Westernettes Danceline
Who We Are
We are the Westernettes Danceline, the Division I collegiate dance team for Western Illinois University and the Fighting Leathernecks. We perform at all of the WIU home football games and the home men's and women's basketball games. During the fall, we are part of the Marching Leathernecks which means we get to perform with the marching band in parades, half-time shows, side-lines, and the Marching Band Classic. During the winter months, we are part of the WIU Pep Band. We are a group of students who LOVE to dance and our spirit and enthusiasm shine through in everything we do. Come out and show your support for our hard work and dedication by helping us cheer on the Leathernecks to another victory!
Our Leadership
Our graduate Advisor is Casey Little. Originally from Quincy, IL, Casey graduated from WIU in May 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology. Back at Western this fall, Casey is attending graduate school in Sociology. This is Casey’s first year advising the Danceline, but she was a member of the Westernettes for the past two years as an undergraduate student.
This year the Danceline has 3 Co-Captains:
Our first Senior Co-Captain is Jennifer Holmbeck. Jennifer has been captain of the Westernettes since Fall 2007. She is currently a senior at WIU, majoring in Kinesiology. Jennifer came to WIU from Northbrook, IL where she attended Glenbrook North High School.
Our second Senior Co-Captain is Danielle Arendt. This is her second year as captain of the Danceline. Danielle is currently a senior at Western with a major in History, Teacher Education. She hails from Chapin, IL where she attended Routt Catholic High School.
Our Junior Co-Captain is Erika Johnson. Erika is in her first year as captain of the Westernettes. Erika is a junior at WIU, and she is majoring in Recreation, Park, and Tourism Administration. She came to Western from Bettendorf, IA where she attended Bettendorf High School.
Try-out Information
Try-outs happen in the Spring semester, typically in April. We hold try-outs for both football season and basketball season together in one shot. You can try-out for one team or both. Try-outs are a two day process and you must be in attendance for both days in order to try-out. There will be absolutely NO exceptions to this. Try-out dates have not yet been set for Spring 2011, so please check back soon.
On the first day, the captains will teach you the routines that you will perform in small groups for the panel of judges on day #2. The routines will incorporate the various types of dance that we utilize, which will include pom, jazz, and hip-hop along with a possible variety of other styles. The captains will also teach you the appropriate fundamentals upon which you will be critiqued.
The second day of the try-out is where you will actually perform the routines you have learned in small groups and you will showcase your dance fundamentals individually. With the exception of the captains, all students must try-out each year, regardless of prior danceline involvement.
In order to try-out for the danceline, you must either be in academic good-standing with the University or you must be a newly admitted student. If at any time during the year, your cumulative GPA falls below a 2.0, you will automatically be dismissed from the team and will not be allowed to return for the remainder of the year. Academics are your primary responsibility of being a student here at Western, and our team takes academics very seriously.
