SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - As the NBA season is coming to an end, the
Nu Skin Jazz Dancers are gearing up for next season already.
They might not be on the court as much as the Jazz players but they train just like world class athletes and it starts this week with an intense fitness boot camp.
Moves like twirls, jumps, spins, a little leg slapping, and even something the dancers call "booty right and lefts" are part of becoming a Nu Skin Jazz Dancer.
For former Miss Utah Danica Olsen, it's been a life long dream.
“Well, going to the Jazz games growing up you always look at the Jazz Dances and how much fun they're having and you always want to be a part of it,” said Danica.
This week the potential team members are at the boot camp. It's one week twice a day. They’re preparing for auditions that start on July 7th.
“It kind of gets you a dose of what to expect for tryouts, because a lot of the times going into it the girls don't realize there's a fitness aspect to it,” said Nu Skin Jazz Dancer Director and Choreographer Jan Whittaker.
The stomping of feet running up and down the football bleachers at Bountiful High School is the fitness part Whittaker was talking about. Some girls didn’t know about "the fitness part" before they got there.
Hours of rigorous workouts are part of the boot camp and part of the normal routine for a Jazz Dancer.
Dani Tremelling was ready for the workouts. She was on the team last year.
“If they have a hard time hanging now they'll have a really hard time making the team and keeping up,” said Whittaker.
It's not always easy but the girls are pushed to the limits of what they can do.
“I don't think they can do anything else except for this to get totally prepared for the auditions,” said Whittaker.
The veterans like Dani help encourage some of the new girls like Danica get through the workouts.
“It's been hard. [the trainer] really worked us, but I feel good about what I've done and I'll walk away feeling accomplished,” said Danica.
Getting through the workouts leads back to dancing and to becoming a Nu Skin Jazz Dancer.
“I just loved it. I loved the games. I loved the girls. I loved the atmosphere. It was a dream come true and I want to keep doing it as long as I can,” said Dani.
The auditions for the Nu Skin Utah Jazz Dancers start on July 7th and it run through July 14th.
