During the halftime period of a USC women's basketball game, a group of African American ladies takes the court. Loud, energetic music comes over the arena, bringing many to their feet as the group performs eye-opening, sharp and fluid moves that bring the crowd into a shock that erupts into applause as the music fades.
Elegant Essence is the first Black majorette dance group on campus. Majorette dance blends genres such as jazz, hip-hop and drill into one, fourth-year public health student and founder and co-president of the group Bethany Cotton said.
"Majorette isn't really just one specific type of dance; it's more about allowing the elements to kind of blend," Cotton said. "And also about promoting confidence and Black womanhood and taking up space unapologetically."
Majorette dance is predominantly performed at historically Black colleges and universities around the country.
Cotton said she aims to establish a community for Black women on campus, spreading African-American culture and a new way to be heard and seen.
Cotton created the organization in 2023 along with third-year public health student and co-president Kendall Adams-Montgomery due to a sparked interest and presence around sororities on campus, Adams-Montgomery said. The club works on performance skills by practicing every Wednesday from 7 to 8 p.m. in Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center.
The primary goal of the organization revolves around community and promoting self-confidence, first-year psychology student and member Miracle McCoy said.
The name of the organization, Elegant Essence, is based around treating others with grace and being willing to serve others, attitudes that the organization upholds, Adams-Montgomery said.
"It's not really just about how you look; it's about how you carry yourself and how you treat people," Adams-Montgomery said. "Are you kind to people? Are you willing to help people? Are you generous? That's really what elegant means to me."
First-year exercise science student Amiyah Oliver practices with the Elegant Essence team on March 19, 2025. Oliver is the current captain for the majorettes.
The process for the organization's establishment took multiple semesters, Cotton said. This process included speaking with President Amiridis, creating interest in the organization and aiming for funding from the university, she said.
Cotton said Elegant Essence has performed locally around USC's campus.
The group performed in Russell House on March 24 via Carolina's Got Talent, at a women's basketball game and is performing on Greene Street on April 2.
McCoy said the experience at a women's basketball game was enjoyable. She said while it was stressful, she liked being in front of such a large crowd and receiving support from many.
"When I got off the floor, it kind of just hit me like it was surreal; it was like, 'Wow, this club is really opening doors for me,'" McCoy said.
Adams-Montgomery said performing the halftime performance at a football game alongside the band is a goal for the organization in the future.
The organization needs to be funded and backed by the university to achieve this goal, however, Adams-Montgomery said. Funding would allow the university to hire coaches for the organization and get the team official uniforms, she said.
Currently, the team has full control over itself, bringing the captains and other members closer together through planning and being around one another consistently, Adams-Montgomery said.
"At the end of the day, if the university isn't going to support us, we have each other," Adams-Montgomery said. "That's not going to stop us. Even if the university chooses not to fund us, we're still going to keep going, doing what we're doing and make it as far as we can."
Cotton said she and Adams-Montgomery create a culture of inclusivity within the organization, making sure everyone is okay with all decisions, from incorporating different dance skills into their routines to setting up times and locations for performances.
"Even though I may be co-president, I want to make sure that when I leave, they also feel just as important in this team as I do, and I want to make sure that everything is heard," Cotton said.