Our friends in the UK host 2009 auditions
Rockettes Pro-Dance Team 2009-2010 Tryouts
ScottishRockettes.com: On the 10th & 17th of May 2009, auditions were held at the premier health club DW Sports Fitness in Glasgow to find a 22 member crew for the 2009 Scottish Rockettes Pro-Dance Team.
Preliminaries on the 10th were a huge success. Many fresh new faces came out to the open audition along with the returning veterans, and they all had one thing in common – they were all hoping to have what it takes to make it through to the final round the following weekend.
During this initial round the applicants were put through a set of demanding fitness tests, including body-fat analysis, endurance, strength and flexibility to name just a few, in order to produce personal fitness reports to be used by the judges in the final round.
Next up was a Dance Technique section, where each dancer was asked to execute a series of kicks, leaps and pirouettes in isolation before they were incorporated in a demanding jazz routine taught by Dance Squad Manager Carole Anne Deeney. And Rocks’ fans will be able to see the audition piece at the Rocks’ home opener in October 2009.
A selection of dancers were asked to return the following Sunday for the final round in the audition process. After warm-up and stretch sessions the applicants were taught the remainder of the jazz routine which they were then required to perform for a celebrity judging panel.
“I always get really nervous for the girls because I have been there. It is nerve-wracking to learn a dance and perform it in front of the panel, so I feel for them” said Carole Anne.
“Every year the girls from the previous years’ team have to re-audition and spots are not guaranteed” Carole Anne added.
The applicants coped remarkably well, almost certainly due to the extremely high standard of dance ability demonstrated on the day. This made it all the more difficult for the celebrity judging panel to narrow down their choices for the final squad. As well as their dance performance, each applicant was asked a series of questions by the judges in order to assess their personality, commitment and enthusiasm. “It was a tough decision,” Carole Anne said, “because all of the girls were very pretty and super-talented, but after much deliberation we feel that we picked a dynamite team.”
Carole Anne was delighted with the final selection, “with 14 returning veterans and 8 rookies it’s excellent mix of experience and new talent, resulting in a first-class squad!”
The dance team start training straight away in preparation for the first Scottish Rocks home opener in October and also for a number of promotional events booked during the summer, and the girls can’t wait to show you what they’ve got at these events.
Again we would like to thank everyone for all their hard work and enthusiasm during this event and express our gratitude to all the dancers who turned up. I’m sure all the applicants will agree it was a great 2 days and an experience they will never forget.
In the end it was very close and we would like to wish those not lucky enough to be selected all the best and we hope to see them again for next year’s tryouts.
We would also like to thank all of our judges, including Emma Dixon: Health & Beauty Editor from No.1 Magazine, Daniel Bajwoluk: Scottish Rocks Operations Manager, Vicky Lee and Grant Lauchlan from STV’s Five Thirty Show and Lesley Kerr: DW Sports Fitness Manager. And also a huge thanks to our audition host Adrian Coll, Clyde1 DJ. We really appreciate your support.
