Feature On Former UWM Dancer

West grad lands at Miller Park
Wausau Daily Herald

A 2006 graduate of Wausau West High School soon will take a place on the diamond of Miller Park alongside Prince Fielder and Ben Sheets.

There's no sweeping curve ball in Alison Prott's arsenal, though. Nor is there a 400-foot centerfield shot in her game. What she has are some wicked dance moves, and they've landed her on the Diamond Dancers, the dance team for the Milwaukee Brewers.

Prott, 20, a second-year education student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, made the team in late February after an all-day tryout.

"I was really, really excited," she said. "Because when (I) got there, and I was watching the girls, there was a lot of talent there."

She's taken a somewhat unlikely path to become a Diamond Dancer. She wasn't on the dance team in high school. Instead, she focused her efforts on alpine skiing and swimming.

She also took dance lessons at the Judy Peterson Dance Studio, starting when she was 5 years old. She learned tap, jazz and ballet moves there.

The dancer in her spurred her to try out for the dance team at UW-Milwaukee. She made it.

"I just thought it would be fun and something to do," she said.

Dance team moves were different than what she was used to. "It was a learning experience," Prott said. "It's more sharp, the moves are a little different. In ballet or jazz, things flow together. ... On the dance team, the moves are a lot more exact."

She took to the discipline, though, and got to perform at all of the UW-Milwaukee home basketball teams and a few of the soccer games.

It was through her friends on the UW-Milwaukee team that she learned about the Diamond Dancers tryouts. She and a few of her friends tried out together. She was the only one to get picked.

"That's a little bittersweet," Prott said.

She's just getting started on learning what being a Diamond Dancer is all about. Prott is not sure if the team will perform April 4 at the Brewers home opener against the San Francisco Giants.

Prott's responsibilities as a Diamond Dancer include doing promotional work with people tailgating before games and participating in dance routines just before games start and during the seventh-inning stretch. She'll also do "different things to get the crowd excited," she said.

For now, she's working out like a maniac, learning the dance moves and readying for her first performance.

"I'm sure the first couple of times we do it (in front of a Miller Park crowd) it will be a little nerve-wracking," she said. "But I'm used to being in front of groups of people, so it really doesn't bother me."

Keith Uhlig is a features reporter for the Wausau Daily Herald. He can be reached at 845-0651 or e-mailed at kuhlig@wdhprint.com.

Essexville Women Travel With MSU As Members Of The Spartan Dance Team

By Trevor M. Keyes
The Bay City Times

As the Michigan State University men's basketball team laces up their sneakers for tonight's NCAA tournament game, two Essexville natives will be on the same court lacing up their dance shoes.

Rachel Brunette, 23, and Stephanie Estes, 21, are in Houston as members of the MSU Dance Team, a student-run dance troupe that performs on the sidelines during men's basketball and football games.

Both women have been on the dance team for three years and have enough seniority to travel with the team.

A third dance team member from Bay County, Lindsay Bacigalupo, is a freshman at MSU and did not travel to Houston.

In the past two weeks, Brunette and Estes have traveled to Indianapolis for the Big Ten tournament and to Denver for MSU's start in the NCAA Tournament. Tonight, the team plays in Houston against Memphis.

Brunette and Estes were ready to go as two of six dance team members allowed to travel. The dance team has 18 members.

''I'm all packed from last week,'' said Estes, a communications and public relations senior. ''Changed a few things here and there, did a little laundry, but still pretty much packed.''

Being on the road means Estes and Brunette have had to swap desks for airplane seats.

''Your life feels crazy,'' said Brunette, the dance team's captain and a nursing senior. ''You have to talk to your teachers, and get your assignments from your friends. But, you don't get these kinds of opportunities all the time. You get what you have to get done and then pack up and get ready to go again.''

Brunette is a 2003 graduate of Garber High School. Estes is a 2004 Garber graduate.

The recent trips with the basketball team isn't the only traveling the women have done with the dance team. In late December, they followed the Spartan football team to Orlando, Fla., to participate in the Champs Sports Bowl. Three weeks later, the dance team took the trip to Orlando again to compete in a national dance competition.

Brunette and Estes helped bring Bacigalupo onto the dance team last April. Bacigalupo, a Bay City Central graduate, danced locally with Brunette and Estes before attending MSU.

''I came down and practiced with the team a couple of times and then tried out and made it,'' said Bacigalupo, 18.

While she hasn't been on the team long enough to make road trips, she's hopeful her time will come.

''It's hard to see half the team go, but it's all about seniority and they all put in their time,'' Bacigalupo said. ''It's (Tom) Izzo's 13th year (as MSU men's basketball coach) and they've made it to the Sweet 16 seven times. When it's my turn, I'll have some pretty good odds to go too,'' she said.

The Spartans are a fifth seed in the South region of the NCAA tournament. In the first round, MSU beat Temple and upset Pitt in the second round to make it into the Sweet 16.

At 9:57 p.m. today, the Spartans take on the Memphis team that came into the tournament with a No. 1 seed.

While they will be dancing In Houston tonight, Estes is already looking ahead.

''I hope we win ... and go to the Final Four again. It'll be nice to get some sunshine (in San Antonio),'' she said.

Holjencin On UPB Dance Team

Endeavor News.com

A Cameron County High School graduate is co-captain of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford dance team. Among team members are Heidi Holjencin of Emporium, cocaptain, and Theresa Thorwart of Johnsonburg.

"There is a tremendous amount of talent in each member, and together as a team, they are extraordinary," said dance team advisor Karen L. Burgess.

Members were selected after tryouts in September. The team practiced at least four days each week and worked on routines at halftime of the women's and men's home basketball games.

Purdue Dance Team To Host Clinic

The Purdue dance team will host a clinic this weekend for dancers ages 5 and older.

From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday in Lambert Fieldhouse, participants will learn a specific routine taught by the dance team members.

Dancers interested in trying out for next year's Purdue squad are encouraged to participate this weekend. Tryouts occur on April 20.

More information about the clinic can be found at www.purduedanceteam.com. Pre-registration, which costs $25, ends Friday. Registration after that deadline will cost $30.

Xavier Dance Team To Compete In Nationals

Cincinnati.com

The Xavier University dance team is on its way once again to national championship competition.

For the fourth year in a row, the 12-member squad is heading to Daytona Beach, Fla., April 10 through April 12 to compete in the Cheer and Dance Collegiate Championship.

In preparation for the national competition, the team will perform at 6:45 p.m. Sunday, April 6, in the Gallagher Student Center Theatre on the XU campus. The performance is free and open to the public.

Members of the Xavier dance team are:

* Kim Gohs of Northside, a sophomore early education major;
* Nicki Strehle of Delhi Township, a junior early childhood education major;
* Kristin Strehle of Delhi Township, a freshman accounting major;
* Erin Brannon of East Price Hill, a junior psychology major;
* Emily McCracken of Maineville, sophomore social work major;
* Angela Fraiz of Anderson Township, a freshman nursing major;
* Erin McGrail of Naperville, Ill., a freshman early childhood education major;
* Katherine Von Brecht of Belleville, Ill., a senior natural sciences/biology major;
* Alex Hagenhoff of St. Louis, Mo., a sophomore business major;
* Rachel Rekowski of Fishers, Ind., a junior political science major; and
* Colleen O'Connell of Brookville, Ind., a junior marketing major.

In Daytona, the dance team will compete in Division I against more than a dozen other teams. They will perform hip hop, pom and jazz styles all in one routine. The dance team attended a camp last summer during which they qualified for the championship.

During the school year, the squad practices eight hours a week. In addition, they do numerous performances and fundraisers. Team members also are required to do an additional hour of cardio conditioning each week. They have performed at Reds games, Xavier club football games, men's basketball games and high school basketball games.

CU Dance Team Lifts School Spirit

By Matt Velazquez
Columbia Spectator

As the waning moments of the first half tick off the clock at games in Levien Gym, the basketball teams prepare to head into the locker rooms for halftime. However, there is another team—a Columbia team—that is preparing for its turn to take the court and wow the fans. And this group, the Columbia University Dance Team, definitely gets the job done.

Although they make it look effortless, there is more than meets the eye, as the CU Dance Team prepares diligently for halftime performances.

“We practice three times a week for three hours each, we condition in the gym twice a week for an hour each, and during basketball season we dance at every single home game, men’s and women’s,” senior co-captain Alexandra Stylianos said. “We also dance at other campus events, like Midnight Mania and Glasshouse Rocks.”

In order to keep things fresh, the team learns multiple dances throughout the season, working on one at a time and eventually performing about five or six. All of the dances are either choreographed by the captains, head coach Bernadine Goldberg, members of the team, or are dances that the team learned at a mandatory summer camp that qualifies the team for national competition.

Two years ago, the dance team took home ninth place at National Dance Association Collegiate Cheer and Dance Championship, a very high national honor, and the team will be aiming high when they head down to Daytona Beach, Fla. in April for the competition this year. The NDA Championship is a two-day event that begins with an opening round from which only select teams move on to compete in the finals on the second day.

“We have to do one routine there that is two minutes long, and it has to have three different dance styles, so it’s very structured,” junior co-captain Hayley Dirscherl said. “The captains basically choreograph that—we worked on that together over Christmas break—and [the team] started working on it as soon as we got back from Christmas break, so it’s a semester-long endeavor just to learn one dance.”

Preparing for national competition involves more than just learning the dance, but also recruiting a team that can work well and dance well together. All members of the team come in with experience, but not always from time on a dance team. Getting a group to work at such a high level is not always easy, but Stylianos and Dirscherl describe all the members of the team as being best friends.

Most students witness the advanced ability of the dance team at basketball games, but in the past, this was not the norm.
“Between my freshman and sophomore year, I think we had a pretty drastic change in the skill level of the people that we had,” Stylianos said. “My freshman year, we didn’t dance at every game. We just kind of did what we wanted to do, and then sophomore year, they [the Athletic Department] created a new spirit group adviser, who got us a lot more involved in basketball games. At the same time, the girls on the team were a lot more serious about it, so we made new rules, and we became a little less relaxed, and we wanted to push each other a little more and become better dancers.”

The Athletic Department has a hand in the dance team’s decisions, and the relationship is mutually beneficial.

“It’s more of a good thing,” Stylianos said. “And we feel like much more of a presence on campus. Now people know who we are,” Dirscherl said.

Part of working with the Athletic Department has been working with the basketball teams and cheerleaders. Dancing at home games is not limited to men’s basketball games, but has, in the past few years, branched out to women’s games as well. Instead of separating from the cheerleaders, the two groups cooperate during games and do cheers together.

The mission of the dance team is not solely focused on preparing for competitions or dancing and cheering at games—it is much broader. Stylianos referred to the role of the team on campus and around the community as “helping people have school spirit ... trying to get people to be interested in the athletics teams.”

“We get really frustrated at the lack of school spirit sometimes, so I think we make a strong effort to encourage people to come out to basketball games,” Dirscherl said.

Before heading to Florida to compete in the NDA Collegiate Cheer and Dance Championship, the team will be providing a showcase of its routine as a final tune-up before the competition. It will be held on April 8 at 9:30 p.m. in the University Gym and anyone interested is invited to attend.

Many positive changes have occurred in recent years to make the CU Dance Team as prominent as it has become, so next time you’re at a Columbia basketball game, you can appreciate the halftime show just a little bit more, knowing what went into making that performance a reality.

MU Dance Team Preparing For Nationals

By Chau Nguyen
The Oxford Press

While fellow students are spending spring break in sand, snow and everything in between, members of the Miami University dance team remain in Oxford for three-a-day practices in preparation for a Florida adventure.

The dance team, comprised of 12 members and head coach Eloiza Domingo-Snyder, is practicing for the National Dance Alliance National Collegiate Competition to be April 9-13 in Daytona Beach, Fla.

According to co-captain Rachael Gilpin, the team will compete in Division 1A, the highest level of competition.

Gilpin said the team primarily performs and competes with three dance styles: pom, jazz and hip-hip, and this year's two-minute incorporates all three styles. With the competition now less than a month away, the RedHawks are looking to perfect their routine over break, she said.

"We really focus on cleaning the routine, perfecting every count, every motion to make sure that we look as uniform as possible," Gilpin said. "Being as uniform as possible is a big element that judges look for, so we'll do the routines full out, running it again and again and fixing anything that looks out of place."

The team returned from last weekend's Mid-American Conference tournament in Cleveland, where they performed in the MAC conference men's and women's basketball tournaments, which Gilpin said was good practice for the team.

"It really helps the girls get used to performing in front of a large audience and a different setting so it (was) a real advantage for us to perform there," Gilpin said.

In last year's national competition, the RedHawks finished the preliminary round in third place, behind consistently top ranked teams University of Louisville and Brigham Young University, Gilpin said.

"We ended the competition placing fifth nationally and that's the highest Miami has placed at nationals," Gilpin said. "We are confident that we will be able to defend our ranking and possibly even do better."

In August, the RedHawks got a jumpstart on the game with a full paid bid to national competition. According to Gilpin, teams across the nation competed for bids, partial bids and paid bids for the NDA National Collegiate competition during a NDA camp held at the University of Louisville.

"Paid bids are determined by how a team ranks in the team dance competition at camp and is voted on by other dance teams and camp staff," Gilpin said. "With $15,000 for travel, food and lodging, it's really allowed us to compete in the competition because it has eliminated a lot of the fundraising we would have to do and has allowed us to focus on the routine more."

With only two seniors, co-captain Shoko Yoshitake and herself, Gilpin said the youth of the team does not hinder its strength.

"For how young we are, it doesn't really show," Gilpin said. "We have a very strong freshman and sophomore class, so it's made it pretty easy this year, and that's typically not the case in young teams."

Five-Time Champs HPU On Display

Honolulu Advertiser

Hawaii Pacific University's reigning eight-time national champion cheerleaders and its three-time national champion Dance Team will hold a free performance in preparation for the national championships.

The event will be held 6 p.m. March 30 at Blaisdell Arena. The nationals will be held in April.

It will feature performances by HPU's Large Coed Team, Small Coed Team, Dance Team, five-partner groups and stunt groups.

The HPU Large Coed Cheer Team won its fifth straight title at the 2007 National Cheerleaders Association competition. The HPU Small Coed Cheer Team, consisting of no more than four male members, won its third consecutive national title.

BSU Band, Cheerleaders And Dancers Experience Birmingham

By Jake Garcin
Arbiter Online

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - They might not always live in the spotlight, but that doesn't mean they aren't making an impact. They are the band, cheerleaders and dance team members, and just because their presence isn't always acknowledged, but it is most certainly always felt.

So as the Boise State men's basketball team prepares to take on Louisville in the first round of the NCAA tournament Friday night, it only seems fitting that the Broncos' supporting cast is taking in the excitement of March Madness too.

A joint effort

BSU cheer and dance coach Julie Stevens was on hand for the Broncos Western Athletic Conference championship win in Las Cruces, N.M. last Saturday. As soon as that game ended, she knew both her team's seasons were going to be extended for at least another week as well.

With just three days to prepare Stevens went back to work, trying to compile a team of dancers and cheerleaders who would be able to make the trip to Alabama.

"We got home on Sunday and found out the selection," Stevens said. "So trying to put a group that could go…it took a little bit of work. It was a challenge but it was fun."

Part of the selection process was based on academic schedules. Other factors included; who went to the WAC tournament, as well as who was going to stay home and cheer for the BSU women's basketball team Thursday night in the first round of the WNIT.

In the end, she was able to secure spots for four women from each team. That meant that she would have to tweak each team's routines so that a hybrid cheer-dance squad would be ready to perform on Friday night.

"It's not to bad," BSU Maneline dance team member Jenn Hesse said about learning some of the cheer routines. "We had to change some of our routines…it's a little bit harder to pick up."

The women arrived in Birmingham, Ala. with the basketball team Wednesday night. On Thursday, they were able to schedule an hour of practice at a near by grass field behind the hotel.

"You know it hasn't been too bad," BSU cheerleader Mallory Kelsay said about the short amount of preparation time. "It's definitely fun. Normally we're split up and now we get to incorporate everyone...so it's a good experience."

An hour was about all they could spare, however, with morning study sessions and an educational field trip taking up the rest of their day.

"They need to stay up on there studies, when you're gone for so long," Stevens said. "The professors at Boise State are really cool...they were very willing."

Stevens said that along with study sessions she is responsible for administering three tests while the team is gone, because some of the women were forced to miss midterm tests to make the trip. Stevens also said that all the extra work is well worth it, though, as she knows that her team's presence on these road trips make a difference.

Bring on the band

BSU Blue Thunder Marching Band Director David Wells knows his band is tired. Just like the cheer and dance teams, the BSU band has been spread thin throughout the men's basketball team's run to the NCAA tournament.

"We came out of that ball game down there after New Mexico just totally exhausted just like the team," Wells said.

They haven't let that slow them down one bit, however. Following the NCAA selection show last Sunday, Wells began compiling a list of band members who would be ready to make the trip on short notice.

"It's just a matter of turning around and looking at the line up and start separating people," Wells said. "We also have a band back in Boise that's doing the basketball game tonight for the ladys, so we had to split it right down the middle. There's 29 people with me and 29 people ready to play for the lady Broncos."

The 29 members who were fortunate enough to make the trip are trying to make the most of their time in Alabama.

"The excitement of getting to go to the NCAA tournament is awesome," BSU freshman Tyler Wagoner said. "It's been my dream since a long time ago. It's just good fun."

Well's group has always been known for their enthusiasm during BSU sporting events. He said that even though he doesn't have a full group on hand, he does expect that same level of excitement Friday night.

"We're just ready to go," Wells said. "The bands are competing just as hard and with as much energy as with what the teams are."

The long term effects of BSU's participation in the tournament should extend long past this weekend. The fact that BSU is playing on a national stage will only help in the band's future recruiting.

"It's very significant for the school to get our name out," BSU graduate assistant Alejandra Montesino said.

Lion Line Takes First Place

Lindenwood's dance team competed for title in January

By Rachel Kaatmann
St. Charles Journal

Five, six, seven, eight the Lion Line has won first place.

After her first year as coach, Colleen Carriker and her dance team at Lindenwood University are celebrating their first victory as national champions of the Universal Cheer Association/Universal Dance Association College Championships, held in January at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.

The competition attracted more than 100 university cheerleading and dance teams from across the U.S. and was televised on ESPN. The Lion Line was named open class champions in the hip-hop division."We knew it was a first place dance," said senior Whitney Agers, team captain. "It was fun when we got back to the airport; everyone was there with signs and balloons. There are so many sports and activities at Lindenwood, but winning a national championship has gotten us recognized."

Formed in 1992, Lindenwood's dance teams - the Lionettes, the performance group, and the Lion Line, the competitive group - are a major part of the university's spirit and attend each football and basketball game.

Former dance coach Brenda Parisi, now an assistant principal at Francis Howell North High School, helped form the team. Since then, when not cheering at sporting events, the team has vied for the top title at the national championships.

Carriker, once a Lindenwood dance team member, started out as an assistant coach before being named the head coach when Parisi left her position last year.

"As any transition year from one coach to the next, we hit some rough spots along the way. These girls overcame a lot of obstacles and adversity to get where we are now, national champions," Carriker said. "They never stopped believing in each other. They were so focused and determined when we were at nationals."

But getting there wasn't a cake walk. The team normally trains Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays for about four hours each day. For nationals, they practiced in the months prior for an additional four hours every Sunday, and the week of the competition they practiced for three hours every morning.

To become a member, each dancer is selected through an audition process. The process includes attending one of Lindenwood's dance clinics, learning and being judged on the school fight song, performing jazz combination and hip-hop combination dances, and an interview with the coaching staff.

"I set aside time for team bonding, such as team building, so the girls didn't get burned out on the routines or each other," Carriker said.

Agers said she joined Lindenwood's dance team because she knew about the team's national reputation and wanted to be on ESPN one day.

For the nationals performance, the team hired Toya Ambrose, a dance coach at the University of Illinois-Chicago, one of two choreographers. Agers said this year the team wanted to hire the choreographers who had previously coached first place dances in the major divisions, the hip-hop open dance divisions.

"I decided before the trip that I was not going to tell the girls how they ranked, fearing that if they placed high in semi-finals, that they would feel the pressure of remaining in a top spot and not perform as well in finals," Carriker said. "After semis, they were ranked first but only a few points ahead of 2007's champion, Orange Coast College from Costa Mesa, Calif. Only myself and my captain, Whitney, knew that we were only one performance away from a national title. I told the girls that they needed to do exactly what they did in finals but better."

For many girls, such as Agers, who have danced since they were small, winning a national championship was a lifelong dream.

"After they performed, I knew they won," Carriker said. "I didn't tell them that, but I knew it with all my heart. The girls nailed it ... their energy was amazing, formations were right on, synchronization was impeccable. I can honestly say that I have never watched a routine and been more certain that it was going to win."

For next season, Carriker said she'd love to see her team defend their title and win in the open dance division.

"I have already started planning and recruiting for next season and have some of the most talented dancers coming to Lindenwood from the St. Louis area, Kansas City area and Illinois," she said. "We are going to have a strong team next year."

2007-08 Lindenwood Lion Line dance team

Whitney Agers, senior, of Desloge
Mary Bartlett, senior, of St. Charles
Krista Blankenship, freshman, of Florissant
Terra Busch, junior, of St. Charles
Lauren Chastain, freshman, of Millstadt, Ill.
Brooke Crider, junior, of O'Fallon
Brittany Gammon, junior, of St. Charles
Casey Garr, junior, of Columbia
Brooke Hoepfner, junior, of Fenton
Stefanie Hruby, senior, of Maryland Heights
Jessica Jacob, sophomore, of Columbia
Erin Kay, sophomore, of Florissant
Angela Koehler, junior, of O'Fallon
Emma McDaniel, freshman, of St. Charles
Brigette Michael, freshman, of Highland, Ill.
Lindsay Nenninger, senior, of Webster Groves
Kim O'Brien, junior, of St. Charles
Leah Shipley, sophomore, of Florissant
Kimberly Williams, senior, of Junction City, Kan.

Code Red Dance Team Tryouts Scheduled For April 27

Ball State Athletics

The Ball State University Code Red Dance Team will hold tryouts for the 2008-09 squad Sun., April 27, at 9 a.m. in Worthen Arena on the Ball State campus.

Attached are the necessary forms which are due no later than April 22.

The Code Red Dance Team is an important facet in rounding out the entertainment portion of Ball Staet athletic events. We are looking for versatile entertainers with a professional dance style and crowd pleasing abilities. You must be able to learn both basic and complex dance movements and assimilate them into a routine with a certain style, grace and flexibility. The Code Red Dance team is a group of entertainers with a vast stage to project. One's show qualities must be strong, with the smile and eye contact to reach many fans. A Code Red Dance Team member is bright, outgoing, pleasant, enthusiastic and a well-rounded individual. You must be able to be a part of a disciplined unit that projects positive support toward one another, toward the coaching staff and toward Ball State University and the community.

You must be a fulltime Ball State University student with a grade-point average of 2.0 or better or a high school senior with a 2.0 or better that will be enrolling in Ball State in the fall in order to tryout.

If you have additional questions, please contact Joe Hernandez at jhernand@bsu.edu or the coaches, Ashley and Rachel, at bsucodereddancers@hotmail.com.

FAU Dance Team Announces Audition/Clinic Dates

Pre-Audition Clinics & Team Auditions

Pre-audition classes are Thursday, March 20 and Monday, March 24

- The same clinic is being offered on two separate days for those who are unavailable for one or the other.
- The classes will be held from 6:00 - 8:30 P.M. in the FAU Arena (balcony area).
- The registration fee for each class is $25.00; any dance attire is acceptable.
- Registration on the day of the clinic will begin at 5:30 P.M.
- The clinics are open to junior high and senior high students, as well as students currently enrolled in college. The Pre-Audition Clinics will include:
• Audition tips: hair, make-up, what to wear, etc.
• Dance technique
• Pom technique
• Stylized hip hop
• Meet the coach and current FAU Dancers; ask lots of questions!
• You will learn the styles of dance that will be taught at
FINAL AUDITIONS!

When: Prelims and semi-finals: Sunday, April 13; training camp: April 14, 15, & 17; finals: April 20
Time: Sunday: 12 - 7 PM; Monday, Tuesday, Thursday: 5:30 - 8 PM; Sunday: 1 - 4 PM
Where: The Burrow (FAU's on-campus arena): upstairs balcony practice area

Requirements

• Letter of acceptance from FAU (for incoming freshman or transfer students) or a current FAU student ID card
• You must be enrolled full-time at Florida Atlantic University (some PBCC students also attending FAU are welcome; e-mail FAUDance@aol.com for details).
• You must be able to attend all practices, games, promotions, and events for the entire season.
• Your GPA must remain at 2.0 or higher.
• You must be physically fit in both appearance and health (FAU Dancers are required to obtain medicals).

What To Wear
• Any flattering cropped dance/athletic top that shows your midriff (mandatory)
• Black boy-shorts (mandatory)
• Flesh-colored tights (mandatory)
• No baggy or loose clothing allowed
• Dance shoes or sneakers
• Please come to the audition with hair and make-up performance ready.

The Audition Process
1) Registration and Pictures
2) Warm-up
3) Technical Elements (Review)
This part of the audition will showcase the dancer's kicks, leaps, and turns; overall dance ability will be considered when final decisions are made. Skills observed will include:
• a clean double or triple pirouette
• chaine' turns
• pique turns
• a la seconde turns
• toe-touch
• grand jete leaps (R & L)
• axle leaps
• switch leaps (R & L)
• tilt leaps
• calypso leaps (R & L)

4) Dance
Candidates will learn and review two short dance routines (4 eight counts each) taught by the coach/choreographer. The first will be a jazz dance, and the second will be a hip-hop routine.

5) Audition/Interview
Dancers will audition, in groups of three or four, the first routine taught by the coach. A first cut will then be made, and semi-finalists will audition with the second routine. Judges will rate each candidate on general dance ability, technique, showmanship, level of fitness, and overall performance. We are looking for professionalism and maturity, the ability to learn quickly, a positive attitude, and ladylike comportment. After candidates audition with the last dance, results for those who have made it into training camp will be posted. Training camp candidates will need to remain in the gym for a post-audition meeting.

Training camp will take place on the subsequent Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Candidates must be available for those three 5:30 - 8:00 PM practices. Interviews will take place during training camp. The final audition will take place on Sunday, April 20 from 1-4 PM. The 2008-2009 FAU Dance Team will be announced at that time.

For more on the FAU Dance Team auditions please visit FAU Dance Team

St. Mary's Dance Team On ESPN.com

Moraga, CA - ESPN has put together a segment called "Know your Mid-Majors" on ESPN.com. With the help of Jenny Rodd and Alana Weinroth of the SMC Dance team, ESPN brings you a guided tour of the SMC Campus.

Tour the SMC Campus with SMC's Dance Team Here

BYU Cougarettes To Perform

Deseret News

PROVO — Brigham Young University's seven-time National Collegiate Dance Team champions, the Cougarettes, will perform in concert at Provo's new Covey Center for the Arts.
This year's production includes an array of dance styles that demonstrates why the Cougarettes are recognized for setting the standard of elite collegiate dance teams.

The Cougarettes will perform pieces choreographed by some of today's most renowned choreographers, including innovative hip-hop choreographer Barry Youngblood.

Over the past 11 years, the Cougarettes have won the National Collegiate Dance Team Championship seven times and finished among the top four teams three times.

One of Dance Spirit magazine's top 25 collegiate dance teams in the nation, the Cougarettes are recognized for technical excellence and advanced choreography.

If you go . . .

What: Cougarettes Concert
Where: Covey Center for the Arts, 425 W. Center, Provo
When: 7:30 p.m., Feb. 27-March 1; 2 p.m., Feb. 27
Cost: $10
Phone: 852-7007