Winston Salem State Cheerleaders Make It 'Jump' In Ciara's New Music Video
"I'm back on my mission to make the world dance! JUMP is OUT NOW I wanna see you," Ciara tweeted.
by Megan Ambers
July 09, 2022 at 1:32 am
Ciara broke the internet with her latest video, “JUMP,” which features Winston-Salem State University Powerhouse cheerleaders.
According to HBCU GameDay, Ne’Sheila Washington, the coach of the WSSU Powerhouse Cheerleaders, spoke about their experience working with the Grammy award-winning singer. She said she felt like a “proud mom” watching the cheerleaders in their zone.
“When the sun came up, it looked like we were in New York City. They had a different crew member assigned to each cheerleader,” Washington said. “Seeing crew members swoop in throughout the day to touch up makeup or provide little water bottles with straws was so cool. It made me feel like a proud mom watching all of this happen.”
Although the trip to California to film the music video was strictly business, Ciara’s dancers made the cheerleading squad feel at home. Destiny Martin, WSSU Powerhouse Dance Captain, and William Johnson, Team Captain, admitted the moment was unforgettable.
“My background is in dance, not cheer,” Martin said. “Seeing all the dancers that I’ve been watching on Instagram since middle school was incredible. Being in the studio with these dancers was amazing. It was also great to see that these professional dancers started exactly where we are and now have successful careers.”
Johnson said he had wanted to be a backup dancer since he was young. However, he revealed that he never thought he would be able to achieve that goal, and working with Ciara convinced him that it was possible.
“Being there was very inspiring. I’ve wanted to be a backup dancer since I was very young. I come from a small town, so the dance programs there were not great,” Johnson said. “Being so busy and focusing on my schoolwork at WSSU made me feel that I may never achieve my dream of being a professional backup dancer. This trip and the experience working with Ciara made me see that achieving my dream is really possible.”
Ciara posted a 15-second video of the song with a collage of photos from a photo shoot on her Twitter account. She tweeted that she was back on her mission to make the world dance.
“I’m back on my mission to make the world dance! JUMP is OUT NOW I wanna see you,” Ciara tweeted. “Jump into the new YOU Jump into LOVE (Loving on you:)) Jump into FUN Jump into DANCE What you waiting for? #JUMP”
I’m back on my mission to make the world dance!
JUMP is OUT NOWI wanna see you…
Jump into the new YOU
Jump into LOVE (Loving on you:))
Jump into FUN
Jump into DANCEWhat you waiting for? #JUMP https://t.co/o2aByLLTHw pic.twitter.com/bDeDiVFLSJ
— Ciara (@ciara) July 8, 2022
“JUMP” is Ciara’s first single in two years, following the Hudson Mohawke and Stargate — produced single “Rooted.” In 2019, Ciara released her seventh studio album, “Beauty Marks,” which featured the song “Melanin.”
The video featured Actors Lupita Nyong’o, La La Anthony, and the City Girls.