Tryouts were held April 3 from 1-5 p.m. for Wayne State College’s Aristocats Dance Team in Rice Auditorium. 

 The eight-member, non-competitive squad will begin performing throughout the fall semester during various volleyball matches and basketball games. 

 Team co-captain Kourtney Caniglia said during an interview that 13 dancers registered for tryouts and all candidates participated in the dances choreographed by her and fellow co-captain Josie Ference.  

 Tryouts focused on each dancer’s individual skills, including a 32-count kick line combination they learned that day, a 45-second prepared solo dance that was choreographed by each dancer, and a 90-second group dance choreographed by the captains that was sent to each candidate prior to the tryouts. 

 The decision-making process for who made the team was relatively easy according to Caniglia. Co-captain Ference and coach Taryn Thompson, who runs the Wayne Dance Company, met with her following the tryouts to choose who successfully made it on to the Aristocats. 

The 2022-2023 WSC dance team members are Cara Dvorak, Michelle Fritton, Naudia Larsen, Isabelle Saenz, Alysse Ramos, Josie Miller, Rachel Brown, Paige Daggett, Addison White, Tori Lehan, Alyssa Chin, Mariah Hansen and current co-captain Kourtney Caniglia. 

 “Our first time performing together with the new roster will be in mid-July for a performance at Chicken Days, then a few days later, camp in preparation for the fall season will begin,” Caniglia said. “Our seasons typically begins in late July, early August and the season concludes the following April. We continuously support Wildcat athletics by performing at football and basketball games.” 

 Caniglia, who is a junior double majoring in Physical Education and Math Education, has a background in dance. She participated in the activity from the time she was 6 years old through high school at a dance studio in her hometown of Papillion.