By Kala Kachmar
The Bulletin

At 19, Montville High School graduate Cassie Go already has accomplished her dream of becoming a professional dancer.

Last year, Go was one of 31 women chosen from a pool of 300 to become a cheerleader for the New England Patriots. Now, as Super Bowl Sunday approaches, Go has an opportunity to dance in front of millions of people watching from all over the country and beyond.

“I’m so excited,” Go said. “It’s unreal. It still hasn’t even hit me.”

She left Thursday with her cheer squad for Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis, where Super Bowl XLVI will be played. She said her weekend will include a welcome reception, a post-game gala, rehearsals and numerous promotional appearances.

“It’s going to be a full week, and I’m just so excited by every second of it,” she said.

Being a cheerleader for the Patriots takes up a lot of her time, Go said. The cheer team practices twice a week, makes promotional appearances and participates in charity events.

“Being a Patriots cheerleader is 24/7, whether we’re at practice or appearances or practicing on our own,” Go said. “I’m always representing the Patriots and doing the best I can to do that.”

In her spare time, Go gives dance lessons at Alyson’s School of Dance in Colchester. She also works part time at Family Physical Therapy in Colchester and part-time dancing for an entertainment company in Hartford. She still lives at home with her family in Montville.

“Since Montville is so small, everybody is very supportive,” she said. “My family, friends and friends of friends. Every time I see someone, they’re always asking me about it. It’s really nice to have that.”

But Go said she’s also close with the 30 other women on her squad. She said being a Patriots cheerleader isn’t just having a job or being on a team — her teammates are her family.

Began as toddler

Although this is the first time Go has been a cheerleader, she has been dancing since she was 2. She’s done tap, ballet, hip-hop, jazz, modern and contemporary.

“I just love dancing and performing,” Go said. “It doesn’t matter what kind of dance I’m doing. I could be doing my favorite dance in the whole world, or I can be doing one I don’t care for. As long as I’m in front of an audience performing, I’m loving every second of it.”

Go said her dance instructor, Alyson Ayer, has been her inspiration. Ayer also is proud of Go.

“The fact that she’s able to use this to broaden her horizons and to travel and meet new people is a wonderful thing,” Ayer said. “We always knew she was destined to do something with it. I think she has a very special gift. It’s wonderful to see her sharing it.”

Ayer said Go started dancing at her studio when she was 3. At 11, she became an assistant instructor and recently began teaching her own classes.

“She always had a lot of spunk,” Ayer said. “I knew she had something special because she couldn’t wait to get on stage. Any time she performed, it was like a light switch went on in her.”

Rachel Bagdasarian, 11, of Colchester, is one of Go’s dance students. She is learning jazz and contemporary.

“She’s a really, really good, talented dancer,” Rachel said. “There’s still a lot to learn, but I’ve definitely learned a lot so far from her.”

Rachel said she looks up to Go as a dancer.

Go said she plans to continue to be a professional dancer and eventually plans to open her own dance studio. She said she will reaudition for the cheerleading squad in March, but no one is guaranteed a spot.

“Being a professional dancer, I think it’s amazing that I accomplished my dream when I was 18 years old,” Go said. “This is just the beginning. I want to go on and do more things like this, maybe more dance teams.”

“I’m just so thankful for this experience,” she said. “It really feels great that I’m able to do something with my passion.”

[Cassie at Patriots.com]

The New England Patriots Cheerleaders will hold an open audition for the 2012 squad on March 3, preceded by an optional audition workshop this Saturday.

Women who are at least 18 years old and have a high school diploma or GED are invited to attend both the recommended optional workshop and the open auditions.

The workshop will prepare candidates for the audition process. It will take place in Gillette Stadium’s Putnam Club West. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. and the workshop ends at 2. The registration fee is $100.

The open auditions on March 3 will take place in Gillette Stadium’s Dana Farber Field House. Candidates will perform two designated routines and a freestyle combination. They will be judged on dance ability, showmanship, overall appearance and level of physical fitness. Judges will narrow the field to up to 65 participants to be invited back for final auditions on March 17. A more detailed description of the audition process can be found at www.patriots.com/cheerleaders.

The 2012 Patriots Cheerleading Squad will comprise 24 to 30 women. The squad rehearses twice a week and performs at all Patriots home games. In addition to performing in front of nearly 70,000 fans, a spot on the squad can provide some great perks. The cheerleaders will travel to an exotic location in April for the Patriots Cheerleaders Swimsuit Calendar shoot and cheerleaders have visited deployed military troops in more than 25 countries. Patriots Cheerleaders have also appeared on local and national television, including Entertainment Tonight, E!, Inside Edition, Fox News, Late Show with David Letterman, On-Air with Ryan Seacrest, Good Morning America and the CBS Early Show, and in magazines including Sports Illustrated, Maxim and Muscle and Fitness.

The Patriots Cheerleaders are also seeking non-performing promotional models. For details on how to apply to become a Patriots Cheerleader promotional model, visit www.patriots.com/cheerleaders.