2017 Boston Celtics Dancers Auditions

2017-18 Celtics Dancers Auditions

LA/NYC

Los Angeles – May 18, 2017

California State University, Long Beach
Department of Dance CSULB
1250 Bellflower Blvd.
Long Beach, CA

Registration: 6:30 p.m.
Audition begins at 7:00 p.m.

New York – June 28, 2017

Broadway Dance Center
322 West 45th St., 3rd Floor
New York, NY

Registration: 8:00 a.m.
Audition begins at 8:30 a.m.

BOSTON

Day 1 – June 24, 2017

Suffolk University Gymnasium
148 Cambridge St.
Boston, MA

Registration: 11:00 a.m.
Audition begins at 12:00 p.m.

No cuts will be made on this day.
Dancers will learn choreography and go through a Q&A session with Director Marina Ortega.

 Day 2 – July 7, 2017

Healthpoint/BSC
840 Winter St.
Waltham, MA

Check-in: 5:30 p.m.
Audition begins at 7:00 p.m.

Dancers that advance to the Finals are required to attend Finals Workshop and the Final Audition.

Official Dance Team Registration

Please download and complete the following Audition Registration, and bring it with you to your audition date.

Minimum Requirements:

  • Must be 18 years of age.
  • High school diploma or GED
  • Dancers must be able to attend rehearsals three days a week.
  • If selected, dancers must be willing to relocate to Boston and have transportation to rehearsals and games.

What to expect:

Preliminary auditions will be held in Los Angeles, New York and Boston.

Dancers auditioning in Los Angeles and New York will be taught a stylized, jazz/funky combination, mixed with basic technique. At the conclusion of the audition, we will announce the Dancers who will advance to the finals and they will be required to attend the Finals Workshop/Final Audition on July 8-9th, 2017 in Boston.

Auditions in Boston will begin on Saturday, June 24th. Dancers will learn a stylized, jazz/funky combination, mixed with basic technique. No cuts will be made on this day. Celtics Dance Team Director, Marina Ortega, will also host a Q&A session to help prepare for the first round of cuts on Friday, July 7th 2017.

What to Wear:

Dance apparel must look professional. Please bring a two-piece dance outfit with flesh-colored nylons, middriff and legs must be exposed. No baggy clothing, tank tops or cut-off t-shirts. Preferred footwear is sneakers or jazz shoes. Tattoos must be covered.

Hair and makeup should be game day ready! Hair must be down. No pony tails.

What to Bring:

Please bring two non-returnable photos of yourself. There is no extended break, so be prepared with snacks and plenty of water. Dancers are encouraged to bring makeup and hair products for touch ups.

Additional Information:

For questions regarding the audition process, contact Marina Ortega, Dance Team Director, at mortega@celtics.com.

*IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO ATTEND A PRELIMINARY AUDITION, VIDEO SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED. PLEASE CONTACT MARINA ORTEGA FOR MORE DETAILS.

Click here for more information.

Endicott grad Cara Desjarlais enjoying rookie season with Boston Celtics Dancers

The Beverly Citizen
April 9, 2015

2014 Celtics_Cara3 Cara Desjarlais dances to a different tune – One that’s usually blared full blast over the TD Garden sound system.

The Brockton native and Endicott graduate is one of the newest members of the Boston Celtics Dance Team. Desjarlais is one of seven rookies to make the 16-member squad, which was chosen from a field of approximately 200 hopefuls that auditioned last June.

For the past six months, the South Boston resident has been a regular on the parquet floor, rooting on Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley and the rest of the Boston Celtics in front of capacity crowds of 18,624 each night.

“It’s been awesome,” said Desjarlais. “Now that the [regular] season is coming to an end its really sad, actually. It just goes by so fast. When you first start you have so many games, but it goes by way too fast.”

The Celtics wrap up the regular season April 15 in Milawaukee.

Her rookie season has come with a few unexpected surprises. Despite dealing some big name players, the Celtics have suddenly found themselves back in the playoff chase, putting added emphasis on the final weeks.

“The games have bee so much fun,” said Desjarlais, 25. “Everyone is in the playoff push mindset, so the Garden’s been packed and everyone is really rooting for the Celtics. So I’m super excited to enjoy these last few games.”

This marks the ninth season in which the Celtics Dancers have provided entertainment at TD Garden. They perform at every home game in addition to making off-the-court appearances at other Celtics events throughout the season.

On a typical game night, Desjarlais and her team usually arrive at the TD Garden three hours before tipoff. From there, they go through a rigorous hour-long court rehearsal, leading up to game time.

The Celtics Dancers perform during pregame player introductions, as well as two dance routines during timeouts in each half.

Desjarlais made her debut on Oct. 29 for the Celtics season opener against the Brooklyn Nets.

“That was very nerve-wracking, because there were a lot of veterans that already know the deal, but (as rookies) we had no idea where to stand or what to do,” she said “But we went through it all in practice. So it was really nerve-wracking, but a lot of fun.”

One of her favorites moments this season occurred when the team performed a halftime routine.

“That was really demanding,” Desjarlais said. “It was five minutes long, so we combined a bunch of our dances, but it was really nice that we got to showcase and dance a lot more in that game.”

The parquet floor will be her stage

Holden woman to dance with Celtics
By John Orrell
The Landmark

Sarah Pisa will dance at Celtics games this season. Submitted photo Sarah Pisa will dance at Celtics games this season. Submitted photo When the legendary Boston Celtics open their 2014-15 NBA campaign in October, Holden folks will be proud to know that one of their own will be front and center on-court gracing the famous TD Garden parquet floor.

But there will be no slam-dunks, driving the paint for an easy layup, three-point shots or baseline jumpers.

Holden’s representative will be 23 yearold Sarah Pisa, who has made the final cut and will be a member of the Boston Celtics Dancers team for the upcoming season. Pisa, a full-time registered nurse, was chosen among over 100 aspiring dancers that made the cut down to 30 before being selected as one of the final 16 to make the team.

The dancers perform before the game and during breaks in the action. To her and her family, dancing has been a lifelong commitment and to be chosen by the Celtics is both an honor and a dream come true.

“Dance has been such a huge part of my life, and it’s what I liked to do growing up,” she said. “It became such a huge part of my life so I thought I would give auditions a shot and see what happens. My family and I were so excited when I got chosen because they’ve seen me dance my whole life and it’s hard not to have dance a big part of my life anymore, so they were happy to see that I would continue to be dancing and I’m so proud to have been chosen.”

Learning to be the accomplished dancer she has become began at age four and continued through the years with competitive dance that required as much as fifteen hours a week in rehearsals. She trained and competed with Charlotte Klein Dance Centers, where she now gives back. She teaches children ages 2-13 on Saturdays and enjoys seeing her students progress.

Pisa, a graduate of Wachusett Regional High School and Worcester State University, tried out for the Celtics Dance team a year ago and did not make the cut, something that was disappointing at the time, but may have helped her in the long run. She says the experience gave her more motivation this year and raised her feeling of comfort, knowing what to expect in the auditions.

Final auditions were held on June 27 at Boston’s Calderwood Pavilion. The audition consisted of a one-day dance intensive session with competitive segments featuring technical dance combinations, choreographed dance routines, group performances and interviews as well as solo performances where candidates creates their own choreography. On Saturday, June 30, finalists were selected to participate in the final show on the following Monday. The show consisted of various notable judges, including KISS 108 on-air and NESN Dining Playbook on-air personality Billy Costa and NESN Dining Playbook on-air personality Jenny Johnson.

“We started off with a basic across the floor combination three at a time and once you make it across the floor the judge either came up to you and gave you a call-back card or said ‘Thank you for coming today,’ and let you go,” Pisa said. “So once I got the call-back card, they gave me a number and then we moved on to the next phase, which was a jazzy, hip-hop combination which we did in small groups. And after that, they decided who they wanted to come into the solo rounds. So we all stood in line and went up one at a time and did improvisation dancing and after that they decided upon the 30 girls they wanted to take to the finals.”

Preparation for the finals was intense and nerve-wracking and it was here that all the years of formal competition paid dividends.

“Growing up with dance and being in front of judges made me not so nervous,” Pisa said. “I think it just becomes second nature to a dancer that there are people watching and judges watching every single thing that you do so you just get used to it.

“The finals were a big day. We came in the next Sunday and rehearsed all day long in preparation for the finals and then we rehearsed all day Monday and then we had a show at the Pavilion in Boston and that was really fun. We were able to have guests come in and watch. We did a jazz and hiphop combination and solos.”

It was following the show that the nerves from waiting for results kicked in to high gear. Would this be a second straight year of coming far but not quite close enough?

“It was nerve-wracking and at the end of the night we were all huddled back stage,” said Pisa. “They were just calling numbers one at a time. They called about ten girls and I was thinking ‘Oh no, it’s not going to happen this year’ and then I heard my number and it was like such a surprise and I was so excited.”

She will begin practicing with the team in mid-August, putting in as much as 20-30 hours a week. Besides dance time, promotional events in the community are part of the team’s activities. Each event usually consists of two to three girls at a time going out into the community.

Pisa admits that there may be butterflies on opening night but knows that her skill and commitment to the team will more than see her through. By October, the team should be well familiar with one another which is the goal looking forward.

“I think what will be happening next is more learning what happens on game day,” she explains. “We’ll be learning how to dance together as a team because when you have a new group of girls you always have to try and learn how to match each other and look unified.

“I think the first night will definitely be a lot of nerves but a lot of excitement. I never performed in front of 20,000 people before so I think that will be awesome and a special adrenaline rush.”

St. John’s Dancers Find Success Performing In The NBA

Four St. John’s dancers live out the dream of dancing professionally in the NBA.
From RedStormSports.com

Performing as a member of a collegiate dance team is a dream for many aspiring dancers, but for a quartet of St. John’s University dance team alumnae it was only the beginning.

“Being a member of the St. John’s dance team is an experience that I wouldn’t trade for anything,” said Jackie Fowler, a 2013 graduate and current dancer with the Boston Celtics. “Dancing with St. John’s helped push me mentally and physically way further than I had ever done before. Because of my coaches at St. John’s, I learned how much hard work, determination and passion can transform someone.”

Wizard Girl Michaela
Wizard Girl Michaela

At St. John’s, Fowler served as a two-time captain, a moment she says was one of the “defining opportunities in my dancing career.” After graduating, Fowler was offered a job in June dancing with the Boston Celtics and moved up to Massachusetts to pursue her dream. Fowler plans to continue dancing in the NBA, but hopes to one day open a studio for low income families so that more aspiring dancers will be able to experience the beauty that being a dancer has to offer.

From taking second place in college nationals to a trip to the NCAA Tournament, being a member of the St. John’s University dance team meant the world to 2011 graduate Michaela Stanley. “Being on the team was by far the best part of college,” said Stanley. “Dancing is what I love and the St. John’s dance team allowed me to do that and even expand my horizons.”

Stanley has spent the past two seasons dancing professionally for the Washington Wizards as a Wizard Girl. With the Wizards, Stanley has traveled to China and Brazil and last summer even had the opportunity to dance for the USA Basketball Team in front of President Obama in Washington, D.C.

“I want to keep dancing until my body can’t live this lifestyle any longer,” said Stanley. “After that I would like to coach or work in the sports entertainment industry at least. We’ll see where the road takes me!”

For Kerrie Greene, performing with the St. John’s University dance team became the turning point in her young dancing career. “It was one of the greatest experiences of my life,” said Greene. “I feel that dancing really ‘clicked’ for me in college.”

Knicks City Dancer Kerrie
Knicks City Dancer Kerrie

After three seasons with the St. John’s dance team, Greene was offered a chance to dance with the New York Knicks and she is currently in her second season with the team. “It’s an amazing opportunity and I truly feel happy and honored to be a part of it. I believe that career and passion go hand-in-hand, you have to love your job and that is exactly why I do it,” said Greene. “I don’t know what the future holds for me, but I’m overjoyed about what I’m doing right now.”

For most college dancers, the dream to go professional either begins or ends at graduation, but for one senior St. John’s dancer the dream began even earlier than expected. After being named a team captain her junior year, Julia Evans is living her dream as a New York Knicks City Dancer, with former teammate Kerrie Greene, while having the opportunity to finish her undergraduate degree at St. John’s.

“Being a member of the St. John’s University dance team has been one of the best experiences of my life,” said Evans. “My passion for dance has only grown stronger while at St. John’s and I have my coaches and teammates to thank for that. I’ve grown so much not only as a dancer but as a person.”

With one year left before graduating in May, Evans plans on continuing her career as a professional dancer while trying to make her way into the marketing industry. “This is something I’ve dreamed about doing since I was a little girl and I’m so blessed and thankful to have this opportunity. I’ve always wanted to work in the marketing field for a professional sports team or entertainment business, but for now I’m just trying to enjoy my senior year and continue living my dream!”