Jets Dancer Dreams Take Flight in East Meadow
NY Sports Club hosts class for potential Jets Flight Crew members to give them a leg up in this week’s auditions.
By Rick Karas
East Meadow Patch
April 15, 2011
The seats of Meadowlands Stadium are empty. Football season is five months away, and because of the ongoing labor dispute, it could be even longer than that. Eventually the game will return. That means the Jets, and with them, the Jets Flight Crew.
This crew doesn’t take care of the field, they dance on it. Since 2007 they’ve patrolled the sidelines, cheering on the men in green, entertaining the fans in their own unique style. It all starts with an audition. Actually, with a class to show a prospective member what the audition is all about.
What To Expect
This week, it started in East Meadow. New York Sports Club hosted a class where dozens of women began the journey they hope will lead to them taking off with the Flight Crew when (or whenever) the NFL rolls around again.
Many of the hopefuls come from a dance or performance background. Still, preparing to perform in front of 80,000 screaming Jets fans can be an intimidating experience. That’s what the class is geared towards: preparing to prepare.
“The potential candidates learn our style of dance which is very specific,” Flight Crew director Denise Garvey said. “It’s athletic, it’s sexy, it’s very showy…they’ll learn choreography we actually do on the field.”
The Flight Crew hold several such classes in advance of the auditions, which take place at the stadium this weekend. Rookies are not only shown some of the dance moves they’ll be expected to know, but are also taught proper stretching, conditioning, anything one would need to make their audition a productive one.
A Lifestyle Change
Hundreds are expected to try out, about half will make it to the next round, and in the end, around 40 new Flight Crew members will join the squad. It’s a full-time commitment, with hours of rehearsal and public appearances part of the job. Crew members must re-audition every year, and if a rookie outshines them and takes their spot, so be it.
“Technique, showmanship, presence, overall excitement…I ask is this somebody that I want to see again?” Garvey says of what judges look for in an audition.
Who better to show the girls what to expect than a current Flight Crew member? Jennifer is one of the class instructors and is in her fourth year with the team. She says newcomers should enjoy the process, and for those that make it all the way, to hang on for the ride.
“It’s going to be an exciting time of their life,” Jennifer said. “It’s definitely not going to be easy, but I think it’s something that they’re going to take home with them as a great experience.”
Rookies Come Aboard
Women come from all over in hopes of taking off with the Crew. Christina Moore is from Charlotte, and now calls Brooklyn home. She said she’s ready to commit to a life wearing green, cheering on the Jets.
“You have games, appearances…people are always watching, so it’s a big lifestyle change, but I’m willing to make that sacrifice for the Jets,” Moore said.
Closer to home, Bellmore’s Brianna Ellis comes from a family of Jets fans, so it’s only natural that she’d want to perform for the fans as a Crew member.
“I’ve aspired to be a member since high school, I love watching the Jets games with my dad and it just looks awesome, I would love to do it,” she said.
Garvey says a common mistake at auditions is when a girl is preoccupied with someone else with a similar look or outfit. She says it’s important to focus on yourself, and what you bring to the table, or in this case, endzone.
“[The rookies] probably have never performed in a theater for 80,000 people, and that’s what the Meadowlands stadium is, we consider that our theater in the round,” Garvey, a former Knicks City Dancer, said.
J-E-T-S!! Just Entertain This Season. Here’s hoping the season starts on time, and the Flight Crew can do just that.
