By Fred L. Jones, Jr.
Eagle Staff Writer
There are times and moments in life when everything comes together. A few years ago a few young ladies joined The Prancing Pearls of Excellence because they wanted to express themselves through art of dancing. Little did they know that connecting themselves to Dr. Shavonda “Socky” Pannell would set them on a course of more than just dancing, more than just competing in events. This journey would enhance all of the unique and expressive qualities and give them the national exposure to launch their higher learning and projected individual careers.
The Prancing Pearl of Excellence movement has always achieved high levels of success. This year lead by Dr. Pannell and those five fabulous seniors. The Prancing Pearls of Excellence won the National Championship in Atlanta, Georgia.
I sent a series of questions to the “Fab 5 Pearls” and this is what each had to say:
Dallis Reed: What was your greatest moment as a Pearl? My greatest moment as a Pearl was the day I was recognized by a little girl who’d come to see us perform in the very first showcase 3 years ago. She asked to take a picture with me as if I were famous. I was extremely honored and blown away by her excitement and smile. It’s a lot of pressure but I’ve done my best to be the best Pearl/person I can and live up to that gift.
What are your immediate plans after graduation? I plan on attending University of Arkansas Pine Bluff (UAPB).
Will you continue your dance career? Yes, I am excited to announce that I’ve been selected to be a UAPB Golden Girl that is a part of UAPB’s M4 Marching Band.
How has being a Pearl enhanced your life? Being a Pearl prepared me for the next steps and taught me that we each have a part to play. If each one of us is excellent then the team has no choice but to also be excellent.
Define your relationship with Coach Pannell in 30 words or less… Loving but she’s tough. Almost mother/daughter like, with all of those lessons that you hate, but understand they love you, and want the best for you and, your blessed people who care in your life.
Micah Tucker: What was your greatest moment as a Pearl? Every moment as a Pearl is great, but the greatest one would have had to be winning Grand Champion in Atlanta. We worked so hard and to know that our hard work payed off and that meant everything to me.
What are your immediate plans after graduation? I will be attending Jackson State University this fall! My major is biology.
Will you continue your dance career? Yes, I am most definitely going to continue dancing. I won’t be giving up this talent anytime soon.
How has being a Pearl enhanced your life? Being a Pearl has kept me very disciplined and it has kept me out of trouble. It has also let me express myself through dance.
Define your relationships with Coach Pannell in 30 words or less… My relationship with my coach is very genuine and real. She’s one person that I can come to about anything and I love her a lot.
Rianne Nero: What was your greatest moment as a Pearl? My greatest accomplishment was honestly making the team. It showed that I had what it takes to eventually become a Regional Champ, State Champ, and can place 1st place in any category with my team.
What are your immediate plans after graduation? My immediate plans for after graduation is going to college to major in chemical engineering. I will be attending Prairie View A&M University and will go through their engineering program until I receive my masters.
Will you continue your dance career? I will be continuing my dance career by training with dancers on campus my freshman year and hopefully my sophomore year I will be ready to become a BlackFox.
How has being a Pearl enhanced your life? Being a Pearl definitely gave me a completely different look at life. I now see how I can be confident and not cocky about it and enjoy serving my community in the way that best represents myself. Never would I imagine I could conquer this style of dance and actually be good at it.
Define your relationships with Coach Pannell in 30 words or less… She is my world, she shows class, determination and hard work. She is loving and my rock! She is the BEST coach/friend/mentor I could I ever have.
Sydnee Dickson: What was your greatest moment as a Pearl? My greatest moment has to be winning grand Champion at our last buck or die competition! We had worked so hard all season for that and it was such a great moment seeing it pay off.
What are your immediate plans after graduation? I’ll will be attending the illustrious Clark Atlanta University.
Will you continue your dance career? Yes, I’ll be continuing my dance career in another genre of dance, however.
How has being a Pearl enhanced your life? Being a pearl has made me an overall better leader and has taught me to be humble and work hard.
Define your relationships with Coach Pannell in 30 words or less… My relationship with Coach Socky is indescribable. She pushes me as a coach but keeps close as family. She is One of my biggest cheerleaders and is a person I will look up to and love her forever.
Tanaesia Hester: What was your greatest moment as a Pearl? My greatest moment as a Pearl was building the bonds I did with my team. I’ve never been on a team that treated me like family and made me feel like I belonged.
What are your immediate plans after graduation? I will attend Jackson State University to major in biology pre-med.
Will you continue your dance career? I will continue my dance career if I make my college dance team.
How has being a Pearl enhanced your life? Being a Pearl made me come out of my shell, it made me more confident in myself. I’ve learned how a young woman should act not only in person but also on social media. Our image is everything.
Define your relationships with Coach Pannell in 30 words or less… Coach Socky is like a second mom to me. If I ever needed anything or needed to talk I know that I could talk to her. I love my coach she is a person that I look up to and I admire her. Even with me not being on the team anymore, I hope to continue to have a relationship with her for the rest of my time.
Dr/Coach Shavonda Socky Pannell stated in her love for the “Fab 5 Pearls”: “The world is theirs and nobody can stop these 5 young ladies. I have watched them grow and evolve into the phenomenal young women they are today. With their confidence discipline and determination, I know they will succeed in all that they put their minds to. Although it is bittersweet to see them go I can’t wait to see the impact that they will have on the world. Excellence is all that they know and being excellent ambitious young women is who they will continue to be! They are forever my Pearls, and I will continue to be with them every step of the way”.
