Members of the Roselette Dancers, from the Clinton Rose Senior Center in Milwaukee, join in a dance audition for the Milwaukee Bucks Seniorgee! Dance Team Jan. 20 at the Wisconsin Athletic Club in Wauwatosa, including Daisy Jones, far right, and Della Hatcher, center right. (Catholic Herald photo by Sam Lucero)

Feet kicking, hips shaking, sweat dripping. Nothing unusual here when the Milwaukee Bucks Energee Dance Team hits the Bradley Center floor on game night.

But on Jan. 20, it wasn’t just members of the professional dance team shaking their groove things. With “Boogie Nights” and “Peanut Butter Jelly” blaring from a portable boom box inside a gym at the Wisconsin Athletic Club (WAC) in Wauwatosa, some 40 seniors, age 60 and above, auditioned for the honor of dancing at halftime of upcoming Milwaukee Bucks basketball games.

Winners would become part of the Bucks Seniorgee! Dance Team, one of just three senior dance teams performing at National Basketball Association games.

Don Gietzen, 75, a member of Lumen Christi Parish in Mequon, auditions for the Milwaukee Bucks Seniorgee! Dance Team Jan. 20 at the Wisconsin Atheletic Club in Wauwatosa. Gietzen said he showed up for the two free Bucks tickets. (Catholic Herald photo by Sam Lucero)

Sponsored by The Village at Manor Park retirement community and the Milwaukee Bucks, the auditions were coordinated by members of the Energee Dance Team. Youthful Energee dancers guided prospective Seniorgee! members in dance routines during the 90-minute audition.

Dance participants came from throughout Milwaukee County, seeking fame — or at least a free pair of Bucks tickets and T-shirt.

Pat Hutchinson, 63, works at the WAC, where she is a water aerobics instructor. After learning about the auditions at work, she decided to give it a shot.

“Doing aerobics in water and doing this in the air is totally different,” she said during a break. “I don’t know if I have the desire to get in front of a lot of people, but if we did it, I’ll be happy to.”

Hutchinson brought her friend, Peggy Harvey, 60, to audition with her.

“I love to dance and I hate to exercise, so I thought if I make this, it will be a good way to combine the dance and the exercise,” said Harvey. “It’s more fun than a treadmill.”

Winners were announced Jan. 22, and practices began Jan. 25 at The Village at Manor Park. Hutchinson and Harvey were among the 23 seniors selected to the Seniorgee! Dance Team.

A Milwaukee Bucks Energee dancer leads seniors in a dance routine during an audition for the Bucks Seniorgee! Dance Team Jan. 20. (Catholic Herald photo by Sam Lucero)

While the Ener-gee Dance Team is comprised of fe-male members only, the Seniorgee! team will feature four men and 19 women.

Don Gietzen, 75, a member of Lumen Christi Parish in Mequon, was among the dancers who auditioned. While he enjoys dancing, Gietzen admitted that his presence was motivated by a greater cause.

“I wanted to get the two tickets to give to my son,” he said.

Dressed in dark jeans, a collared dress shirt and running shoes, what Gietzen lacked in gym apparel he made up for in dance moves.

“If I can (make the dance team), I think I would enjoy it because (dancing) is a lot of fun,” he said. “The older you get and the more active you can be, the better.”

One of the oldest seniors to audition was Daisy Jones, 77, coordinator of the Roselette Dancers from the Clinton Rose Senior Center in Milwaukee.

“We’ve been together since 1991,” she said. “I’m just trying out for fun.”

Fellow Roselette Dancer Della Hatcher, 63, said she loves to dance. “I’m here to attempt to get in on this dance thing,” she said.

She has no apprehension about dancing in front of a crowd. “We’re used to it,” she boasted. “We do it all of the time.”

As one of the Energee dancers gave a demonstration, a reporter pointed out to Hatcher how agile the younger dancers move.

“We can move faster,” she interrupted. “We’re not afraid of the movement at all, believe me. We may be seniors, but we move pretty fast.”

Hatcher proved her worthiness, as she was among the dancers selected for Seniorgee!

Lois Wagner Koepke, director of the Energee Dance Team, said she was inspired by the auditioning seniors.

“When I’m their age I hope I’m able to have that much energy,” she said. “They had so much excitement and personality that they brought, which is different than what I see with the young people. It’s almost like they were out there celebrating life and having a great time.”

The Bucks Seniorgee! Dance Team will make its debut either Feb. 24 or 27, said Wagner Koepke. It practices its routine twice a week at the Village at Manor Park. She said the dance team’s routine is a secret.

“I don’t want to give it away,” she said. “It will be a medley, and it won’t be what the audience will quite expect.”