On game day, the Milwaukee Bucks Dancers are part of the larger entertainment experience for fans who purchase a ticket to see that day’s basketball game. The troupe is well known and highly regarded, and are also a big part of the organization’s outreach effort, representing the team year-round for public and charitable appearances.

But who are they, and what is being a Bucks dancer really like?

OnMilwaukee.com contributor Monica Reida caught up with the group in advance of a recent game to find out. (Editor’s note: The Bucks do not release the last names of dancers for their safety.)

OnMilwaukee.com: What was the audition process like for each of you?

Michelle: The tryout process is always nerve wracking for first-time dancers, but it’s also nerve wracking for what we call ‘veterans’ or those that have been on the team before because no one on the team has a definite spot from year to year. So we have new people coming in not really knowing and old people coming back fighting for their spots, so it’s fun to see old faces and new faces and we try to create a really positive atmosphere. But then again there’s always a little bit of healthy competition.

Andrea: The audition process for me is pretty similar to that. It’s always exciting to see familiar faces but also nerve wracking every year, even though this is my fourth year. I still get nervous because nobody holds a spot on the team – you need to try out every year. But it’s always fun to get back into dancing and to learn new dance moves.

Lauren: Like the other two said, it’s a very nerve wracking process, but it’s also very fun and rewarding. It’s also a very long process. We had two days of full auditions and from there we went into a three-week boot camp up until are final auditions. We have to be very committed and focused, but in the end it’s worth it.

Teaka: It was my first time auditioning, so I was really scared. There were a lot of girls there and it was, like they said, a long, long day. I was exhausted, but it was so much fun. After you get out there your nerves go away and it’s just fun to be there.

OMC: What is the season like for each of you or as a dance team together?

Alli: As a first year member there have been a lot of surprises and things I hadn’t expected, but they’ve all been such great surprises. It’s been such an awesome journey so far. That we’re over half-way through the season is crazy, but once we got started it went by so fast. I mean, it’s a blessing to be a part of it and I’ve been learning ever since I became a part of the team.

Andrea: The season for me personally is different every single year. This is my fourth season and this is by far the most exciting just in game because the team is doing so well, there’s a lot of buzz about everything and that always makes the fans more engaged in our performances so that’s something cool about this season. We have a lot of young girls on our team and it’s really awesome to see us grow as a team and become friends throughout the entire season long. I feel like I’ve known these girls forever and we’re only halfway through the season so it’s been a really great experience and I can’t wait for the rest of the season.

Michelle: This season for me is awesome. I’d say my favorite part of the team is not actually dancing on the court, it’s all the extra things we get to do. We do a lot of opportunities and work with a lot of different companies out in the community. We do a lot of non-profit organization work, we do a lot of work with children’s teams, we do a lot of work with high school teams, and it’s just rewarding to be able to bring them back into our arena and show our fans that we’re more than just a bunch of girls who can dance on a court, we’re also involved in the community.

OMC: What is the off-season like? Do you do any training, anything like that?

Andrea: The off-season is somewhat non-existent. We have a full-year contract, well I guess up until the next set of auditions. So in the summer we’re still doing events in the community, we’ll do Summerfest and the State Fair, walks and what have you. It’s less dancing, I guess, because we’re not in the games, but we’re definitely still engaged in the community and it’s up to us, if you’re planning on trying out again, to keep yourself to a high-level of athleticism and be ready for the next season.

OMC: You mentioned that you do a lot in the community, what else do you like about being a Bucks dancer?

Michelle: I think all of the different opportunities it has given us other than just dancing on the court. We do something called "Hardwood homecoming" where we get to applaud soldiers coming home so that’s a really cool experience. We get to work with different schools where they promote reading programs and writing programs and Big Sister, Little Sister programs. We work with cancer societies, we work with blood societies, we work with kids with less opportunity, we work with disabled kids, we work with companies that are trying to promote company parties. We get to work and go out in the community and see a lot of different things.

And then on the flipside, other than charity work, we get to work with artists, like we’ve worked with Vanilla Ice and Run DMC and we get to have all stars, like to night we’re working with all star dancers from high schools and elementary schools from around the community. It’s just an awesome mix of opportunities that have nothing to do with us performing at halftime.

Andrea: Just going off of what Michelle said about all the things we do in the community, we also do in-game (activities), besides just dancing. For example, we go out before every game and welcome people into the arena and that’s also fun to get the chance to interact with the fans before the game even starts and just, you know, have a presence in the arena besides being out on the court and get a chance to show the fans that we’re personable and welcoming and easy to talk to.

OMC: Is there anything else you would want people to know about what it’s like to be a dancer for a NBA team?

Michelle: I think something that a lot of people forget is that we’re all students or we have full-time jobs. This isn’t just what we do. Basically every single person on this team is either in college or full-time working and when we tell spectators or guests that come to the arena they’re normally really surprised because they think this is our full-time job, but it’s really a joke that we have two full-time jobs.

Andrea: And going off of that this is a big commitment, but also one of the most rewarding experiences of our lives and you can only be an NBA dancer for so long. There’s no cutoff, but you know, at some point or another you may want to move further in your career or move states or whatever. But I think just having the full package, dancing, being in the community and the interaction, the entire experience all together is really really cool.

OMC: I have a couple of quick questions for Tricia, who coaches this team. What is it like coaching – is that the best word to use?

Tricia: It’s so exciting coaching this team, especially when the Bucks are doing so well and the excitement and the energy in this arena has been incredible. It’s a great time to be a part of the Bucks organization, but I absolutely love what I do. I grew up as a dancer, I danced professionally for a long time. Being on the coaching side of it, choreography side of it is much different, but to me it’s more rewarding. You get to see these girls five times a week and they kind of become my kids and we’re like a little family, so I just really enjoy it.

OMC: Is there anything in particular you would want readers to know about the dancers and the dance team?

Tricia: I think the biggest misconception is that all of these girls do is cheerlead, so to speak. And they’re very highly intelligent, highly talented women. They’re either in school full time, they’re working full-time jobs, or they’re working three part time jobs and they’re doing this on the side and it’s a really big commitment. I don’t think people quite grasp what a commitment this is, with how many practices they do a week, how many workouts they do, how many events they are doing out in the community. It’s a really big commitment, it’s very time consuming, but it’s very rewarding at the same time.