sports Forums

  • The 24th thread about Trump
  • TPs Pre-Season Rankings
  • Southern puts assistant band director on leave amid probe into death of fraternity pledge
  • If you're subscribing to the "SWAC TV" sTu vs PVAMU football game, can you sign in please?
  • Lighten the Mood XIV
  • Saban whines to Trump about NIL
  • SWAC Announces "SWAC TV"
  • The Chi on Showtime (Thread 3)
  • EA Sports
  • Can we 12 PV fans + 5 probationary PV fans have some WIC, Welfare, Stamps, Section 8, something for the sTu game ticket?

  • TERMS & CONDITIONS
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • COMMENT POLICY
  • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
 CONTACT US

© 2025 RASHAD MEDIA - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PARTNER OF IONE DIGITAL / CASSIUS NETWORK

No Result
View All Result
  • SECTIONS
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Baseball
    • Softball
    • Volleyball
    • Track & Field
    • Tennis
    • Golf
    • Bowling
    • Other Sports
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Features
  • BANDS
  • VIDEOS
  • AWARDS
    • Support the HBCU Sports Awards
    • Donor Wall
  • FORUMS
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • DONATE
  • SHOP

© 2025 RASHAD MEDIA - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PARTNER OF IONE DIGITAL / CASSIUS NETWORK

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

No Result
View All Result
  • SECTIONS
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Baseball
    • Softball
    • Volleyball
    • Track & Field
    • Tennis
    • Golf
    • Bowling
    • Other Sports
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Features
  • BANDS
  • VIDEOS
  • AWARDS
    • Support the HBCU Sports Awards
    • Donor Wall
  • FORUMS
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • DONATE
  • SHOP

© 2025 RASHAD MEDIA - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PARTNER OF IONE DIGITAL / CASSIUS NETWORK

X