At the age of 14, freshman, Lulu Theriault has already danced in front of 19,125 people. In front of screaming fans and flashing lights, freshman Lulu Theriault ran out onto the Mohegan Sun Arena court this past season and participated in her first season as a Connecticut Sun Junior Dancer.
Two years ago, her and her dance studio, Backstage Dance Center, had the opportunity to dance at a Connecticut Sun WNBA basketball game at Mohegan Sun Arena. After Theriault performed at the game, she said, “I saw that they had a dance team and I didn’t know about it, so my mom looked into when or if there were even auditions for it, and if there was a way I could be on the team. When I saw the team, I was really interested in the thought of joining.”
This February, the Connecticut Sun Junior Dance Team held auditions, but Theriault could not attend. She sent in a video where she had to create a one-minute-long hip-hop dance and answer questions about why she wanted to be on the team. A week later, she received an email telling her she had made the team and when the first practice was. She was very proud of herself. “I could really start to see my future dance career forming,” she said.
For every Sun’s game Theriault participated in this season, she would have two practices leading up to it. They would
typically be on a weekend from 6-9 p.m. at Mohegan Sun. “Before the first practice, we would have to learn the choreography from a video, and we would show up knowing the choreography to go over it,” she said.
Before games, Theriault prepared by doing her hair and makeup and get her uniform ready. Her team shared a dressing room with the adult cheerleaders and the mascot. She said that the locker room was what she imagined, “the blue and orange sun colors and cubbies with the mirrors to get ready.” There was a security guard that would bring her to the back, and she would go out on the court to practice before the game. After a little practice, she would hang out in her dressing room until halftime, where she would perform.
Sophomore Hayden Darr attended many Connecticut Sun games this season. Darr shared, “seeing Lulu dance in front of the whole stadium was just awesome, and she was so great too.” He said, “I loved watching her dance and those were some super cool experiences.” Darr shared that getting to see her doing something she loves was the best part of the game.
It took some time for Theriault to feel comfortable on the court. “At first it was very nerve-racking because I don’t really dance like that on a court because dancing at a basketball game is more commercial hip-hop than it is at competitions like I usually do,” Theriault said. She explained how it was a lot different from anything she had ever done and that the crowd was a lot different from what she was used to.
Theriault has been dancing at Backstage Dance Center for 12 years. Her mother is friends with the studio owner, Michelle Bailey. Her sister was already in dance, so when she was born, her mom thought to have her dance as well. “I knew [dance] was the thing for me,” she said, “it has always been something I can go do when I have nothing else, it’s always there and is always my ‘normal’. “This school year, she splits her days between Morgan and ACES Educational Center for the Arts (ECA) to further her dance career.
Theriault’s favorite memory from her time as a Connecticut Sun Junior Dancer was performing at the Connecticut Sun vs. Los Angeles Spark game at TD Garden. She and her team traveled together. This was the first WNBA game in that arena. She said, “we had to get there super early to get our credentials, so we could go back.” She loved how it was such a huge arena, the seats filled with fans and the thousands of fans cheering for her. Theriault said she enjoyed getting to hang out with her friend before it was their time to dance. “Being on that court was just so amazing because there were so many people,” she shared. “Getting out on a court like that with a crowd that went almost to the ceiling was life changing,” she said.
