Denver busts a move

Denver busts a move
Crowds line up for ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ auditions
Emma Marshall
Friday, March 13, 2009
Amanda Igaki, front, and Ashley Rehder, back, practice their hula dancing moves at the “So You Think You Can Dance?” tryouts yesterday at the Colorado Convention Center. Photo by Jesse Dillon.

Busy Downtown experienced a little more movement than usual yesterday as dance-star hopefuls took over the Colorado Convention Center for the season five “So You Think You Can Dance” open casting call. The chosen dancers will move on to take part in a 12-week dance competition to win the title of America’s Favorite Dancer. Last season’s winner, Joshua Allen, received $250,000 and a role in “Step Up 3D.”
The line to audition wrapped around the Convention Center in the chilly morning hours. Doors opened at 8 a.m. but opportunity drew hundreds to wait in line overnight. Ashley Rehder, 23, and Amanda Igaki, 25, didn’t mind the line or the weather.
“We’ve only been here since 4:30 a.m.,” said Rehder. They laughed in unison, dressed in grass skirts and leis like it was no big deal. The two hula dancers had nothing but fun leading up to the casting call.
Driven
Movers and shakers from across the country made their way to the audition by any means necessary. Teneko Penn, 19, and Rayneesha Smith, 18, are two hip-hop dancers from Omaha, Neb. Their eyes shined with relief as they stretched in the final audition room. After 20 accidental charges to Penn’s bank account for plane tickets and dozens of phone calls to banks and relatives to fix the problem in time for the audition, the two were left without plane tickets two days before the audition. When they did eventually get the tickets, their flight was cancelled. So they hit the road at excessive speeds (they were pulled over for speeding once during the drive), and grabbed a flight in Dallas and made it to the Convention Center in time to tryout.
Dancers had to be between the ages 18-30 to audition. For some, this will be the last year to get a shot at being a dancing star. Aj Pascarella, 18, said he wasn’t scared. He shrugged his shoulders, smiled and said he had nothing to lose. The young server traveled from New York with no excess worry-baggage.
Thirty-year-old Clint Folkerts, a dance instructor in Colorado Springs kept his fingers, well probably his legs, crossed during the audition. He will not be able to audition for following seasons due to his age.
Now or never
“This is do or die for me,” said Folkerts. He does hip-hop, ballet, ballroom and break-dancing. He spun around, upside down and to the ground, finishing with a pose. His long, black hair covered his smile. He cleverly moved it out of the way for a picture without breaking the pose.
The show’s production crew helped personalities and emotions come to the surface by instructing the first wave of hopefuls to head to the audition room while screaming and cheering at each of the camera points. In the main registration area, 26-year-old Bree Cooey talked about opportunity. Walking into the audition room she explained the nerves starting to hit.
“I’m a little nervous now. But it’s good. It’s a positive thing because the adrenaline is starting,” said Cooey. The dance instructor from Westminister disappeared into the room full of determined dancers.
The hula girls were freshening up their red lipstick while they waited for further instruction. They talked about their type of dance and their goals with the competition.
“We hope to show what traditional hula is like and get rid of the stereotype. It’s not as easy as people think. It’s so different from other dances,” said Igaki.
“It’s all about bringing hula onto the modern dance table. We’re bringing a different kind of movement,” said Rehder as Igaki applied the finishing touches to her makeup.
The hit FOX reality show was created by Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe and is hosted by Cat Deeley. Two remaining casting calls in Memphis and Seattle will take place during the next two weeks. To find out if any of the above dancers made it, tune into FOX when the fall lineup begins to air.