HBCU Week: Battle of the Bands lights up West Philadelphia

Philadelphia high school students and community performers showing off their skills tonight in the HBCU Classic One Philly Showcase Battle of the Bands. They were invited to step into the spotlight and create their own version of this beloved HBCU tradition, bringing together music, school pride and competition. Our Brittany Weir was there for all the fun. From drum lines to cheerleaders and high energy performances, HBCU Pride was center stage Tuesday night at Philadelphia's High School Battle of the Bands. The drums were beating, the cheerleaders brought the energy, and the crowd was right there with them. Tuesday night, high school and community performers came together in West Philadelphia for a showcase celebrating local talent, school pride, and HBCU culture. Daquan Johnson-Thompson, owner of Cheer Athletics Philadelphia, says the event brings different groups together to showcase what they can do. You're going to see high school teams, you're going to see community teams, all in one under one roof, also with some bands. Just everybody just sharing the community and being able to express what we do as a sport. A special guest was also in attendance, Philadelphia's Mayor Cherelle Parker, joining the celebration of the city's young talent and HBCU culture. For 14-year-old cheerleader Allison Ballard, the showcase is a chance for more people to see what her program has to offer. I'm feeling really excited and it's important to get like so other people can really see our program when they might not have been able to. Philadelphia Chief Deputy Mayor Vanessa Garrett-Harley says the event also shines a spotlight on local performers while celebrating educational opportunities for young people. It gives us the opportunity to highlight our cheerleaders, to highlight our bands. We have some phenomenal high school bands right here in the city people don't know a lot about. And for Allison, one of the best parts is connecting with other young performers. My favorite part about competing is the energy of all the teams coming together, meeting each other, and the friendly competition. And HBCU celebrations continue throughout the rest of the week with a choir competition on Wednesday followed by a job fair step show and football games Friday and Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Brittany Weir, Fox 29 News.