IU dance group takes next step with Pacemates

The crowd at the Indianapolis Pacers’ game last Thursday got a taste of true Hoosier spirit before the basketball even began.

The Hoosierettes, a pom-style dance group of IU students, performed a new routine during the pregame warm-up before the Pacers’ matchup with the Washington Wizards.
A performance of this scale was a first for the dance group, said senior and team captain
Brittany Little.

“This was the big kahuna for us, the one we’ve really been working for,” she said.
Little said she formed the group three years ago as a freshman because of her desire for a poms team at IU.

Traditionally, the Hoosierettes’ performances have been in Bloomington. But this season, the group of 18 women had the chance to take to a bigger stage.

After developing a choreographed routine, practicing and perfecting spacing in outdoor areas and holding extra practices during Sundays, the Hoosierettes drove to Indianapolis on March 29 ready to dance.

Sophomore dancer Kendall Smith called it exhilarating.

Senior Hope Collins, who helps with the team, said it was the beginning to a dream. She also said it was the women’s tech know-how that got them this opportunity.

“The team was asked to do the pre-game performance for the Pacers because those girls are awesome at networking,” Collins said. “They all recognize that, because it is a student-run organization, getting the Hoosierettes’ name out there is just as important as their performances.”

Little, Smith and junior co-captain Kristen Troxell coordinated and organized the group’s travels and logistics for the performance. Upon arrival at the stadium, they were warmed up and had their nerves eased by a few of the Pacemates, Little said.

At the end of the performance, the overall sentiment was a positive and accomplished one.

“The biggest thing was that a lot of their family and friends were able to come, besides the fact that we’re performing at a real, legitimate venue, so it was exciting to be on a stadium floor instead of the racquetball courts where we normally practice,” Little said.

Because of this accomplishment, the Hoosierettes said they are more fueled to dance and perform well.

“Although we do have a lot of fun in practice, we are also very dedicated to what we do,” Smith said. “We are very determined to grow as a team and show our IU spirit.”

In the coming weeks, the Hoosierettes will have a chance to do just that.

A week from Saturday, the group will dance at Relay For Life, and they also have various flash performances planned for the week of Little 500.

Whether dancing in Bloomington or under brighter lights, Little said, she is optimistic about the future for herself and her fellow Hoosierettes.

“I think it was kind of a shared feeling among the girls on the team, that we’ve finally made it and done something important,” she said.