At Santa Barbara City College, one student is redefining what performance, presence, and owning your power look like. The Marettes are a majorette dance team founded by SBCC student Chandler Johnson, not only to perform but also to bring a new sense of culture and connectivity to Santa Barbara’s Black community.
Popularized as halftime performances at historically Black colleges and universities, Majorette dance is a high-energy style that blends jazz, ballet, and hip-hop. After moving to Santa Barbara from the Los Angeles area to study journalism, Johnson realized that the passionate performances, elaborate uniforms, and brazen confidence he had grown accustomed to seeing at sports games were nowhere to be found.
“I kind of felt like Santa Barbara was kind of missing that historical Black college university player…. The Black population here isn't too high. I wanted other people who looked like me to connect to the culture,” said Johnson.