Jaclyn Figg
Staff Writer
A new dance team originating from students at Idaho State University is on the prowl in Pocatello. The co-ed club has 25 people involved and is now open to the public.
Though they tried to become an official ISU club, the similarities to the Bengal Dancers made it difficult, and the team decided to go a different route.
“We came up with a new plan, and a new competition that we are going to and that competition doesn’t allow you to be affiliated with the University,” said Hayley Greenwell, an ISU student majoring in health science. “So unfortunately we weren’t able to go through ISU if we wanted to be able to take this different direction.”
The Prowlers are an all-star community dance team that focuses on Jazz and Hip-Hop routines.
They started out as a group of women who wanted to make a competitive dance team with some who danced in high school and some who simply wanted to improve their technique.
But all share the love for dance.
“We want to do competitive dance and there is just not any opportunities in Pocatello, even at studios it only ranges to eighteen and cuts off,” said Ashlin Lee, an ISU student majoring in elementary education.
Their goal is to have a team where people can build technique and grow individually as dancers, but still have the team feeling.
“People come here for college and they want to do competitive dance, but they don’t make the Bengal Dancers, so now there is another chance,” Lee said.
Once the founding members had made up their mind to start the Prowlers they faced some difficulties in establishing the club.
“It’s just hard,” Greenwell said. “Change is hard for a lot of people and just trying to get our name out we had a lot of people that didn’t agree with what we were trying to do.”
Though it was difficult to get the club started, there were no issues finding people to join.
The Prowlers utilized the Involvement Fair to promote their new club and seek interested memebers.
“Finding people wasn’t as hard. We were able to set up a booth at the involvement fair and that’s how we were able to talk to a lot of different students,” Greenwell said.
Many of the people that signed up on that day are still coming.
The Prowlers get together every Tuesday and Thursday from 8 to 10 p.m. at different locations. They use the application “WhatsApp” to allow all of the members to be on the same group message where they disclose the location of each meeting.
They held auditions for the United Spirit Association All Star
competition in March in Los Angeles, California on Sunday, Nov. 15 at the Red Hill studio for those who want to join in the competition, but the Prowlers are open to all types of dancers.
“We’re going to hold technique practices for people who just want to dance in a less artistic way more for technique,” Lee said. We are going to have those practices, and then in addition we are going to have the competition team practices.”
As a non-profit organization, the Prowlers must find other ways to fund their competitions.
Burley Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation as well as Phal Farms are current sponsors for the group who help pay for some things such as registration fees, traveling and costumes.
“We have some fundraisers scheduled for December, and throughout January and February,” Greenwell said.
The group plans on working at Pizza Pie Café and Kiwi Loco for partial tips, doing a buy your miles fundraiser and a Valentines raffle among other things.
The Prowlers have not closed off the idea to becoming an official ISU club, however for now they are going to follow this new path with no hard feelings towards ISU.
“It’s something we’ve talked about for possibly next year,” Greenwell said. “As of right now we are just focused on the direction we’re in now and if it works out that we can do it next year then great and if not we will just keep doing what we are doing.”
