Introducing The Cardinal Divas: USC's first-ever majorette team
For the first time, the University of Southern California has a majorette team thanks to one dancer with a vision.
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- For the first time, the University of Southern California has a majorette team thanks to one dancer with a vision.
"I was looking at all the dance teams and cheer teams they had on campus, but none of them really ... it wasn't meant for me," said Princess Isis Lang, a 20-year-old musical theater major and the creator of the USC Cardinal Divas. "I was like, 'I don't want to change who I am or how I dance or how I look to be on a team.'"
Majorette teams are a staple at college football games, especially at historically Black colleges or universities.
Beyoncé's 2018 Coachella performance was centered on the rich culture and tradition of the HBCU experience and included majorette-style performances.
Now, the Cardinal Divas are offering that same experience to USC fans.
WATCH: USC's majorette team shows off best moves in dance off with ABC7's Tony Cabrera and Leslie Sykes
"You bring every part of your body into this style of dance," said Lang, who got the team started after meeting with an athletic director on campus.
Lang drew inspiration from teams she grew up watching at Jackson State University in Mississippi and Southern University in Louisiana.
"This is a great way for me to create a space for young Black girls that don't feel like they have a space available at a PWI, which is a predominantly white institution," said Lang.
The dancers say the response to the team has been overwhelming.
"In the stands, the student section loved us," said Jai Robinson, the team's choreographer. "We had a great time. There has been a little controversy on Twitter, number 2 trending topic. But we use any negativity as positivity to keep us pushing forward."
The new team is teaching others that sometimes, it's best not to fit in, so you can create a brand new, unique space.
"To have the support of students that barely even know me, it just meant so much because ... Wow! You trust me! Thank you," said Lang.
