Entertainment Sorority Draws 95 Hopefuls

Some 95 women auditioned when Diamond Dolls Elite Entertainment Sorority Inc. held its first meeting to gauge interest and hold tryouts for its Nashville chapter on the Tennessee State University campus.

Photo credit: The Meter Singing was one of the categories in which students auditioned.

Students sought positions as hip-hop dancers, singers, rappers, actresses, majorettes, models and fashion designers. They were judged by the founder of Diamond Dolls, Corry D. Coats; Shayla Ferrell, a Tennessee state alumna; and Angela Thacker, adviser to the Memphis chapter and president of the Nashville chapter.

“I was very impressed with the (ladies) that came out at TSU,” Coats said. “TSU has a lot of talent.”

The hopefuls who auditioned Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 were required to prepare specific pieces or routines. Singers were judged on such elements as range, pitch and voice control, while dancers, majorettes and models were evaluated on energy, attitude and complication of routine.

Members of Diamond Dolls are responsible for hosting and promoting concerts, special events, gospel shows and plays. The sorority gives the members opportunities to showcase their talents at the events they coordinate and sponsor.

“We are currently working on putting together a show to present at TSU,” Coats said. “However, we won’t be hosting tryouts again until sometime during the spring semester.”

Diamond Dolls was founded in Memphis on March 22, 1997, under the management of Coats Enterprises, Inc. The organization has since grown to include the Nashville chapter, based at Tennessee State.

The Memphis chapter began with 10 original members, the motto “We can do all things,” and such mechanics as a mascot, organizational colors and a detailed shield. The shield includes the five petals of the pink wild rose, six points of the Star of David, a torch and the Diamond Doll logo.

“I wanted to give young ladies the opportunity to express their talents through sisterhood,” Coats said. “I wanted to prove that young ladies could work together without competing against one another.”

The Nashville chapter of Diamond Dolls has included 12 Tennessee State students, including Carla Stitt, a former Miss Tennessee State.

“The ladies who were interested last year were really pushing for the sorority to become active on campus,” said Perianne London, official adviser for the Tennessee State-based chapter. “The sorority officially becomes active this fiscal year.”

Diamond Dolls plans to host a battle of the bands on campus Dec. 4.

“I’m not sure" about the sorority, said Erica Russell, a senior from Canton, Ohio, and a member of Tennessee State's Tiger Gems dance squad. “But if the (women) who tried out for the sorority felt that no other organizations on campus could meet their needs, then more power to them.

Meridith Miller, a student at Tennessee State University, is arts and entertainment editor of The Meter.

Posted Oct. 27, 2004