JSU Bands Produce STATE CHAMPIONS!

JSU Diamond Girls

The JSU Diamond Girls, a competitive dance line, competed this past Saturday at the Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham, Alabama. They won two Platinum Awards and have been named the new Alabama State Dance Champions! They performed a “Hip Hop” and a “Jazz” dance routine.

After each performance they "brought the house down" said Director of Bands, Ken Bodiford. “I am amazed at the talent level of these young ladies. I can’t imagine the number of new student recruits that we would have here at JSU if we had a full blown dance department. When people see the JSU Diamond Girls or the Marching Ballerinas, they automatically assume that we offer a dance degree,” says Bodiford.

The founder of the Diamond Girls is Mrs. Joy Andrews of Joy’s Dance Studio in Alabaster, AL. The JSU Diamond Girls are an extension of the Marching Ballerinas and are all current members of the Marching Southerners.

The following team profile was featured in an article about JSU's Diamond Girls posted on the College Dance Team's September 2006 Web page -- See September 01, 2006 Entry.

Friday, September 01, 2006

Jacksonville State Diamond Girls; Making An Impact In The South

A College Dance Team Central Exclusive Team Profile

An elite dance team at Jacksonville State in Alabama, the Diamond Girls are a part of the larger Marching Ballerinas, the dance line for the JSU Marching Southerners band. While the Ballerinas are celebrating their 50th year of entertaining JSU fans at football games, the Diamond Girls were formed just three years ago as the group’s competitive dance squad. The Diamond Girls dance team consists of 12 dancers, and are choreographed by Joy Andrews.

Andrews, who also choreographs routines for the JSU Ballerinas, is a dance teacher that has her own studio in Alabaster, Alabama. The team practices several times a week doing ballet and jazz technique, and prides themselves on having an exceptional kickline. While the Diamond Girls have only competed in regional dance competitions so far, the squad has already won many judges awards and regional titles over the past three years.



This year, the Diamond Girls won the regional title with their Jazz Dance, including a Kickline at International Dance Challenge in Panama City, Florida. They were asked to come back for an encore and won “most entertaining” of the competition with their Hip Hop routine. At Applause Talent in Chattanooga, Tennessee, they won a regional championship with their Jazz routine and recorded the overall high score at the event.

Andrews’ daughter, Jessica, is the squad’s captain and has already won the overall senior solo division and a Judges Award for her “Style and Pizzazz” at International Dance Challenge in Panama City.

With the number of aspiring dancers trying out increasing every year (approximately 80 auditioned for the Ballerinas squad this year, while another 20 attempted to earn a spot on the Diamond Girls team), Joy Andrews is building a tradition of excellence at Jacksonville State. And while the Diamond Girls have not competed in national collegiate competition yet, fans can catch the dance squad making a name for themselves while entertaining fans all over the south.

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