The Best in the West: The 2011 Sacramento Kings Dance Team Auditions

Last season, the NBA ran a contest to identify the best dance team in professional basketball and the Sacramento Kings Dancers represented the West in the finals.  While they didn’t make it all the way, they were crowned “Best in the West”.  So when this year’s auditions were announced, I contacted the organization and I was fortunate to be granted complete access to cover the proceedings.

The 2011 Sacramento Kings Dancers auditions were held on Friday, September 9th at the Thunder Valley Casino and Resort, a beautiful facility on the outskirts of Sacramento.  I arrived a little before 4:00 pm and there was a crowd of girls waiting to register.  As I entered Pano Hall, my first impression was that the Kings were going all out to stage their auditions.  Unlike other events that I have attended, the Kings opened their preliminary auditions to the public.  The choice of the venue and the entertainment system was impressive.

I knew I was going to get some great shots and I was ready to go.

A little after 4:00 pm the doors were opened and the girls queued up at the registration table.  Forms were filled out and each girl was assigned a wristband and an audition number.

Once registered the girls were directed to the warm up area, which ironically also serves as the loading dock for the casino.  There was ample room for the girls to stretch and get ready for the auditions.  Some girls used this time to touch up their make up.  And some girls reacquainted themselves with friends.  I saw a group of former Sacramento Mountain Lions Cheerleaders and I recognized a group of girls who were Kings Dancers veterans.

I also recognized a girl from the PRO Convention in Atlanta.  Her name was Wendy and she was a former Atlanta Falcons Cheerleader who had relocated to the area to attend graduate school.  She was working on a PhD in biomedical engineering and was recently accepted to UC Davis.

At 5:00 pm, the girls were led to the stage where they were lined up in front of an enthusiastic crowd.  The choreographers and Jennifer Santich, the Dance Team Manager, were introduced to the dancers.  Tom Vannucci, the Director of Entertainment, spoke to the girls and let them know what the evening’s events would entail.  There would be four routines taught this night and after each round a cut would be made.  Girls would be evaluated not only on dance technique and physical fitness, but they would also be evaluated during the instruction process to see how quickly they learned the new material.  Over the course of a season, the Kings Dancers learn many routines and it is important that they are able to quickly assimilate the material and perform it at a high level.

Sacramento Kings Dance Team Manager, Jennifer Santich

Nine returning veterans and two former Kings Dancers were among the more that 70 dancers who were vying for one of the 12 to 16 available positions.  Judging from the girls in attendance, the competition would be fierce and another “Best in the West” squad was certainly possible.

At 5:15 pm, the auditions began and the girls were led through a warm up session by choreographer Dustin Phillips.

Dustin Phillips

When the warm up session was completed, choreographer Stephanie Wise introduced an across the floor routine which consisted of a jazz walk portion, a series of spins, and a high kick.  This routine was designed to identify those candidates that had the requisite dance technique from those that needed more seasoning.

Dancers were called up in small groups and performed the across the floor routine from right to left and then from left to right, with a change in footing.

After a brief intermission, the girls were called back to the stage and the judges announced their decisions.

It was 6:19 pm and 63 girls made the cut.

The next phase of the auditions began and once again, Stephanie Wise demonstrated a jazz dance routine to the Beyonce song, “Who Rule the World”.

This segment of this routine was about a minute and a half, but it took about an hour to fully demonstrate and rehearse.  At 7:15 pm, the girls were called up in groups of five to perform the routine before the judges.

After a brief respite, the girls were once again called up to the stage to await the results.

Of the 63 girls that started this portion of the auditions, only 43 would be continuing the journey.  Tom warned that he needed to see more from the girls and that they needed to turn it on because what he saw up to this point would not impress a crowd of 17,000, let alone a panel of four judges twenty feet away.

It was 8:06 pm and the girls were given a 15 minute break to hydrate and change into sneakers.  When the audition resumed, it was Dustin’s turn to teach the girls a routine, a hip hop routine.  Dustin was a former dancer for Aaron Carter and the Backstreet Boys, so this was right down his alley.

Choreographer Dustin Phillips demonstrates a hip hop routine.

After the routine was demonstrated and the girls had a change to rehearse it, they were once again brought up to the stage in small groups to perform the dance in front of the watchful eyes of the judges.

After each of the dancers had performed the routine, the girls were excused and the judges deliberated for a third time.  It was 9:37 and the judges took nearly twenty minutes to review the candidates’ performance.

With their decisions made, the girls were called up to the stage for a third time and the results of this portion of the audition was announced.  10 girls were eliminated and only 33 dancers remained.  Slowly, but surely the list of potential candidates were being whittled down to those with the talent and beauty to be a professional dancer, a Sacramento Kings Dancer.

It was nearly 10:00 pm and I thought that the day’s festivities were at an end, but I was wrong.  There was another round of auditions scheduled and this time a third type of dance would be taught, a contemporary dance that would stretch the abilities of those remaining.  Three different routines, three different dance styles.

Luke Olson-Elm choreographed a dance that included many twisting, circular motions that would be a nice contrast to the jazz dance and hip hop routines performed earlier in the night.

Choreographer Luke Olson-Elm

After an hour of instruction, the girls were called up in groups of eleven to perform the routine.

At 11:30 pm, the dancers were called to the stage one final time.  The judges had made their decisions.  Of the 33 remaining girls…all of them would be going on the next round.  No cuts here.  The judges wanted to see more before whittling the numbers down any further, so all of them made to the next round.

As the excitement quieted down, Tom gathered the girls together to discuss the next step in the process.  Saturday would be a busy day.  They remaining candidates would be participating in two photos shoots, one in business attire and one in a bikini.  Interviews would also be held and the girls would be videotaped performing a dance for online content.  There would be no cuts on Saturday.

On Sunday, the girls would rehearse from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm.  At 4:00 pm, there would be a performance in front of a crowd and a cut would be made.  In this performance, the girls would be judged not only on appearance and dance technique, but also how they performed in front of an audience.

Jennifer Santich met with the girls to schedule Saturday’s interviews and discuss any questions the girls may have had at this point.  And then the girls were dismissed for the evening.

It was 11:45 pm when I said my goodbyes to the staff of the Kings.  I left the Thunder Valley Casino and Resort, tired and hungry.  It was a long day and I couldn’t wait to see my photos because this is going to be another great squad.  Another “Best in the West” squad?  Who can say?  But from all indications, most definitely.  Yes.

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I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Jennifer Santich, Tom Vannucci and the Sacramento Kings for allowing my the opportunity to cover their auditions.  I had a wonderful time covering your event.