United Starz Dance Team, a Christian step group in Plant City, is infusing moral lessons with innovative dance
routines. The group, comprised of students age 10 years old and up, is offering young dancers a chance to use their passion to create a cultural conversation on issues they feel are impacting their society.
The students pick the topics and create the choreography themselves with some guidance from founder and leader Tessie Holmes. Over the years the group has created routines revolving around issues like fighting against bullying and suicide and is in the process of creating a performance that tackles young relationships and teenage pregnancy.
“The message that we bring, it touches people,” Antasha Thompson, United Starz team member since its creation three and a half years ago, said. “We’re a Christian step (team). We’re not just bringing a message of other things, we’re bringing a message about God. So that really touches people.”
Holmes is a cancer survivor and originally United Starz first performed in honor of cancer awareness. She said her group owes much of its success to the kindness of the late Lillie Brown. When they had nowhere to go, nowhere to practice Brown opened the doors of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center to the group, allowing them to grow into a prospering dance team.
The group has performed everywhere from hospitals to food truck rallies. They’ve performed in nursing homes and a variety of churches. Through it all their faith remains non-negotiable.
Holmes said when United Starz first began she occasionally
had pushback from groups who hired them and wished they would tone down their religious message. She said that option was never on the table, taking God out of their routine would be the same as removing the group’s foundation.
After much prayer, her church ended up opening its doors to allow them to perform. Now the group is getting requests from across the Tampa Bay area.
“We pray every time before we perform,” Tolaisha Perry, United Starz team member, said. “It helps us not mess up. It helps us remember that God is with us while we step. It brings comfort. We’re united and we came together as one team.”
The girls said one of the roots of most of our societal issues stems from a lack of respect for each other. To them, respect plays a crucial role in how they perform and grow as a team. Because the routines are dreamed up and designed by the students they have to rely on each other’s mutual respect to perfect their performance.
When a new routine is finished the girls said they often will break up into groups and teach the younger members or someone who is struggling on the side until everyone is on the same level. They pick issues that speak to them, topics they see in their every day lives at school and in the community. Then they dive into scripture to find out what the Bible has to say regarding the issue.
Those verses influence their entire structure and help weave a story of moral superiority and compassion for others. Their hope is when they step onto a stage or dance on the streets of Plant City someone in the audience will find comfort and hope in their performance.
They shared stories of those who have come up to them following a routine and shared their own struggles and obstacles and thanked them for sharing their message. When they go out in public to places, like the Boys and Girls Club, they are recognized by the children in the community and many ask if they’ll pose for a photo.
Holmes said she makes sure her students understand the responsibility that comes with being looked up to. It’s crucial they live the lifestyle they preach and they’ve proven time and again they take the calling seriously.
Her hope is one day the group will become a staple in the community, supported by local sponsorships so the girls can go further and do more routines. She currently is paying out of pocket for the majority of the outfits, meals and transportation with the girls paying $10 a month to help with the costs.
The parents of the students help with transportation and will always step in if there’s a need. Members of the community are also coming on board. Augustus “Sunny” Traylor has been helping schedule the group.
“I help in any way I can because to see young people express themselves in God, like they’ve said, they exude that Christian lifestyle and message, it’s touching,” Traylor said.
Eventually, Holmes hopes to have formed partnerships that would allow her to offer scholarships for the young dancers so they can go to college. As for the girls, their main goal is to one day perform at the new Florida Strawberry Festival stadium.
United Starz can be booked by messaging the group’s Facebook page or by calling Holmes at 813-704-9056.