Shock and Awe or Court and Spark

[Eggcentric at aol.com]

Court and spark

July 1, 2006 (Boston Globe)

Forget the Laker girls, with names like GiGi and Nikki and Britten. This 
fall, for the first time, the Boston Celtics will introduce a crew of dancers. 
Choreographer Marina Ortega has been leading tryouts all month to try to find the 
20 ladies who, with a few hippy, hippy shakes, can inspire the Garden crowd, 
even on one of those Brian Scalabrine nights.
 GEOFF EDGERS

Q: Why has it taken so long to get Celtics dancers?

A: The Celtics have been very careful. The owners have been very consistent 
with the tradition of the Celtics. And they felt like this was the right time.

Q: Are there height and weight requirements?

A: Nope. I'm looking for girls who are physically fit, look healthy, and are 
going to be good representatives of the Celtics. We don't discriminate here. 
If she can get through the routine and hit it solid, she can be a contender.

Q: Can the dancers date the players?

A: No. That's a strict rule. It's not good business. It brings bad publicity. 
We want to keep it professional and keep a clean image.

Q: How about all that hoochie dancing? Am I going to be able to go to a game 
with my grandmother without getting embarrassed?

A: I'm glad you asked that question. I pride myself on being a very versatile 
choreographer, so I plan on combining jazz with a little hip-hop with a 
little classic rock. So I'm going to put on a show that the crowd can be proud of, 
something that's going to be classy. It's OK to do a little shaking, but I 
definitely want to keep it clean.

Q: What's the difference between cheerleaders and dancers?

A: Cheerleaders usually use the chanting and the words. They do a lot of 
stunting and tumbling. That's when you see some of the guys jump in. They're more 
vocal. Dancers, they have a strict training in ballet and jazz. Dancers dance.

Q: The Celtics have a rich tradition. But they haven't been so good over the 
last few years. Are you still going to get all excited when the team's not 
doing well?

A: I really feel like it's apples and oranges. What the team does on the 
court has nothing to do with whether it's a timeout or halftime . My job is to 
strictly prepare the girls for the entertainment portion.

Q: So when it's not going well, how about a slow dance?

A: Maybe something classical. We can do it to Beethoven.