They started as Bruins and ended up as Celtics.
Two of last year’s dance team members have moved across the country to join the inaugural Boston Celtics dance team. After graduating from UCLA last year, Nicole Cohen and Whitney Gallagher decided to take the information that adviser Mollie Vehling provided them, and went to the team’s tryouts in Los Angeles.
Since the Celtics were putting together a dance team for the first time, the team held tryouts in Boston, New York, Arizona, Sacramento and Los Angeles. Cohen and Gallagher, who made it past this initial audition, went to Connecticut for the final auditions. Once there, they had to memorize several routines, which culminated in a show.
“It was like a beauty pageant,” Cohen said.
In the end, both of them made the team along with 19 other dancers.
While at UCLA, both Cohen and Gallagher felt as if their experience helped them make the Boston Celtics dance team.
“Mollie does such a good job running the program,” Gallagher said. “The program prepared me for this audition.”
Gallagher danced on the team for two years, her sophomore and senior years, taking a break her junior year to study abroad. Cohen was on the team for three years, petitioning and making it her third year.
When asked about their favorite memory during their time at UCLA, both of them had the same loud and clear response.
“The Final Four,” they said.
The UCLA dance team traveled with the men’s basketball team all throughout last year’s NCAA Tournament, and the dance team was present at the games during the Final Four.
“Performing in front of all those people was such a rush,” Cohen said. “It was an amazing trip and experience.”
As for their favorite memory on this year’s first-ever Celtics dance team, they once again had the same response.
“The first game,” they said.
“We did a huge opening number,” Gallagher said. “It was nerve-racking and exciting at the same time.”
Since the Celtics are the last NBA team to get a dance team, the dancers were nervous about being accepted by the audience, but were welcomed as part of the Celtics community.
Other than games, the Celtics dancers perform at many events in the Boston community, dancing and signing autographs. In the past year they have performed at several events for their sponsor Kia Motors America, as well as many community events including an event for the Shamrock Foundation and an event for muscular dystrophy.
During the basketball season the Celtics dance team puts in a lot of hours, practicing three times a week for three hours.
During these practices the team warms up, practices routines for the next game, and begins to learn new routines.
“Right now we have 15 or 16 full routines,” Cohen said.
When they’re not dancing on the dance team, Cohen and Gallagher deal in real estate and try to get used to the weather in Boston, which, as it turns out, is a little colder than in Los Angeles.