2013 Inland Empire 66ers Dance Team Auditions
The Inland Empire 66ers are the class A affiliate of the Anaheim Angels and they have a wonderful dance team that entertains the crowd each and every weekend during the season. This past Saturday, the 66ers held their annual auditions for their dance team and promo girls and I was there to cover the action for UltimateCheerleaders.com.
Registration was at 9:30 a.m. and by the time I arrived, there was already a crowd of twenty or more girls filling out their paper work. At 10:00 a.m. the girls were led down to the 66ers locker room where the auditions would be held. The locker room was a rather small space for holding the auditions, but it was probably the largest room in the stadium. Once the girls got settled, Dance Team Director Danielle Alcantar gather the girls together. Byron Marquez, the Director Business Operations and the main man behind the Inland Empire 66ers Dance Team, gave an overview of the organization and what was expected of each dance team member. This is a yearlong commitment and there are a lot of public appearances throughout the year, so Byron emphasized the commitment it would be and encouraged those who could not dedicate themselves to organization to reconsider their decision to audition. The 66ers were looking for a few good girls, but one that could meet the expectations and time commitment to be on the dance team.
After staff introductions, the auditions began. There were six returning 66ers dancers in attendance, fully attired in their new Angela King designed uniforms. They were there to assist in the auditions and one of them, Isabelle led the girls in the warm up and stretching portion of the auditions.
After the warm up period, the girls were led through an across the floor portion, which included a jazz walk, spin and turn, and kick and leap sections.
There were no cuts after the across the floor portion and the girls were introduced to Maria B., a former San Diego Charger Girl who would be demonstrating their audition routine.
The audition routine consisted of eight 8-count segments and some of the returning 66ers dance team members were there to assist in the demonstration of the routine.
The candidates were allowed to rehearse the routine for several minutes before the judging would begin.
By 11:30 p.m., the first of two rounds of judging commenced. Girls were brought up in groups of two and three to perform before the judges, who scrutinized their every move and made notations regarding their physical fitness and appearance.
After the dance team performed, it was time for the promo girls to demonstrate their personality and showmanship.
After their performances, Byron and the judges excused the girls and deliberated over their selections. More than a few minutes passed before the decisions were made and when the deliberations were over, the girls were shepherded back into the locker room to await the results.
At the end of the day, three dancers made it onto the squad as well as four promo girls.
No rest for the weary. Byron let the girls know what was ahead for the girls that made it. The next week would be busy, an orientation and uniform fitting, an appearance or two on behalf of the Ontario Reign Hockey Team and then a promotional event for the Super Bowl. It’s a good thing that these girls were excited for the opportunity at hand. These girls were going to hit the ground running.
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I would like to thank Byron Marquez, Danielle Alcantar and the Inland Empire 66ers Dance Team for allowing me to cover their 2013 auditions. I had a wonderful time and look forward to visiting you during the the season.
Wanna see some more photos? Stay tuned for my featurette, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun: The Inland Empire 66ers Dance Team”. And for more cheerleader photos, please visit my personal blog: thehottestdanceteam.wordpress.com.
