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Dancer Finalist Q&A: Ariel

How long have you been dancing for?

I’ve been dancing probably since about five years of age, so quite a few years. I did sports in between, but I was finally taking dance seriously after high school and being on the Nuggets team for the first team last year. It was intense, but it was a lot of fun.

Why did you decide to tryout for the Denver Nuggets Dancers?

I decided to do the Denver Nuggets Dancers because of the technique ability. It’s not just going out and doing poms or doing jazz, it’s a lot of hip-hop, it’s a lot of character routines, it’s a lot of jazz routines, pom routines. So you get all of it in the mix instead of always being the same.

Which style is your favorite?

I’m a jazz person. I love jazz and poms, anything that’s a little sassy is my forte.

What was it like when they called your number last year?

They called my number, and so, being a dancer, you’re like wait a second… You look down at your number, okay that’s my number… You look down at your number again and you keep looking at your number and you’re looking at the girl next to you like, “Is that really my number? Is that really my number?” But it’s just that adrenaline rush that it’s like, you know, you finally get to do your dreams and you finally get to be with this organization. So it was just… I was just speechless, honestly.

How was it dancing in your first game?

Talk about adrenaline, you know, nerves, running around like a chicken with its head cut-off. You’re a rookie, you’re running around the building. We had business partners, so a veteran was our babysitter taking us around until we got used to doing it on our own. It was such an experience: feeling really blessed, really fortunate to be able to do that. I just can’t wait and hope that it comes around again.

What was your favorite game last season?

The Utah Jazz game. The only reason I say that is because a lot of my family and friends were able to come to that game. So it’s not just being able to do it for the fans, being able to do it in front of thousands of people you don’t know, but getting that performance aspect back into it where friends and family and people that see you dance for years finally get to see you make a profession out of it, and not just: “Oh it’s a hobby that she does on the side.”

What do you think you bring to the Nuggets Dancers?

I’m very self-motivated. Nobody has to tell me twice to do anything or keep practicing or keep doing this and that. When the season gets really hectic and you get burnt out and you’re tired and girls are working and doing Nuggets, it’s that extra push. Okay we’ve got this. One last time, one last time.

What’s your favorite part about being a Dancer?

My favorite part about being a Dancer is probably the sports aspect of it. You get into the sports and the characters of that along with being a girly-girl and getting away with it. Nobody second guesses why you have so much makeup on, why your nails are always done, why you’re always so tan, why your hair looks so good all the time. You’re just like, “it’s what I do. It’s how I act!”

Is there anything embarrassing that ever happened to you during a game?

All the time. I think those things where nightmares become reality all of a sudden, where you realize you brought two shoes and they’re both the wrong pair and they’re both the left shoe so you end up dancing barefoot. Or you do forget choreography and blank it. The small stuff that nobody thinks about – yeah, that’s happened. That’s why when we say certain things, chances are one of us has been through it.

What’s something interesting about you that nobody knows?

I’m actually a certified personal trainer, and I’m actually trying to work towards doing my first fitness show.