Team members are selected through a dance team tryout process. Taking only correspondence, extension, or UWM Waukesha classes do not qualify a person as a student. The team size ranges from 10 to 18, depending on what the talent pool is during the selection process. All team members must try out each year. Student wishing to try out for the team must:
  • Be an enrolled UWM student or admitted to UWM
  • Be available for the entire term (May to May)
  • Must be available to attend summer camp (Early August)
Tryouts consist of two parts: Preliminaries and Finals. Preliminaries will be through video, and Finals will be in person. The tryouts process is closed to the public.

If interested in the tryouts, please first fill out this interest form: Tryouts Interest Form

PRELIMINARIES:
The tryout instructional videos will be available starting Sunday, April 18th.  When you are ready to receive the links for the videos, please email in your application to the coaches and pay the tryout fee of $10 through PayPal (PayPal.Me/pantherdanceteam).  Be sure to put in the comments "Your Name" with "Tryouts 2021" when submitting your payment. 
Include in the email:
  • Proof of Admission - Copy of acceptance letter or student ID
  • Dance Team Application
  • A Recent Headshot​​​
Dance Application.pdf
File Size: 73 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
You will have 5 days after receiving the videos to send your tryout video back.  The last day to turn in your videos is Friday, April 30th.

Please wear a solid black fitted tank top, sports bra, or leotard with a solid black booty short so that judges can see all your movement. Also please wear nude jazz or half jazz shoes. Make yourself presentable with your hair pulled back cleanly and neatly out of your face in a bun and put on performance-ready makeup (lipstick, eye shadow, blush).

Video Requirements:
  1. A short introduction including your name, where you are from, and why you want to be a part of PDT.
  2. Demonstrate each of the following skills:
    1. Double and Triple Pirouettes - Left & Right ​
    2. Center Leaps - Left & Right 
    3. Toe Touch
    4. Split Leaps - Left & Right 
    5. Calypso - Left & Right 
    6. Fouettes - The combo will be sent to you
    7. High Kicks - 1 eight count, facing the side
    8. Left & Right Front Leg Hold - facing the side
    9. Jazz Skill Of Choice (ex: needle turn, turn combo, aerial, etc.)
    10. Hip Hop Skill Of Choice (ex: kip, tumbling, headspring, etc.)
  3. We will then send you 3 routines to include in your audition:
    1. Our fight song routine
    2. Hip hop combo
    3. Jazz combo
  4. Any additional videos you would like to include of yourself dancing.

You should be the only person on the video. Please follow the sequence listed in the video requirements above for the format. It is important that your full body is shown at all times and your face can be easily seen. Please pick a location that allows you to be unmasked in the video. When filming be sure to have a straight on view of the routines.  That way all your movements and expressions throughout the dances are seen.

Finalists will be announced Sunday, May 2nd.
FINALS:
Finals will be on Saturday, May 8th at the Klotsche Center (3409 N Downer Ave).  Warm-up on your own starting at 10:30am.  Review will begin at 11:00am with auditions happening immediately after the review. Please wear a solid black fitted tank top, sports bra, or leotard with a solid black booty short so that judges can see all your movement. Also please wear nude jazz or half jazz shoes. Make yourself presentable with your hair pulled back cleanly and neatly out of your face in a bun and put on performance-ready makeup.

Candidates will audition in groups of 2-3. Masks will be required and appropriate social distancing will be practiced. Each candidate will be evaluated on the select skills, fight song, hip hop, and jazz combos. Dancers are scored in rhythm, showmanship, skills, memory, endurance, and dance technique. The new members will be announced after all candidates are evaluated.

Skills For Finals Are:
  • Right Triple
  • Toe Touch
  • Fouettes (2 eight counts)​
  • Left & Right Front Leg Hold - facing the side
  • Jazz Skill Of Choice (ex: needle turn, turn combo, aerial, etc.)
  • Hip Hop Skill Of Choice (ex: kip, tumbling, headspring, etc.)
    ​
Schedule: 
  • Check in and warm-up (on your own)
  • Review of the combos
  • Final cuts (skills, hip hop, and jazz combos)​
  • Short meeting afterwards for new members