UPDATED: February 29, 2019 at 9:48 p.m.

One Friday evening, the Ernie Davis dance studio was filled with laughter and playful camaraderie as the Black Reign Step Team warmed up for practice.

“Black Reign stance!” yelled senior Aminata Siby, the president of the team. In response, the group got into formation, standing tall with their arms behind their backs.

“Can I see face, energy … and I don’t want to see any mistakes,” Siby said as they aimed to perfect a step for an upcoming performance.

Two weeks ago, Black Reign performed at the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. After holding tryouts earlier this month, the team solidified their roster for the semester and is now gearing up for future shows.

Founded in 2005 by SU alumnae Tanira Lindsay and Mia Armstrong, Black Reign is the only non-Greek-affiliated step team on campus. The group prides itself on their ability to “showcase the art of stepping through fellowship, discipline, unity, and precision,” according to the team’s Twitter.

Stepping is an art and dance form with derivations from Africa and influences from South African gumboot dancing. Steppers use their bodies to create various percussive sounds through clapping, stomping and patting their legs. Members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council — also known as NPHC or The Divine Nine — also incorporate stepping.

This semester, Black Reign is made up of about 30 members, and the majority of its steppers are women. Avery Callahan is the only male stepper this semester, yet he said he doesn’t feel isolated. For him, everyone shows love and support at the end of the day.

“I don’t feel left out of anything at all,” he said. “Sometimes if we’re joking around, they’ll be like ‘what’s your input as the only guy on the team?’ (but) it’s all family.”  

At the beginning of each semester, original team members hold a clinic for prospective steppers to get their feet wet before officially trying out.

Tryouts consist of two progressive skill rounds followed by an interview round. But skill is not the only thing the executive board judges. Attitude and commitment are some of the traits the team values in its members.

“We’re a team that wants the energy to be shown and people to reciprocate that to us,” Siby said.

Anna Henderson | Digital Design Editor

A “step” refers to the choreography as a whole. Sometimes during a performance, one member will begin the step alone — called a start — and through timing, other team members will join in.

Black Reign has a step committee that brainstorms steps related to the theme of its shows. Most of the time, the committee creates the steps themselves. But Siby cited music as their inspiration as well.

Tichina Sewell-Richards, a senior step committee member, can attest to the difficulty of the process. Despite how good the performances turn out, she said, making the step is still hard, even after being on the team for three years.

Midway through the practice, some of the steppers broke out into an a capella version of Beyoncé ’s “Irreplaceable” during one of their 3-minute breaks. Soon after, the whole room was harmonizing.

Aminata Siby, a senior at Syracuse University and president of Black Reign, leads the dance team through a recent rehearsal. Lauren Miller | Asst. Video Editor

Black Reign’s vice president of external affairs, junior Assata Cradle-Morgan, attributes the group’s strong sense of unity to the hours spent together in and out of practice. She said the team likes to bond and support each other — whether it’s by attending other campus events or studying in Bird Library together during finals week.

“We try to do as many events outside of our practices,” she said. “The one thing we pride ourselves on is supporting the team on their own endeavors.”

To Cradle-Morgan, Black Reign has one of the strongest work ethics out of all the organizations on campus. She said they typically practice four times a week, but the work doesn’t stop there. The team also spends time during the summer and school breaks to perfect their steps.

As SU’s only non-Greek-affiliated step team, a few steppers said this team gives them more flexibility in trying different steps throughout the year.

Callahan, who is also a brother of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., compared his experience stepping with Black Reign to that of his fraternity. He said Black Reign is more precise and allows for more complex, detail-oriented moves.

“(We) make sure that it not only looks good, but it sounds pleasing to the ear,” he said.

For the newest members, Djenaba Sow and Tiffany Javier, joining Black Reign meant an opportunity to get more involved on campus and meet new people. The two girls are dubbed “Reign Drops” since they just joined this semester.

“This team is about personality, having attitude, facing your fears (and) being confident,” Sow said.

Javier said she thinks being a member of Black Reign will help build her confidence, and that she hopes to grow more as a person and have fun while doing so.

Black Reign has a handful of performances this semester, many in collaboration with other organizations on campus. While they spend countless hours prepping for upcoming performances, Siby said the team is about more than what’s on stage.

“We’re more of a family than a team,” she said.

CORRECTION: In a previous version of this post, the graphic misstated a date. The Daily Orange regrets this error.

Published on February 12, 2019 at 10:57 pm