Westernettes Danceteam

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About Us

The Westernettes Dance Team is the official dance team for Western Illinois University! During the Fall, we perform with the Marching Leathernecks. This has us performing at every Home Football game halftime, dancing on the sidelines, and participating in every Parade. In the winter, we join the WIU Pep band and perform at all home men's and women's basketball games, which can include traveling for the nationally televised Basketball Championship Tournament in March. The team's foremost purpose is to support leatherneck athletics, enhancing game excitement and crowd involvement.

Contact Us

To contact the Westernettes Dance Team, please see below:

Renee Fortino
Dance Team Coach
Email: RO-Fortino@wiu.edu

Auditions

Auditions for the Westernettes are held prior to every football season (in April) and basketball season (in November). See the frequently asked questions below to learn more!

Roster

team

Nicole Kozbiel : Captain nicole

Mollie Kephart : Captain mollie


Bailey McKean : Dancer bailey

Makenna Frank : Dancer makenna

Rissa Capps : Dancer rissa

Adalicia Corkron : Dancer adalicia

Alexis Sneek : Dancer alexi sneek

Jocelyn Diers : Dancerjocelyn

Katelyn Smith : Dancerkatelyn

Mya Lucas : Dancermya

Natalie Newendyke : Dancernatalie

Olivia Jung : Dancer olivia

Alexis Navarro : Dancer alexis

Bre Moore : Dancer bre

Reagan Erickson : Dancerreagan

Rosalie Maze : Dancer rosalie

Zakiyah Callender : Dancerzakiyah

Arianna Hodge : Dancerarianna

Sadie Thornton : Dancer sadie

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it take to be a Westernette?
Tryouts occur before every football and basketball season. Tryouts are two days long and dancers will learn a minute long routine, a portion of the WIU fight song routine, and will be asked to improve.

Is previous dance experience required?
Previous dance experience is not required. However, WIU dancers must be able to perform jazz, pom, and hip-hop technique and flexibility skills.

What is the practice schedule like?
During the fall season, the dance team rehearses with the marching band on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 4:15-6:15pm. During the winter season, practices are determined by the dancers' class schedule. 3-4 2-hour long practice times will be created by the captains that best fit the dancers' academic schedules.

What additional costs are there to be on the dance team?
Each member is responsible for purchasing their own shoes, tights, undergarments, accessories, and warm-ups. Freshman dancers usually have final payments of $200 for all of their supplies. These supplies will be reused from season to season. Dancers must also pay the tuition/fees for the marching band course in the fall (1 credit hour), which helps to pay for travel expenses throughout the season.

Who does the team's choreography?
The team's 2 captains create the choreography for both seasons!

Performances

Look at Leatherneck Athletics to see the Footballs, Men's basketball and Women's basketball schedule to see the dance team perform at every home game!