Nets dance team final tryouts Wednesday

June 12, 2012 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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By Mary Frost

Brooklyn Daily Eagle

BROOKLYN — Will it be Angelica? Mandee? Nyvia? The final audition for the Brooklyn Nets dance team will be held at the Brooklyn Bowl on Wednesday, June 13 at 7 p.m. — and the field has been narrowed to 27 hard-dancing young ladies.

An ad-hoc fan club has been forming behind many of the neon-clad contenders, and some fans say the NBA missed an opportunity to draw the tryouts into a summer-long reality series.

“Talk about a blown opportunity to market the brand, and to show hot chicks in yoga pants,” said a Nets Daily commenter who calls himself “Mr. Dollar Bills.”

Facebook fans have been plugging their favorites: Amy Huang says: “Chante Waters for Fan Fave!!! She’s an amazing person and a fabulous dancer.” Mandisa Norward wrote, “Amy u look AMAZING!!” Linda Leichtle Tsark writes, “Christina Black is gorgeous and a talented dancer. The Nets would be crazy not to select her!”

Photo by Adam Pantozzi

The NBA is also building the buzz by holding a Dance Team Audition Sweepstakes, where fans can vote for their favorites and win VIP tickets to the final audition.

An open call on June 2 drew more than 300 eager ex-cheerleaders, dancers and dancer-wannabes who showed off their choreographed hip-hop and pop dance moves, with fans cheering their favorites on to glory or defeat.

The semi-finalists have undergone “two intense days of training camp,” according to the Nets Dancers website.

DJ Eleven and special guest judges will appear at Wednesday’s final tryout. The Brooklyn Bowl says that the event will be “a celebration of Brooklyn music, sports, fashion, and dance,” and that the new dance team name, logo, and uniform will be revealed.

On June 2, 300 eager dancers tried out at the auditorium at Long Island University. Photo by Adam Pantozzi

The final dance team — to be coached by Adar Wellington — will be composed of 20 dancers, with two slots saved for last year’s two captains. Last year’s dance team will likely fill many of the other slots, but those dancers must audition as well.

In addition to performing at Nets games, the dancers represent the team at other sporting events around the world.