By Dave Paone
Campus News
The Brooklynettes, the women’s dance ensemble for the Brooklyn Nets basketball team, held open auditions at the Barclays Center last month.
About 400 hopefuls turned out on the first day of the four-day tryouts. Since it was an open call, anyone could audition, as long as she were 18 or over.
Since most everyone on the dance teams throughout the NBA is in her 20s, naturally that meant a lot of college students showed up. Rayna Roman, from Hazlet, New Jersey, was one of them.
Rayna is a part-time student at Brookdale Community College with a major in hospitality. Dance and hospitality are two very different vocations but Rayna feels she has a passion for both.
Rayna is currently taking two classes at night, and by chance they fall on the same night with the same professor, whom she’s had as a teacher before.
“She knows how crazy I am with dance and school,” said Rayna, and knows the professor will work with her regarding the game schedule, should she make the team.
This year is actually Rayna’s second audition with the Brooklynettes. “I got past round one but not day one,” she said.
In the two years since then (there were no auditions last year due to COVID) Rayna has worked on her technique and has more confidence.
“I definitely have a different outlook coming into this audition this time around that I didn’t have last time,” she said.
Mae Neil was another college student who tried out. Mae moved from her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama to NYC two years ago, when she was 17. Mae is currently enrolled at the University of Alabama but takes her classes online, which is nothing new to her.
“I’ve done online school since I was in seventh grade because I’ve always pursued professional dance and [it] allows me to do both,” she said.
At 14, she took online classes in the morning for regular school and then in-person dance classes at the Linda Dobbins Dance Academy starting at noon.
Mae is a full-time student but also works as a professional, freelance dancer and model, including print work for Macy’s and Hibbett City Gear.
She feels she has “a pretty generic face,” which works when clients are looking for “an all-American girl.”
The first day started with stretching and warmups, followed by group choreography led by current co-captains on the dance team.
Since, in the beginning, there were so many on the court at once, the judges could only give each dancer just one chance to show her skills. They formed two lines behind one basket and free-style danced in pairs across the court toward the other basket, where coach Asha Singh and director Criscia Long stood.
Here is where each hopeful learned her fate for the first round.
The ones that made the cut got handed a number to pin somewhere on their person and the ones who didn’t make the cut got shown the door.
Rayna and Mae made the cut, along with about 200 others.
By the end of the first day, there were about 150 of the original 400 remaining. This included Rayna and Mae.
By the end of the second day, there were about 65. Rayna and Mae were still there.
The 50 or so finalists were announced by the end of the third day. Rayna and Mae made it to the finals.
In past years, tryouts were held at various locations in Brooklyn, including St. Joseph’s college. This year, however, is the first year they were held at the Barclays Center.
Co-captain Celine (the team members use only their first names) went through her audition process seven years ago. She recalled the moment she was handed a number on her first day of tryouts.
“I was ecstatic! I was surprised, actually, I was like, ′Me? Me?′ And now I’m a co-captain,” said Celine, who has a BFA in dance from University of the Arts in Philadelphia.
Participants needed to show either proof of COVID vaccination or a negative COVID test (the Modell’s across the street was set up for free testing) and everyone had to wear a mask inside, which wasn’t very conducive to high-energy dancing.
On hand was a DJ to drop the beat and Will Zinser, an athletic trainer, at the ready with his first aid kit and cooler of ice, in case of any twisted ankles.
Dancers who are currently on the team have to continually prove themselves to the director and coach. With the exception of the captain and two co-captains, each dancer had to audition again during tryout week, in order to keep her spot on the team.
Three veteran dancers left the squad, none of the other 17 were cut and the roster was increased to 24 dancers. That means out of the 400 who showed up the first day, only seven of them would become Brooklynettes, giving each hopeful a 1.75% chance of making the team.
By the end of day four, Rayna and Mae were cut.
Rayna still remains optimistic. “I’m happy I got to experience the entire audition process and [I’m] ready to audition again next season!” she said.
Mae feels the same way. “There’s always next season,” she said.
Indeed, there’s always next season.
Facebook Comments