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Was it the earth shaking? Were we under attack? No. As I approached the Black Student Coalition, the ground was trembling under the thundering beats of Davidson's Shades of Brown, a step troupe composed of members from diverse dancing backgrounds.
The thundering beats were nothing but a small pounding a few years ago before President David Dennis '08 and a few other students helped Shades of Brown grow from a paltry four to 33 members.
"One of our greatest accomplishments was being able to double in size every semester," Dennis said.
Shades of Brown began about seven years ago, but it became disorganized as students went abroad.
When Dennis arrived at Davidson in 2004, there was no Shades of Brown, but that year senior Marc Vincent '05 created a step piece for Dance Ensemble, allowing Dennis to meet older Davidson students who told him the history of Shades of Brown.
Dennis was so excited about a step team on campus that he rechartered Shades of Brown, generating an organization that will continue to sustain itself even after his graduation.
"Next year I will take a lesser role in the organization so the younger members will be able to take charge and make Shades of Brown a staple of the Davidson campus," Dennis said.
Shades of Brown secretary Erin Price '07 agreed, "I would like to see Shades of Brown as a central element of cultural exploration on campus. I believe that Shades of Brown has the potential to influence all students to step outside their comfort zone and expand their horizons," she said.
Shades of Brown has become very influential to its members and to the College and community; for example, they held an hour -long stepping session at Ada Jenkins last semester.
"I believe that the most important event was our performance in Christmas at Davidson. That performance - even being invited to perform - marked a significant change in my view of Shades of Brown," Price said.
"We were no longer a student group that performs an unorthodox type of dance for Dance Ensemble or a token club demonstrating diversity here at Davidson. Shades of Brown became, in my mind, a group of students who have the potential to introduce the members of the Davidson College community… to the rich history of African-Americans all across the country," Price explained.
Josiah Rich '09, described his unabounding love for Shades of Brown, "Every moment with the team is influential. We laugh about everything and even though we have a great time, we're highly productive when we need to be. Even when I'm in the worst mood, going to step practice changes my day."
"It's amazing, but during dance Ensemble we have received some the loudest responses from the crowd," Dennis said. Dennis knows that Shades of Brown will be able to continue even after his graduation from the positive feedback he has received. Dennis and the step team look forward to bigger and better events for Shades of Brown:
"I would like to give Davidson College a working knowledge of what to expect from Shades of Brown and stepping in general," he said.
I would also like to make Shades of Brown more professional by updating the constitution and website. And adding stepping videos to the website so members or anyone else can learn steps online," Dennis said.
"I would like to see it be something that the basketball team takes to the NCAA tournament for the half time show," Rich said. Lazetta Crawford '09 adds, "I would say that over this past year, we have made a lot of progress with making sure people see our organization as 'inclusive' of all types, as now we have a variety of people participating with Shades of Brown."
Look out for more to come from Shades of Brown. If you are interested in joining Shades of Brown contact David Dennis at dadennis@davidson.edu.
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