The CW Network Presents “March”

The rich culture of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) remains a mystery to much of the world. While misconceptions and myths roam freely about the happenings on these legendary college campuses – beautiful narratives of brilliant young people of color take shape each day.

The CW Network has shined a necessary light on one campus and is excited to present “March” – an inside look at the band and dance team of Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU or PV).

Imagine Nick Cannon’s celebrated film “Drumline” multiplied by 100, as far as intensity is concerned.

The PVAMU marching band is under the direction of former military man – Dr. Timothy Zachery, who runs a very tight ship. Practices are both concentrated and extensive. The band is known for its highlight halftime performances, dance routines and various displays of artistry. What most will fail to acknowledge, however, is just how much practice and how many full-on workouts the young people on the field engage in before a halftime performance is even executed.  

To a degree, the young people who make up the band and dance team should be regarded as athletes. It is their blood, their sweat and oftentimes their tears that result in stadium seats being filled with fans anticipating halftime just as much as they anticipate the football game.

In the premiere episode, one band mate describes with passion the seriousness of learning the dance routines.  “People don’t understand what Full OUT means,” he insists. “If at the end of the routine, you’re not sweating and out of breath – you’re not doing it right.”

“March” follows closely the devotion of the six flashy drum majors, the sassy Black Foxes Dance Team, and several other bandmates. The show does an exceptional job of displaying the student’s efforts to manage their academia, social lives, band involvement and in many cases – their personal struggles.

The cast features a very entrepreneurial band member. Aside from activity with the band, she also sells plates of food, hair and lashes.

One young man is navigating being a drummer, a student and a new father. His best friend was the piccolo section leader, but recently exited the band because of some friction with a fellow bandmate.

Bandmates often leave behind other opportunities to be devoted to the band.  

Kaylan is the captain of the dance troupe - the Black Foxes. The ever-so-charismatic student is beyond grateful for the opportunity to showcase HBCU life to the world.

“It’s very important for the world to learn about HBCU culture, because many of the trends we see on the Internet are from black culture,” she explains. “People think it resonates from the Internet, but many of those dances and trends originated right here at PV.”

Entertainers like Beyonce’ and Megan the Stallion understand HBCU styles and often incorporate them into their performances. It is important to note that HBCU bands do things completely different from prestigious non-black universities, and more of the world is beginning to take notice. There are even HBCU dance squads earning deals with Nike and MAC cosmetics.  

While Kaylan would love to make dance a career and has even dreamed of being a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, she is very focused on excelling academically.

“There is a huge misconception that PV is just a party school and we’re not,” she insists. “We produce so many successful people. We produce architects, doctors, educators, engineers, and so much more.”

The PVAMU band, dancers and directors are to be commended for continuing their efforts even during the toughest moments of the pandemic. The students missed an entire year together before reconvening in the Spring of 2021. 

The dance team of 16 was only allowed to have eight members practice at once. They had to learn many routines via Zoom and had to practice in an actual gymnasium because the floors were easier to clean. They wore masks throughout very strenuous workouts and the younger members missed out on many bonding trips and learning opportunities. 

Filming a show while attending college classes is no simple feat. “I tried to keep it as real as I could,” Kaylan says.  “I tried to be very transparent. I really admire that the production crew always let me be me. If it was rolling on camera – it was authentic.”

“March” is anything but your typical reality show. These are real students, attending real classes and actively participating in one of the most celebrated marching bands in the world.

“Be patient with the show,” Kaylan says. “We live in an era of Love & Hip Hop and Selling Tampa. Take it for what it is. This not a cheer show or a scandal waiting to happen. We were just really grateful to have this opportunity to show the world what we can do, and we hope this opens doors for other HBCUs to show their talents and skills.”

*MARCH debuted on Monday, January 24 and MARCH moves to Sundays starting February 27 (9:00-10:00 ET/PT), after ALL AMERICAN and ALL AMERICAN: HOMECOMING take over Monday nights.