Editor’s note: This story is the third in a series appearing occasionally that is intended to give readers a glimpse into unique clubs and organizations on campus.

Twelve minutes of stretching. One hundred reps per stretch — bicycles, splits and sit-ups. Three hours of practicing routines, sometimes more if the group isn’t clicking. The Couture Dolls rehearse just as most other dance clubs on campus would.

Then, two-thirds into their Saturday rehearsal, the dancers race to their bags to fish out pairs of heels: black, tan, violet, suede, patent leather, pumps and booties. The 14 of 16 members crowd Archbold Gymnasium’s squash court after they are bumped from their regular rehearsal space in the boxing room.

They practice to Beyoncé’s ‘Countdown,’ their clacking heels echoing off the walls.

This second generation of Dolls has taken their founders’ wisdom to heart: Put the unconventional together. They take hip-hop and pair it with heels. They join together burlesque and banjee, which Shanelle Drakeford calls more of an attitude than a style of dance.

‘Banjee is hood, like harder moves,’ said Drakeford, co-coordinator for the Couture Dolls and a sophomore writing major. ‘Stuff you wouldn’t see girls doing. It’s not so soft and girly-like.’

The Couture Dolls’ tentative April 4 showcase will mark the second formal performance since their creation. In the past, the group danced at Syracuse University’s Homecoming Weekend, the annual Fashion Conscious show and the university’s drag show. The members, all with different levels of experience, unite onstage to mix theatrics and choreography.

The dancers, most clad in black leggings and loose-fitting tops, warmed up to Jay-Z and Beyoncé, occasionally laughing at a rogue racquetball and its vocal pursuer in another court.

When it was time to dance, one of the coordinators cut through the sisterly banter and split the members into their two designated performance groups.

‘I want my mean girls on the floor and the losers sitting on the wall.’

This year’s show combines two sections of high school girls who wouldn’t be caught dead near each other in the lunchroom: mean girls and losers. The show follows the same plot line of the popular movie ‘Mean Girls,’ but puts it in a college setting.

Uncommon partnerships aren’t restricted to the storyline. The dance styles on which the group is based on come from two different sides of the spectrum. Sultry burlesque is mashed with the more hard-hitting moves of banjee.

The dance style is very much like hip-hop, active and intense. Many times, the girls stomp their feet to sharpen a move. During solo scenes in songs, some girls twirl with flirtatious facial expressions.

‘It’s all about attitude, but not in a bad way,’ said dancer Shayanna Sims, a sophomore information technology major. ‘It’s fierceness.’

The members of the group don’t have formal dance training, but most cheered in high school and some danced in another college club. No dance experience is needed, but one must audition to get in. Most of this year’s group is fairly new. Drakeford was one of five remaining members after most of the others graduated in May.

One of the new girls was Sims, who cheered in high school. She danced in Kalabash, a Caribbean dance group on campus, but was captivated when she saw the Couture Dolls perform at last year’s Homecoming showcase. Despite her cheer and dance background, she claims she’s ‘the most awkward person ever.’

But she doesn’t feel self-conscious at practices. The supportive members help each other out.

The girls joke around quietly when people are dancing. A joke between friends is actually what started the group in the first place.

In the spring of 2008, Tiffany Bender, a graduate television, radio and film major, and four friends were practicing for a Fashion Conscious show. The president of Fashion Conscious caught them doing vogue: a pose-driven, stylized form of dance. Instead of reprimanding them for messing around during practice, the president encouraged it.

‘The four of us girls and the one young man came up with choreography,’ Bender said. ‘We had on these polka-dot, Minnie Mouse dresses and danced onstage.’

The lone Ken doll amid the Barbies, SU alumnus Jerijah West, unexpectedly popped out of a box from the back of the stage and vogued down the entire runway. The crowd loved it, she said.

‘We got so many compliments we were invited to perform the routine at other events,’ Bender said. ‘So then we decided, why not write a constitution and make this a real group?’

Bender has taken a backseat ‘momma’ role to the group. But she isn’t afraid to lay down the law.

This past fall, she attended a rehearsal to watch the group practice for the Homecoming showcase performance. Frustrated because they didn’t hit the moves sharply enough, Bender yelled at the girls and walked out of the rehearsal.

She didn’t see the girls dance again until the showcase. She was nervous, anticipating the group might not do as well as she wanted. The music finished, the dancers left the stage and Bender cried with joy, proud of her little Dolls.

‘We made a commitment to separate ourselves from other dance groups and act things out,’ she said. ‘You can’t just walk out and speak out lines like in a play. It’s more physical than that. We really make a show of it.’

smtracey@syr.edu

Published on March 4, 2012 at 12:00 pm