Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour is underway along the East Coast, and the performer is scheduled to make a tour stop at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on Wednesday evening. Students and staff at Johnson C. Smith University rose to the occasion and organized a celebratory video welcoming the Grammy Award winner to the Queen City. 

“We want to welcome Queen Bey to the Queen City and let her know that faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of JCSU admire not only her artistry but the ways in which she and her family uplift the world, especially communities of color like Johnson C. Smith University,” school officials told The Charlotte Observer.

The video features students and staff dancing to some of the biggest hits from the Renaissance album. Dances popularized on TikTok, as well as voguing, are also featured as an homage to Black pioneers in the dance community. The university ensured to credit the original creators of viral challenges on social media, including Corey J. Brown, who created the choreography to “Break My Soul,” and Maycee Steele, who is behind the “Cuff It” challenge.

“The video pays homage to Bey’s RENAISSANCE album, featuring the CUFF IT Challenge made popular on TikTok as well as voguing, which was made popular by Willi Ninja in the 1980s and adopted as a popular dance among the LGBTQ+ community, which is heavily celebrated in Bey’s newest album,” school officials said.

 

Production took weeks and came from collaborative efforts between students, staff and alums. JCSU student Jasmine Woosley made the mix. Filming and production were completed by the university’s Communications and Marketing Team.

“With the music production and the dancing and different filming, we really put a lot of time into it to make sure that Beyoncé truly feels welcome,” Student Government Association Sen. Kristi Ellis told Spectrum News.

Ellis, a dance major, said the video’s message is more important than the entertainment aspect of it.

“As an HBCU, we want to always make sure we’re representing the Black community because we feel like that’s what she [Beyoncé] does for us,” she said.

Eventually, Ellis hopes Beyoncé takes notice of their work.

“To us, that will be everything… because for Beyoncé to recognize you is such a beautiful thing. I can’t even explain the words like there would be so much gratitude,” she added.

The university also hopes the video can help shed light on the HBCU and encourage potential students to enroll.

“We are proud of the ENERGY our staff, students and alumni put into this project,” school officials said. “As JCSU is experiencing a SUMMER RENAISSANCE with updates around campus, changes in leadership and much more, we were excited to take a break and MOVE to some of Beyoncé’s hits.”

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