Meet the Dance Team

The dancers clustered in one corner of the studio, ready for the last across-the-floor part of auditions. After pirouettes, battements, and grand jetes, the dance captains informed those auditioning of their last exercise: show off what you do best.

One at a time, across the floor they went. Some showed off impressive leaps, others displayed beautiful turns. At least three dancers set themselves up carefully and deliberately, and then aroused gasps and nervous laughter as they performed terrifying flips, any of which could have ended with a skull in contact with the floor (thankfully, none of them did).

These 17 young women came to audition for Plymouth State University’s Dance Team on Sunday, Sep. 13, in hopes of getting a position on the student-run organization. Although everyone danced from the heart, not everyone could make it on the team.

Dance Team rehearses six hours a week. They perform at football and basketball games and events throughout the community, in addition to a once-per-semester show with the Contemporary Dance Ensemble. Dance Team also hosts guest artists and leads open dance classes. It is a large but rewarding commitment. “Being on the dance team, it made me more part of the community,” said Ashley Marsh during her audition. Marsh is returning to Dance Team this year after an injury forced her to take some time off.

At about quarter of noon on Sunday, at the start of auditions, dancers began to trickle into the studio. Spotify played upbeat music over the speakers. Dancers submitted forms and headshots before being handed a number, one through 17, to pin onto their clothing. Across-the-floor exercises followed individual warm-ups and stretches. Lastly, the group learned a routine to the song Paradise City by Guns N’ Roses. That was maybe two hours into the audition. Then the guest judges arrived.

The three guest judges, Nicole Newman, Jessie Byram, and Melissa Muise, are all alumni and previous Dance Team captains. Stylishly dressed, with big smiles across their faces, the judges met with the current captains while those auditioning were sent into the hall. It was clear that Dance Team was forever in their memories. They reminisced briefly over the black Dance Team binder before settling in at their place of honor behind the table.

Now the dancers were invited in, two at a time, to repeat the floor exercises and dance routine in front of the judges. After they danced, the judges asked them questions about why they wanted to be a part of this ensemble. The process brought two words to mind, which often go hand in hand in the audition world: long and fair.

The auditions lasted over three hours. It gave the dancers time to practice, it allowed them to be seen as individuals, and it gave them plenty of time and opportunity to show off what they could do. It was an impressive feat to pull off, but the reward was knowing everyone received a fair chance.

After the first part of auditions, dancers lined the hallway waiting for their turn in front of the judges. The hall was warm and humid, with a warm energy seeping from the dancers’ skin and breath. It was an air of nervousness and anticipation, but no sense of spite or jealousy. Everyone was positive and eager, sitting on the floor, not with their rivals, but with their fellow dancers. Freshman Aisilyn Guivens described how she was feeling. “[I’m] obviously a little nervous, but it feels like a really low-key...type of audition,” said Guivens.

The goal, of course, was to get on the team. “I like being a part of a team,” said sophomore Jessica Simpson, “especially when you share the same drive and passion for something.” However the auditions were an experience in itself, no matter the results.

This year's dance captains, Mariah Rasmussen, Kendra Fox, Erica Courtemanche, and Annie Brewer, are ready to welcome their newest dancers. “We are looking forward to new opportunities and experiences,” they said. “We have a very large team this year and are excited to work with a strong, new group of dancers.”

CLOCK PHOTO/NIKO ZELINSKI