The Milwaukee Bucks are hosting auditions for the 2018-19 dance team August 11 at 9 a.m. And with changes coming to the squad, so too is the culture of the dancers shifting.
Petra Pope, a consultant to the Bucks dance team and one of the overseers of the auditions, sat down with TODAY'S TMJ4's Elise Preston to not only discuss the auditions, but also this changing culture.
Pope says the first things the judges will be looking for in the dancers are their skill set, personality and how well they can be ambassadors for the Bucks to the community. She also gives a bit of advice for those coming out.
"Come relaxed and just have fun. I think when you come with that mindset, you actually do better, " she said, "Come prepared, take a couple dance classes today if you can...but just come prepared to have fun."
Pope came to the Bucks this year to not only shake things up, but also tone things down. She says she believes that the dancers do not have to be in typical revealing outfits to be considered attractive.
"To me it's cooler and more sexy to be more covered up and to be very talented," she said, "It sends a message to younger girls that they don't have to look like the video divas to be empowered, to feel sexy."
Pope says the outfits for the dancers this year will be "athletic, classy, fashion-forward and trend-setting."
The auditions begin at 9 a.m. August 11 at Fiserv Forum and will go until 11 a.m. Dancers must bring a headshot and resume and have at least five years of technical dance training. For more information, click here.
