When you hear the drums, trumpets and energy of the University’s marching band, odds are the twirls and high kicks of five Dollies in their iconic red dresses, white boots and pom poms will not be far behind. 

Charlotte Brewer ‘22, Jasmine Rodriguez ‘22, Tiffany Liu ‘22, Julia Raven ‘21 M.A. ‘22 and Savannah Payne ‘22 accompanied the Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band (LSJUMB) at football games, school events and band trips throughout the 2019-2020 academic year. They returned for one final rally last Saturday — over a year and a half after their last performance.

Stanford Dollies dance and partake in many iconic events, including festivities surrounding the Big Game, which is when the Stanford football team faces its rival, the University of California, Berkeley. 

All five of the 2019-2020 Dollies agreed, however, that their favorite event was Band Run, during which they picked up frosh from across campus for a grand performance alongside the marching band in Main Quad. Rodriguez said that the frosh crowd is “one of the most dynamic crowds” she’s danced for.

Raven said the Dollies were grateful for the opportunity to participate in many events before their year was abruptly cut short in March 2020.

“It’s a bummer that we didn’t get to do some of our more lighthearted spring rallies, but I’m glad we got ten out of the twelve months of Dollie year,” she said.

But they never got to experience their last rally, a final performance where Dollies formally conclude their year-long gig and pass the torch onto a new group of Dollies.

Traditionally, the event takes place in May, but “nothing about this year is traditional,” Brewer said. 

The rally began in front of Memorial Auditorium and included features from the LSJUMB, which performed alongside the Dollies. After dancing to Green Day’s “Welcome to Paradise,” the Dollies graced onlookers with their precise turns and coordination at Meyer Green, and they eventually brought their fans to White Plaza. They drew in onlookers as they danced, with the crowd getting bigger at every succeeding location. It was not until the last dance at Terman Fountain, however, that community members were able to witness the Dollies end their year by, quite literally, making a splash. 

The Dollies finished their run with a dance to the Stanford Fight Song that ended with them jumping in Terman Fountain.  

Rodriguez said that the Dollies were “uncertain of whether [they] would ever perform again.”

The Dollies therefore all agreed that this final opportunity to perform together was “a surreal and exhilarating experience,” Raven said. 

A previous version of the article stated that Julia Raven is in the Class of 2022. The article has been updated to reflect Julia Raven was part of the Class of 2021. The Daily regrets this error.