Almost 200 try out for Warriors Dance Team
Hamad Aleaziz
SF Gate
July 12, 2014
While most of the basketball world focused Saturday on the return of LeBron James to Cleveland, nearly 200 women – and one man – focused on impressing judges as they tried out for the Warriors Dance Team in Oakland.
The tryout meant a chance for the hopefuls not only to be a part of a team, but to achieve what many said was their lifelong dream of dancing in front of large crowds for the Golden State Warriors.
The competition was tougher than the rivalry between the Warriors and the Lakers.
By the end of Saturday’s preliminary audition at the Warriors’ practice facility in the downtown Oakland Marriott, hundreds of hopefuls were to be reduced to 40 to 50. And by the end of the audition process on Thursday, only 16 to 20 will be selected for the team. Even past members have to try out again.
The dancers learned jazz and hip-hop routines, getting a chance to practice each of them for just 10 minutes before their big audition. They teamed up in groups of four, spinning, dipping and shimmying in brightly colored skimpy outfits for the eight judges.
Most were in their 20s, yet many were left breathless – but excited.
“Should we do it again?” said the choreographer. In unison the women – and the man – shouted “Yes!”
Though they knew the odds of making the team weren’t high, many hopefuls expressed gratitude for the opportunity to dance for the chance.
“I love being part of a team and getting to share this experience with other girls who have the same passion as me,” said Danielle, a San Jose resident who will go into her third year with the team if she’s selected. Sabrina Ellison, the team director, told the dancers not to give their last names.
Hard to keep composure
Danielle, who works at a restaurant while attending school, said she has danced since she was 3. “I absolutely love doing live performing for an audience,” she said. Still, she noted, auditioning against so many other women can make it hard to stay calm.
“I’m very nervous – it never gets easier, even coming back as a veteran,” she said.
Ellison – also a judge – said she senses the anxiety at the auditions. “There’s a lot of nervous energy. … When you’re being judged, it’s natural. We try to make it fun and energetic and like a dance class,” she said.
Beyond just dance ability, the judges were looking for well-rounded applicants who enjoy being out in the community, she said, adding that most team members have full-time jobs or are in school.
Ellison declined to say what the dancers earn but said they are paid hourly and “well above minimum wage.”
Newcomers like Lauren, a Hayward resident who works as a receptionist for Virgin America and has danced since she was 6, said that despite the competitive vibe at the tryout, she felt like those auditioning were a team. She reminisced about her three years on the 49ers’ cheerleading team, where she experienced a similar sense of camaraderie.
“You’re always helping each other out – you need help with a dance, you’re in a bind and can’t get to practice – everyone watches each other’s back,” she said. Lauren added that being a cheerleader gave her lifelong friends, including two former teammates that will be in her wedding next year.
Lone male contender
The 40 to 50 attendees who make it through Saturday’s preliminary audition will try out again Thursday. They’ll perform both routines, do an on-camera interview, and dance a 45-second individual freestyle routine.
If the man is one of the winners, he’ll be the first male dancer on the team once known as the Warrior Girls.
