Meet the Sixers Dancers New Head Coach
From 1999-2006 Dayna Hafetz graced the floor of the Wachovia Center as a member of the Sixers Dancers. During that time she performed at both the 2001 NBA Finals and the 2002 NBA All-Star Game. She also had the chance to dance alongside Will Smith, Destiny’s Child, Pink and Ludacris.
Now she has returned to the Sixers organization as the new Sixers Dance Team Coach. Dayna says she’s really excited to be back and part of the team in a capacity where she can offer guidance and inspiration. She’s already a leader on the team. She was a captain for four of her seven seasons and had the opportunity to choreograph some of the team’s routines.
When she first joined the team, Dayna was a student at Temple University. She balanced studies and dancing going on to graduate magna cum laude with a BA in Communications. After graduation, she continued to dance for the Sixers while working: first in advertising and then most recently as a pharmaceutical sales representative. Dayna recently left that job, allowing her the time to focus on her new position with the Sixers and raise her seven-month old daughter with her husband Josh.
It’s been busy summer. Tryouts kicked off back at the end of June. After the three week audition process, the new squad of ten veterans and four rookies was selected. Two weeks later, it was off to Harrah’s Casino in Atlantic City to shoot the Sixers Dancers new swimsuit calendar.
Next up the Sixers Dancers have another photo shoot scheduled. This time the photos are for the team website and the Dancers’ trading cards. Meanwhile, the ladies continue to rehearse for the upcoming season. Dayna’s plans call for the Sixers Dancers to perform a variety of styles. Fans can expect everything this season from a jazzy groove, to high-energy hip-hop, to a powerful rock-and-roll routine. While she may have a few guest choreographers, Dayna will be doing the majority of the choreography this season.
The life of an NBA Dancer isn’t easy. There are the 40+ home games, sometimes with spans of three home games in five days. Off days become practice nights. Then add in promotional, corporate and charitable appearances. All this while balancing, work, school and family. Dayna knows all this, because she’s lived it. And now she’s thrilled to have the chance to impart her experience to a new class of Sixers Dancers, while putting together one of the league’s best dance teams.
