Black Baton Twirlers & Majorettes
I’m gonna make it to heaven / Light up the sky like a flameI’m gonna live forever / Baby, remember my nameRemember, remember, remember, remember(Irene Cara as Coco Hernandez, Fame, 1980)
Tuskegee Majorettes Made History
Before you dig into our posts featuring Black twirlers and majorettes, don’t miss this page featuring the Tuskegee majorettes. Discover how they made history as the first marching band with twirlers in the late 1930s. Click here to view the page.
Posts Featuring Black Twirlers
Warren Bass Honored with AIDS Memorial Quilt Block
To commemorate Pride Month and celebrate the life and legacy of Warren Bass, The Vintage Twirler is releasing this Special Edition commemorative sticker. This exclusive collectible sticker is available FREE to members of the Baton Twirling Preservation Society....
Mazy Arizona Ruise
Mazy Ruise: From Trailblazing Majorette to Dance Industry Leader When Mazy Ruise joined the Baker County High School majorette squad in Macclenny, Florida, she made history as the team's first Black majorette. Her journey was not always easy, but it would ultimately...
Meet Dr. Wendy Vacari-Seay, Former SCSU Feature Twirler and Founder of Twirl Girls Youth Camp
Grace, determination, and a touch of royalty. With her championship trophy at her side and a queen's mantle flowing behind her, Wendy Vacari Seay stands as a shining example of the artistry and excellence that define baton twirling.Georgia's Youth on Parade Champ...
Xernona and Xenobia of Muskgoee: From Oklahoma Majorettes to Civil Rights History
Xernona and Xenobia Brewster, Late 1940s | Muskogee, Oklahoma Long before one of them became a nationally honored civil rights icon with a bronze statue in downtown Atlanta, identical twins Xernona and Xenobia Brewster were known in Oklahoma as “The Brewster Twins,” a...
Havenview Jr High Majorettes (1983)
Karen D. was the feature twirler at Havenview Jr. High, Memphis, Tennessee, in 1983. She twirled two batons, hoop baton and fire.
Alice Williams and the Fight to Integrate the Rams’ Majorettes
Black History Month Feature February marks the 100th Anniversary of Black History Month. Thi is a perfect time to visit the story about Alice Williams, the would-be NFL majorette shunned due to race. In June 1959, the influential Black newspaper Pittsburgh Courier...
Dorothy Jackson, Tuskegee Institute Crimson Piperette 1959, 1960, 1961
When the Piperettes Still Twirled: Remembering Dorothy Jackson of Tuskegee Institute Long before the bright sequins and high kicks of modern halftime shows, the women of the Tuskegee Institute Crimson Piperettes embodied a quieter kind of elegance, one defined by...
Lincoln School Majorettes
Lincoln School Majorettes including Jeanne and Liz Logan, Springfield, Missouri, 1954. Lincoln School Majorettes, 1953 Lincoln School Marching Band, 1953 Lincoln School Marching Band, 1949 Lincoln School Marching Band,...
Grambling State Bayou Classic, 1989
Check out this wonderful footage featuring Grambling State University twirlers at the Bayou Classic, 1989. The majorettes twirl flags, batons and knives during their halftime performance. We compiled cuts of these performances and published it to music for our...
Baton Twirling Class, Tuley Park Fieldhouse (1963)
An instructor leads a group of girls in a baton twirling class in a gymnasium at Tuley Park Fieldhouse, Chattham, Illinois, circa 1963. Source: Richard J. Daley Collection, University of Illinois
Brighton High School Majorettes (1950s)
Mamie Allen | Brighton High School, Jefferson County, Alabama, 1950s. Miss Cole (Possible first name: Jean, Jessie or Dorothy) Brighton Hight School Majorette, Jefferson County, Alabama, 1953-1956.
Veronica “Bonnie Cakes” Sadler (nee Syfax)
Veronica "Bonnie Cakes" Sadler (nee Syfax) was born in Mississippi and attended Central High School, Columbs, Ohio, where she was a majorette. Sadler died in 2016. Photo Provided
Dorothy Vinella Humphrey, Drum Majorette (Prairie View College)
Dorothy Vinella Humphrey (1928-2002) was a drum major for Booker T. Washington HS, Dallas, and also Prairie View College, now Prairie View A&M University. Prairie View is a public historically black land-grant university located northwest of Houston. It was...
Langston University Majorettes
February is Black History Month! Follow along as we share a whole new collection of historic images of Black twirlers and majorettes. Here are some pictures we've discovered of Langston University majorettes and twirlers. Langston is Oklahoma's only historically black...
Majorettes on MLK’s 45th Birthday (1974)
Martin Luther King, Jr. birthday commemoration MarchPhotographer: Lewis, Boyd, 1944-2023 DescriptionView of unidentified majorettes participating in the Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade marking the slain civil rights leader's 45th birthday, on Auburn Avenue in...
Clark Atlanta University Majorettes
The following images of Clark Atlanta University Majorettes are shared by permission from Clark College / Clark Atlanta University, Robert W. Woodruff Libraries. They were taken in 1950, 1957 and 1960, at football games. Clark is an Historic Black University. Today,...
1954 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and Pauline West Grissom (1937-1994)
In celebration of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, we will share vintage pictures of twirlers and majorettes marching and performing in past Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parades. The following post was published by the Freeport Memorial Library, Freeport, New York. Many...
Elaine Jones, Longtime Leader in the Sport of Baton Twirling
Photo Restored with AI Software Elaine Jones is a longtime leader and living legend in the sport of baton twirling. A coach for nearly 50 years, she has taught more than 1,000 students, many of whom went on to twirl and dance in high school and college. Hailing from...
Thank you!
Miss Daisy Tinsley, Majorette, Tuskegee High School, 1950
Vintage Ephemera
Baton twirling ephemera refers to things like programs, posters, patches, stickers, magazines, newsletters, and other things typically written or printed that were used for a specific period of time.
Majorette Memories
We welcome high-quality scans of your vintage baton twirling ephemera. You can also receive items through the mail. We’ll digitally preserve your memories in high-quality scans. Thank you so much for supporting this project.
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Rare Merchandise
Once or twice a year we will offer a commemorative item or rare keepsake for sale such as a sticker, patch, pin or T-shirt, etc. All proceeds will help offset the cost of this project, which includes the cost to acquire rare and/or copyrighted materials.
We will offer our first piece of merchandise on World Baton Twirling Day, April 10, which is also the the official launch day for The Vintage Twirler. Please sign up for updates below so you don’t miss our annoucement. Thank you so much for your interest in this project.