This past weekend I was able to cover the Sacramento Kings Dancers mini-camp! I came in at selected times to capture some images of what went on. The first day took place at the Kings Experience Center (XC). It was funny to be back there after I had just gone a few days earlier. Here we see Andrew giving the dancers some social media training. The use of social media has become very important in the recent years, so it's important to know the ins and outs of it.
The dancers utilized the various offices at the XC to conduct their business. Whether it was learning information or taking care of paper work, the XC was the perfect venue.
The SKD got a chance to experience a tour of the XC and all the amazing technology it has to offer. This tour was similar to the one I wrote about in my previous posting. The dancers were impressed with what the Kings are doing to make the new arena the best in the NBA. In this photo Corina is checking out a three-dimensional model of the arena on the tablet.
The next two days of the mini-camp concentrated a lot on getting physical - be it with self-defense training or learning routines. The self-defense portion of the camp occurred in the mornings, and I was sad to miss them due to other commitments, but I did enjoy the time I had covering the dance training and choreography.
Long hours were spent working on and committing to memory dance routines. I was reminded of the practice I attended last season. It is incredible to see how much hard work and effort is put into what the SKD do. This season I'm hoping to bring this story to more Kings fans. They've got to know how amazing their SKD dance team is in terms of the time, determination, and professionalism they put in.
It's important to pay attention and learn from the choreographers that are brought in. Each dance routine has to be precisely performed by each dancer. If anything was unclear, dancers would ask questions to clarify what needed to be done.
Once the dancers got going... it was on! The energy in the room was electric, and it was just practice! Whenever the SKD hit the court during the season they have the power to amp up the crowd. They can bring the enthusiasm up if a basketball team is losing, or hype the crowd up even more when things are going well. No matter what the situation, the dancers have always been an important part of NBA basketball games.
Everyone needs a break during the hours of practice... even if it's just a short one. The dancers get a chance to catch a breath, grab an important snack to re-energize, and check in on personal messages during this time-out. It's just for a few minutes before it's right back to work!
A huge thanks goes out to SKD manager Jenn Santich for allowing me to cover the mini-camp. It was great to work with her and the rest of the dancers this weekend. I'm really looking forward to the coming season, and seeing all the routines polished to perfection on the court. These were just a few of the photos taken during my time at mini-camp, hopefully many more will be up on Kings.com later on this week. Keep your eyes peeled!
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