Meet the Beyjorettes: Beyoncé serves as inspiration for newest New Orleans Mardi Gras dance krewe - NOLA.com |
| Posted: 05 Sep 2019 06:28 PM PDT Of course there's a Beyoncé-themed Mardi Gras dance troupe. How could there not be? The Queen Bey is the exemplar of choreographed female empowerment, after all. Which is one of the foundations of the largely female do-it-yourself parading organizations that typify 21st-century Carnival. Kourtenay Roberts, who moved to New Orleans from Atlanta a year ago, said she had planned to join the popular MuffALottas dance troupe. But, inspired by Beyoncé Knowles-Carter's acclaimed 2018 Coachella music fest performance that became a Netflix documentary blockbuster, she decided to strike out on her own. When she issued a Facebook post calling for Beyoncé devotees to join the new group, Roberts was amazed at the enthusiasm of the applicants. Thus, the Beyjorettes (a mashup of Beyoncé's nickname and the word majorettes) were born. The 15 original group members, who Roberts said represent "different backgrounds and body sizes," marched for the first time during the Festigals women's conference parade in June in the French Quarter. Their second appearance was during the perennially outrageous Southern Decadence Parade on Sept. 1. The crowds "get it immediately," Roberts said, of the promenading Bey hive. So, how does it feel to evoke one of the planet's most beloved entertainers? "It feels like you're a celebrity, a little bit," Roberts said. "The crowd loves her so much, they call us Beyoncé. They come and quote her songs or do little dance moves. The parade crowd does their own tribute to her along with us."   Beyjorettes founder Kourtenay Roberts. Roberts, a mother of four, said she first laid eyes on adult Mardi Gras dancing groups five years ago when she attended the Endymion parade. That was the beginning of her love affair with New Orleans. For the next few years, she said, she visited regularly until she finally relocated to Algiers with her husband and kids. In her short time in the Crescent City, parade customs have become the center of her life. In addition to founding the Beyjorettes, she is a member of the Black Storyville Baby Dolls costuming group and has made a business of selling second-line umbrellas at the French Market. "This is where I'm supposed to be," she said of her transplantation. The Beyjorettes are scheduled to appear in the Athena and Zulu parades during Carnival 2020. In the upcoming events, the group will retire their Coachella-style costumes for black outfits inspired by Beyoncé's "Formation" video.   Beyonce performs on the 'On The Run II' tour at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on September 13, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Beyjorettes are only the most recent celebrity-inspired parading groups. The Krewe of the Rolling Elvi is a tongue-in-cheek tribute to Elvis Presley, the Krewe of King James honors the memory of soul-maestro James Brown and the Amelia EarHawts and Cabin Krewe is devoted to legendary lost pilot Amelia Earhart. Slots are available for up to 25 more Beyjorettes, Roberts said. Dues to join the group are $150. For more information, visit the Beyjorettes.com website or Facebook page. |
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