TUESDAY, MAY 11, 1999

Dancing to the top

By Trond M Vagen

On-Line Forty-Niner

A good first impression was the key to success on Saturday as about 40 dance team hopefuls gathered in The Pyramid to jump and kick their way onto the 1999 Cal State Long Beach's Dance Team.

"The girls often see us [the dance team] perform on ESPN in connection with games," dance team choreographer Rey Lozano said. "That's often how they first hear about us. We are a pretty recognized team nationally."

Women from all over California vied for the positions, from the Bay Area to San Diego. Out-of-state contenders will try their luck next weekend.

From all the candidates, Lozano will choose about 20 girls. Fifteen women will fill the vacant spots on the team, while five will be chosen as substitutes.

"We usually have about 60 girls trying out each year," Lozano said. "This semester, we have people from as far away as Missouri trying out, although most of the girls are from Southern California."

Leading the girls through a rigorous schedule, Lozano had them jumping and spinning for the entire evening.

Some contenders were eliminated half-way through the session, but final selections will be made after this weekend, he said.