Field Trip: 2010 Clippers Spirit Open Call Auditions

It’s hard to believe it’s that time of year again. This is my fourth year covering the Clippers Spirit auditions, and I have to tell you, it never gets old. Wanna hear about it?

For those who said NO! I will provide the photo link right up front. I know some of you who are routinely bored to tears by my rambling. Click here to go right to the pictures.

---

Clippers Spirit auditions usually take place at the Spectrum Club, where the basketball team trains. This year the Spectrum wasn’t available, so the open call took place at GMT Studios. I gather this is a place where they shoot tv shows, videos, commercials, and that sort of thing. It’s a big empty place with high ceilings and giant access doors for equipment, vehicles, extremely tall people, etc.

“Big” and “empty” were the attributes most useful for our purposes.

They also had a couple of dressing rooms which was a nice bonus. It beats the crap out of elbowing your way up to the bathroom sink.


Amanda

You’ll notice that all of the walls are painted black. It looks a little cave-like in some of the photos, but I assure you, these auditions did not take place in a cave, a coal mine, or underground bomb shelter. I’m pointing this out because the tryouts could very well be here again next year. I don’t want you to be too frightened to come to auditions. I assure you, there was plenty of light and fresh air to be had. And – except for the panel of judges scrutinizing your every move – there was absolutely nothing to be nervous about.

Trivia factoids:
Fear of caves = Speluncaphobia
Fear of nuclear bombs = Nucleomitiphobia
Fear of dark places = Lygophobia
Fear of the color black = Melanophobia

As for me, I have my own issues. My clumsiness, fear of strangers, social awkwardness, etc have all been well documented in other posts, so there’s no need to go into all that again. However, for those of you keeping track, I am happy to report that I survived the day uninjured and relatively unembarrassed, which makes me 2 for 5 so far this year.

I was feeling pretty good going into auditions this year, because I had a heads-up on the retirees. Nothing harshes my mellow on audition day like running into a bunch of veterans retiring from the team. This year, I had the scoop on most of the girls and I’d had plenty of time to cry it out in advance:

• Ariel has conflicts with her schedule for school. She’s a ChivaGirl now, so we haven’t lost her entirely. (Chivas has a more flexible schedule than Clippers)
• Nikki moved to Colorado and was chosen for the Denver Broncos Cheerleaders.
• Esther moved back to the Bay Area and rejoined her old teammates on the 49ers Gold Rush.
• Shannon is moving to Texas. (Listen up, Texas! Be nice to Shannon. Or Else.)
• Lauren and Jessie and were selected to the San Diego Charger Girls
• Melissa is taking a shot with the Laker Girls. Good luck, Melissa!

That’s seven. That leaves me with nine Clipper Girls. Nine is an ok number. It means I’m keeping most of my girls and there’s room for a few new ones. I can live with that.

Michelle and Ariana
(Ariana is a San Francisco 49ers Gold Rush alum)

Destiney danced for the Atlanta Falcons and the Atlanta Hawks.

This year’s audition followed the usual format: three rounds (across-the-floor, jazz, and hip-hop), with a cut after each round. Lizzy Richardson (former Charger Girl who currently choreographs the Clippers Fast Break Hip Hop team) choreographed the first two combinations. Lizzy is up to all sorts of interesting things, career-wise. You may have seen her in Christina Aguilera’s racy new video for “”Not Myself Tonight.” She’s the second fem-bot from the left.

Lizzy was assisted by former Clippers dancers Shannon, Ashley, and Lynae:

Going across the floor is usually pretty basic. Its just a few 8 counts that take the dancers from one side of the room across to the other side of the room. I expected to see one or two kicks, a pirouette, a leap, and some filler. Lizzy introduced a little twist on the usual.

Instead of crossing the room from right to left, the first part of the choreography brought the dancers forward, from the back of the room to the front, and then across to the right. It seemed like a good idea to me. Every audition I go to, it seems like the dancers start waaay off to the right, and they finish with a leap waaay off to the left. Most of the combination is out of the judges’ direct line of vision. This format also limits the length of the routine because you can only do so many eight-counts before running into the far wall.

Lizzy’s approach meant (a) much more of the dance was performed directly in front of the judges, and (b) the combination could be a whole lot longer. I imagine this was a bit of a surprise for those dancers who expected to ease into the day with a quick little combination. Only a couple of girls showed it, but I know more than a few were thinking “What the hell…?”

Personally I appreciated the change because it meant I didn’t have to run around as much and I could get some great photos of the kicks and leaps.

Lizzy (red shorts) leads the group

Brittney (purple) was just chosen for the Sacramento Kings Dance Team. Congrats!

The dancers had a short amount of time to rehearse on their own, and then it was time to start the first round of judging. The song was “Took the night” by Chelley, and boy howdy, when you loop it, that chorus really stays with you. (“Hate. Hate. Hate hate hate….” That’s the lyric, not my personal opinion.) Now that I think about it maybe that was the song for the jazz combo…

Afterward, the judges went off somewhere to deliberate. They returned shortly to make the first cut, and then it was time for the Jazz combination. This was when last year’s veterans joined the group. As you can see, there were seven, not nine. Whatever. I was glad to see the ones who were there.


Veterans from left: Nicole, Recee, Brittany, Jacquelyn, Katrina,Rhea, and Teresa

I was a little embarrassed to face a few of them, considering how I’d cornered them at another event a few weeks prior and demanded to know who was retiring. I asked them collectively. I asked them individually. I asked them about the girls who weren’t there. Then, I went back later and asked again. It was harassment, plain and simple. That’s how it happens at these events. It’s like someone else takes over my body. I have a question, or I want someone to do something for me, and I just barge in and start throwing my weight around. It’s not until afterward that I realize how rude I’ve been, and then I’m just mortified. But these girls are remarkably tolerant. I haven’t been told even once to buzz off, though I’ve deserved it on several occasions.

The jazz combination, also choreographed by Lizzy, was really cute. This is the dancers’ chance to show a little personality. (Read: convince the judges that you’re fun to watch.)

Once again, the dancers had to learn quickly. It seemed like these auditions were going much faster than they had in the past.

The second round of judging was a blur.

Lisa

Rebecca

The photo above shows the ending pose. One girl ended the routine facing completely the wrong direction, and I can’t for the life of me figure out how that happened.

Once again, the judges disappeared for deliberations. I stepped outside to catch a breeze and spotted the girls down yonder walking through the next combination. It looked complicated.

Kristin, Shannon, Ashley, and Lynae

It was hard to believe that the most physically demanding part of the day was still ahead of them. It was hot outside, the dancers were starting to melt, and now they’d have to summon up enough energy for another go round. This was turning into an endurance challenge.

When the judges returned came back, they whittled the group down to 50-something dancers. They were only going to take about 30 people into finals, so things were getting real serious.

Round three, the hip-hop combination, was choreographed and taught by former Clippers Spirit Kristin E. She assured me that the dance was tough but the dancers could take it.

I didn’t recognize it at the time, but there was definitely an evil glint in her eye.

I wasn’t paying attention when she first started teaching. I had nabbed the book of headshots and was busily scribbling down names so I could label my photos correctly. This was also my opportunity to snoop learn something about the dancers’ background. There were a few girls from other pro teams, one from the Utah Jazz Dancers, one from the Houston Rockets, one from the San Francisco 49ers. One girl was a USC Song Girl and I wondered if she had been on the team with Jacquelyn, one of the veterans. Audrea, the Spirit Director was a Song Girl, so I always look to see how the Song Girls do in the audition process. Not that I suspect shenanigans. Song Girls get the same consideration as everyone else, no more, no less. I’m just interested in knowing these things.

I was about halfway through the book when I heard Kristin say “Ok, now here’s the part where you can breathe” and I heard one girl mutter “Thank GOD” under her breath. That’s when I started watching. What did she mean, here’s THE part where you can breathe? There’s only one part where you get to breathe?

You should’ve seen what Kristin did to those poor dancers. The dance was fast. Real fast. And she taught it fast. Real fast. It blew my mind. As I watch auditions, I usually tell myself, “Please, that’s not so hard. If I were thinner, cuter, younger, and a much better dancer, I could totally do that.”

This was one dance I couldn’t wrap my head around. Not even in my thinner, cuter, younger, better dancing fantasies

For one thing, it started with a turn on count 5. What kind of craziness is that? Where I grew up back East, we learned that one, two, three, and four, come before five. One, two, three, and four aren’t optional, ok? You don’t start the alphabet at F, and you don’t start counting at FIVE. I tried to remember if Kristin was a native Los Angeleno. I mean, I’ve heard the public schools here are pretty bad, but dang.

By the time Kristin got to the part where you have to slide on the floor like you’re skidding into home base, I could hardly watch. It’s a good thing all the girls wear pants for hip-hop, because OUCH. Then again, I’m sure that after two rounds of auditions in a boiling hot room the dancers were psyched to put on sweat pants. Just what they needed – another layer of clothing.

Nicole L.

There was something to do on every single count, and sometimes between the counts. In no time, the dancers were sweating like marathoners. By the time they finished learning the dance, most of them looked like they’d been blasted with a fire hose. And yet, for the most part, they were handling it.


Sienna

Keep in mind who we’re dealing with, ok? Some of those girls still looked better than you or I ever will. Fire hose notwithstanding.

The ones who still had makeup on must’ve been wearing the industrial strength stuff.

Jacquelyn

Then Kristin said the magic words: “Now, let’s try it with the music.” DJ Dense turned the music on. It was hella fast. All around me, game faces started to crack. I could almost hear people making plans for what else they can do this fall and winter since obviously they are not going to be on this dance team.

Kristin, oblivious to the sound of so many hopes and dreams crashing to the ground, blithely went on dividing the gang into smaller groups so they could take turns dancing full out.

I contemplated pulling her aside for a little chat. “My God, woman! Have you gone mad with power? What are you doing to my people?”

The next thing I know, they’re telling everyone to go freshen up for the next round of judging. It was barely enough time to blot dry, wring the perspiration out of their hair, and make sure the false lashes weren’t crawling up their foreheads. I was all sweaty and gross, and could easily imagine how much worse it was for them. Sweating in pantyhose/tights is a unique form of discomfort, and there’s nothing like powdering a sweaty face to make you feel glamorous. These were trying circumstances, indeed.

And oh yeah, they also had to remember the choreography. Don’t forget, it starts on FIVE.

The dancers lined up, put on their best smile, and here we go again!

Teresa

Maki

Kimberly

Celestine

I must say, I was impressed. The dancers really brought it. There were mess ups, of course, but the music was so fast, how could you tell who had messed up and who had done it right? By the time your brain registered the mistake, the dancers had moved on.

Many of them really performed for the judges. I don’t know how. I personally was out of breath and stressed to the max, just from watching. A few of the girls, I tried to figure out “Are you like, the best actress ever, or are you actually enjoying this?

The veterans all did really well, and I had my eye on a couple of the new girls. Two of the blondes, Chelsea and Mandi were really working it. I don’t know where the energy came from, but they didn’t look tired at all. Mandi (who is a member of the ChivaGirls) was beaming like this was the most fun she’s had in weeks. I predicted that her days as a ChivaGirl were numbered.

Chelsea

Mandi

While everyone was dancing, I was mentally making my predictions for who would make the team. (Barring personal injury, a catastrophic interview, and/or a complete meltdown at finals.) I count the veterans as a given, which I know you’re not supposed to do, but whatever. I thought they all deserved to make it back. So that’s seven spots gone. Who would get the other nine? The judges had a real chore ahead of them. They went off to their super secret location, and the dancers collectively slumped to the floor. This, in my opinion, is the hardest part of the audition. The deliberations are intense and the wait seems endless.

But time passes, as it always does, and the judges returned to make their announcement. 31 dancers were going to finals. This included all of the veterans (told ya), Mandi, Chelsea, Liz and Emi (two more Chiva Girls), Ariana from 49ers, Jocelyn from Utah Jazz, Destiney from Atlanta Hawks/Atlanta Falcons, and Song Girl Anasheh. (Rhymes with “Natasha”?) I also remembered Justene, Jacy, and Lisa from previous finals. This was a talented group. It’s too bad this isn’t the NFL, because then they could keep all of them.

After Marianne read the numbers of those moving on to finals, it was time to clear out. All the girls were scheduling their interviews over the next two days. I helped clean up and then bolted out of there. There were more auditions scheduled for the next day: Clippers Junior Jam in the a.m. and Clippers Fan Patrol in the p.m. These auditions usually happen on different weekends, but Audrea thought she’d try doing it all in one fell swoop this year. (I don’t know if she’s going to do this again next year, and I probably don’t get to vote, but I’d like to go on record as saying NUH-uh.)

The next day would be super fun, but dang, I was tired. All I wanted to do was go home, shower, and lie on the couch for a couple of hours. I would like to say I ran home and immediately began processing the day’s photos, but it simply isn’t true. The most strenuous activity I had planned for the rest of the day was scratching my cat behind the ears the way he likes, and even that would be for a limited duration!

I didn’t look at the photos until a few days later. I’ll be honest, I was dreading it. The lighting situation for auditions had been a little iffy. I’m sure a pro could handle it, but I expected to see a bunch of dark, blurry photos. When I eventually took a peek, I was pleasantly surprised. Some of them turned out really well. And hello, that girl Kellie is ridiculously photogenic. But I imagine you’d like to see for yourself, so click here and get going.

Kellie