Our Director of the Black Foxes Dance Line and Twirling Thunder Color Guard was nominated by her coach peers to be inducted into the National Dance Coaches Association (www.nationaldancecoaches.org) Hall of Fame at their yearly national convention in Dallas, TX! Ms. Zachery is not only a dance line coach, but she is an advocate for the recognition and preservation of the HBCU style of dance and performance, which is the vision of the National HBCU Auxiliary and Dance Directors’ Association (HBCUADD), which she founded in 2022. Ms. Zachery was also recognized for the achievement of reaching 20 years in the coaching arena, starting with the Ooh La La! Dancers at Howard University in 1996.
The NDCA is a non-biased not for profit, inclusive organization whose primary interest is to provide a forum for dance team professionals to learn, share, and connect. The NDCA also recognizes and honors outstanding dance team coaches and other dance professionals. The NDCA strives to educate, inspire, and advocate for high school, college, all-star, and professional dance team coaches, while providing a structure for the dance team community to collaborate in a supportive environment (www.nationaldancecoaches.org/about).
When asked about the honor Ms. Zachery stated, “I had no idea that I had been nominated. I was scheduled to present on the history of the HBCU performance genre and I later received a notice that I was being inducted! Surprise does not even begin to explain my reaction.” She continued, “I am SO honored that they have recognized my years of work in this field and also that they’ve given me a platform to educate other performance professionals on the HBCU style of performance. I’ve always felt that we should be the ones to educate others and I’m excited that they are open to understanding more about the impact we have on young people.”
Ms. Zachery will be continuing her work through HBCUADD; spreading the knowledge about the HBCU performance style and its history through its many workshops, performances and its marquis event, the HBCUADD National Conference, held in conjunction with the HBCU National Band and Orchestra Directors’ Consortium. “My mother was a majorette at Southern University in 1955. I just feel like it’s been passed down to me and it’s something I’m extremely passionate about.” She also stated, “I don’t think people truly realize how HBCU Marching Bands, Dance Teams and Auxiliary impact lives. Because of these art forms students go on to do great things in their professional lives because they’ve allowed the passion for the genre to teach them other great life skills.”
Read more about HBCUADD at www.hbcuadd.com.
