Sunday, February 3, 2013

SU’s ‘Human Jukebox’ headed to the Super Bowl again

It’s Super Bowl time again for the world famous Southern University Marching Band.

The band, nicknamed the “Human Jukebox,” will perform in New Orleans during pre-game activities of Super Bowl XLVII being held Feb. 3 in the Mercedes Benz Superdome. This will mark the fourth Super Bowl performance for the SU marching band.

It will be fifth time, though, that a segment of SU’s football game halftime show has participated in the Super Bowl entertainment. Just last year, the Dancing Dolls, the 11-member female dance team that accompanies the band, performed with mega-star Madonna during halftime of the Super Bowl held in Indianapolis, Ind.

The nationally acclaimed Dancing Dolls recently captured the Best Overall College Dance Line award from the HBCU Dance Corporation. The Dolls also won in the category of Best Technique and finished in a three-way tie in the Best In Stands category with Albany State and Alabama State universities.

Director of Bands Lawrence Jackson is excited about the Super Bowl invitation from the National Football League. “This is a testament and tribute to the hard work our young men and women put into their practices, performances and their efforts in the classroom,” Jackson said. “I am proud of them and happy for our university.”

WAFB 9 News Baton Rouge, Louisiana News, Weather, Sports

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Locals part of Super Bowl performances this weekend

New Orleans (KPLC) - When Beyonce puts on her big half-time show, a Lake Charles woman will be backing her up.

D'Tara Frank, an alumna of Washington-Marion and Southern University, will be dancing with Beyonce during half-time.

KPLC is told D'Tara is a local engineer.

Also performing separately will be the Southern University Marching Band.

Assistant Band Director Nathan Haymer has an extensive past as a band director at Washington-Marion.

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Southern Marching Band to Perform at Super Bowl

For the first time since 1990 and the fourth time in its history, Southern University’s “Human Jukebox” Marching Band will display its talents before a Super Bowl crowd Sunday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.

The nationally renowned band will perform a 6-minute, three-song performance accompanied by the Dancing Dolls dance team during pregame festivities before the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers square off in Super Bowl XLVII.

The band will cap its performance with a second-line parade off the field.

The pregame ceremony will also feature survivors from the Sandy Hook school shooting singing “America The Beautiful” following team introductions and Alicia Keys singing the national anthem.

The Dancing Dolls performed with Madonna for last year’s halftime show, but it has been more than 20 years since the entire band performed in the big game.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the students Director of Bands Lawrence Jackson said Wednesday night as the band was rehearsing. He said he’s confident they will rise to the occasion.

“It’s not just good for the university or the city of Baton Rouge, it’s an opportunity to showcase the talent from the state of Louisiana,” Jackson said. “We can showcase to the world that the state of Louisiana has a wealth of talent.”

Jackson boasted that the band can put together a show from scratch in three days. The band has had nearly 21/2 weeks to practice for Sunday’s big game, rigorously working on details that distinguish an exceptional marching band from a great one — such as making sure the lines of the “V” in “XLVII” are crisp and sharp, with no curves.

The NFL requires the band to spell out XLVII, NFL and NOLA in its performance.




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