Round One of the OPEL SKYLINERS Dance Team Tryout 2003: 80 young women have one goal: to become a member of the OPEL SKYLINERS Dance Team. But the competition in Basketball City Mainhattan is tough.
Sunday afternoon at Basketball City Mainhattan. The scene reminds one of the musical "Flashdance". 80 girls are on the floor, dancing their shoes off. They fight and sweat for hours. Because they all want one thing: a job in the OPEL SKYLINERS Dance Team.
Many of the runner ups are nervous. They are all talented, but its one thing to shine in a training session and another thing to prove your skills in front of a jury, who's judging every move you make. The girls do the choreography over and over again and move more or less smoothly to the rhythm of the dance floor music. The judges Anja Kuch (former Coach of Frankfurt Galaxy Cheerleaders), Tanja Schumann (Coach of the OPEL SKYLINERS Dance Teams) und Simon Cote (Basketball Academy Rhein-Main Coach) analyse the spirit, dancing abilities and the overall look of the dancers.
"It's a tough job - but somebody has to do it", says Simon with a smile, who's also the fitness coach of the OPEL SKYLINERS Dance Team. The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly despite all competition. During the whole event all the girls support and help each other.
"I'm interested in Cheerleading since my trip to the States. As I read in the newspaper about the Tryout I thought: yes, I will do that. I don't care if I advance to the next round or not. It was fun anyway", says 17-year old Helga.
"It was really funny to be part of an audition like this. I'm skilled in Hip Hop dancing, but I don't think that I've impressed the judges. I danced everything - but not the choreography. But who cares?", comments Isabella. The 16-year old had no reason to worry. 31 dancers made it to the Final Round - among them Isabella and Helga.
"It was a tough decision this year. Never before did we have so many beautiful and talented girls. Those candidates, who didn't make it, shouldn't worry and keep on with their dancing career. They have the potential", explains Tanja Schumann. She will have two workouts with the upcoming Cheerleaders this week, before the Final Tryout starts on Saturday at 22:00 p.m. at the Disco "Halli Galli". A VIP-Jury (Comedian Martin Schneider, R& B artist Darnell and others) will pick the 18 young women, who will form the new OPEL SKYLINERS Dance for the upcoming season.
