I am not a judge. I don’t rock a robe or a gavel and no one stands whenever I enter or exit a room. Nor am I a judgmental person. Don’t judge – hug, is my theory. However, yesterday I sat on the panel of judges for the Bobcat’s Ladies, the Ladycats dance team auditions.
Just like it’s hard to break up with or reject someone, it’s also hard to sit there and look a girl in the eye after their number wasn’t called and having contributed to crushing her hopes and dreams ... which is precisely why I looked down and started texting after each round, which I suggested to CJ from 96.1 The Beat who was feeling as guilty as I was. I mean, who are we to judge?
There was a guy (wearing a wig) auditioning that might have just been the best dancer there … but it is the lady cats after all. After he was cut, CJ and I went and commended him for having the balls (literally) to audition.
The first round of judging was a simple checking of yes and no ... either they have it or they don’t. I added a write in vote for "maybe" for a lot of the girls. I am more of a judge on personality, and I gave points just for returning smiles.
But I find it really hard to sit still when good music is playing… it’s like torture for me, so I danced along with the other judges including Chris Draft, Tiffany of Cutting Edge Dance Studio and former Carolina Panthers cheerleader Janelle. The coach and choreographer for the LadyCats (and Checkmates) Brandii McCoy was nine-months pregnant and still did her thing … she is a pro after all. Hence the reason she is a director for All Pro 3.
My favorite, aside from the man-cat, was “Big Sexy” – a female that looked like she was straight out of the WNBA, about 7 feet tall with a big tattoo reading “Big Sexy” across her back … she ran off stage within the first eight counts of the dance after messing up. Bless her heart …
Out of 110 girls, 30 made the cut and will proceed to a week of Bootcamp ... only 20 girls will make the squad (cue dramatic ending sound).
