FAMU Marching 100 set to perform in Los Angeles at Nike, LeBron James-sponsored event
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Florida A&M University’s Marching 100 kicks off the new year with an all-expenses-paid trip to Los Angeles, California, where they will perform at The Chosen-1’s Invitational high school basketball tournament.
Sixty band students — along with six to eight staff and media team members — flew to L.A. Friday and will display their “incomparable” reputation at the University of South California’s Galen Center Saturday, Jan. 7.
The band members will play at three halftime shows during the four-game tournament with song selections including "Faces" by Earth Wind and Fire, "About Damn Time” by Lizzo, “Cuff It” and "Break My Soul" by Beyonce and “Dance With Somebody” by Whitney Houston.
Nike, one of the partners of the second annual event, invited the university’s band for the performance in early December of last year, according to FAMU Director of Bands and Professor of Music Shelby Chipman. Other partners in the tournament are professional basketball player and four-time NBA champion LeBron James as well as the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Nike and LeBron James’s connections to FAMU include their partnership with the university in 2021, involving a six-year deal for the widely known shoe company to be the official athletic footwear, apparel and equipment provider for the Rattlers. The deal also includes FAMU teams being outfitted in LeBron James uniforms and apparel.
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“The event will feature several elite high school basketball programs from around the country and will now feature the most illustrious marching band in the world,” Nike Brand Marketing Specialist Giovanni Fillari wrote in the letter of invitation, according to a release.
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The FAMU Marching 100’s invitation to L.A. comes after an international trip last year to France — which was also an all-expense-paid trip — as they performed at the Louis Vuitton Men’s Fashion Show in Paris.
Celebrities including rapper Kendrick Lamar, model Naomi Campbell and fashion designer Jerry Lorenzo, who is a FAMU alumnus, watched the students march across the stage during the show. The event was also live-streamed worldwide for fans to watch from all over.
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As the band gets ready to put on a show in the City of Angels, it’s not the first time for some of the members.
The trip marks the Marching 100’s first return to California since its performance in the 2019 Rose Parade in Pasadena. Over 200 students played at the 130th annual event to celebrate New Year’s Day as part of the Tournament of Roses.
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“We are delighted to be invited to perform again in California,” Chipman said in a prepared statement. “It gives us a chance to introduce ourselves to a new audience who may not have been exposed to the wonderful talent on display in the Marching ‘100.’”
The basketball event will feature on-site activations by Nike, giving attendees the chance to take home selected Nike-branded items.
The band was also scheduled to perform at the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Atlanta Hawks NBA game Friday at 7:30 p.m. PST at the Crypto.com Arena while in L.A., but it will no longer be performing due to flight inconveniences, according to Chipman.
After the Marching 100’s high school tournament performances, the band students as well as the staff and media team members will be returning to Tallahassee Sunday, Jan. 8 ahead of the first day of the spring semester Monday, Jan. 9.
Contact Tarah Jean at tjean@tallahassee.com or follow her on twitter @tarahjean_.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU Marching 100 to perform at The Chosen-1’s Invitational
