{"id":5105,"date":"2025-01-22T17:31:22","date_gmt":"2025-01-22T17:31:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/sonicboom\/?page_id=5105"},"modified":"2025-01-23T17:30:58","modified_gmt":"2025-01-23T17:30:58","slug":"prancing-j-settes","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/sonicboom\/prancing-j-settes\/","title":{"rendered":"Prancing J-Settes"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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THEE \"PRANCING J-SETTES\"<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Origin and Development of Thee \"Prancing J-Settes\"<\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Get To Know Thee Prancing J-Settes<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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“Prancing J-Settes” is the official name of the Jackson State University dance line, an auxiliary group of the Jackson State University Marching Band, “The Sonic Boom of the South.” The Prancing J-Settes are supervised by Mrs. Chloe Ashley Crowley, J-Settes Director.<\/p>

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“The thrill of a thousand eyes,” were the words spoken by Dr. Jimmie James, Jr. at the onset of the “Prancing Jaycettes” in 1971. Shirley Middleton, a former majorette, initiated the concept of the majorettes abandoning their batons and dancing to popular musical selections. As the majorette sponsor, Shirley Middleton and the majorettes met with Dr. John A. Peoples, the University’s sixth president, and requested that they be permitted to “put down their batons.”<\/p>

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Dr. Peoples agreed and thus legends were born. In 1970, Middleton assembled 18 majorettes, and their notoriety immediately began to soar in raped proportions.<\/p>

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Their beauty, grace, and poise were astounding and their dance routines to songs such as “Kool-Aid,” James Brown’s “Make it Funky,” and “Hot Pants,” were magnificent, unmatched by any other competing groups.\u00a0<\/p>

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The group was initially named the “Prancing Jaycettes.” The group’s name became official in 1971. However, in 1982, the Prancing Jaycette organization officially changed its name to Prancing J-Settes, because of a name conflict with a local organization known as the Jackson Jaycees\/Jaycettes.<\/p>

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As a trained ballet dancer, Shirley Middleton held the J-Settes to a very high standard of perfection. Also, the late Hollis Pippins, a JSU twirler and a dancer of high performance in his own right, took great pride in providing the J-Settes with excellent choreography. In addition to emphasis on perfecting dance routines, it was completely unacceptable for any J-Sette to display mannerisms and stature of anything less than a model citizen.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tView History of Thee Prancing J-Settes<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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History of the J-Settes<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Shirley Middleton served as sponsor of the J-Settes from 1970-1975. In 1975, Narah Oatis was appointed the sponsor of the J-Settes. Under her leadership, the Prancing J-Settes became nationally renowned. During her reign, J-Sette marching technics such as the \u201cSalt and Pepper,\u201d \u201cJ-Sette Walk,\u201d \u201cStrut,\u201d and \u201cTip Toe\u201d were perfected. The J-Settes consisted of lines of 12-16 young ladies who marched in rows affectionately named \u201cShort and Sassy,\u201d \u201cMagnificent Middle,\u201d or a \u201cTall and Tough.\u201d Mrs. Oatis\u2019 tenure is best remembered by many for the J-Settes\u2019 stellar performance at the 30th Anniversary of Motown in 1990, the \u201cComing to America\u201d , \u201cProud Mary,\u201d and the \u201cLiturgical Dance\u201d routines. (\u201cComing to America\u201d and the \u201cProud Mary\u201d routines were both originally performed in 1995. The \u201cLiturgical Dance\u201d routines was first performed in 1996.) Narah Oatis served as director (sponsor) of the Prancing J-Settes for 21 years. She resigned as sponsor of the J-Settes in February 1997.<\/p>

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In the Spring of 1997, a former J-Sette captain, Mrs. Kathy Pinkston-Worthy was appointed director (sponsor) of the Prancing J-Settes. Under her direction, the J-Settes have become nationally known for their rapid-fire highly technical dance routines to selections such as \u201cI Go to Work\u201d and \u201cSwoop.\u201d Perhaps, the most celebrated marquee performance by the Prancing J-Settes was rendered at the 34th NAACP Image Awards in Hollywood, California in 2003 where the J-Settes performed on National Television with \u201cCedric the Entertainer\u201d and \u201cSugar Bear\u201d of E.U. Both routines were choreographed by Mrs. Worthy.<\/p>

Mrs. Worthy served 16 years as the director of the Prancing J-Settes. In the Spring of 2013, another former J-Sette captain, Mrs. Chloe A. Crowley was named sponsor of the Prancing J-Settes.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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THEE THRILL OF A MILLION EYES<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

THEE “PRANCING J-SETTES” Origin and Development of Thee “Prancing J-Settes” Get To Know Thee Prancing J-Settes “Prancing J-Settes” is the official name of the Jackson State University dance line, an …<\/p>\n

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