TAMPA — Inside an old banquet hall off of Hillsborough Avenue, every week 40 girls, ages 4 to 18, strut, glide and drop to the music. They are the Prancing Dancerettes.
“This building is a safe haven for the girls to keep them off the streets, with all the violence going on in the world,” said coach Sandra Walker.
“Being on this team it really showed me a lot like how to carry myself, how to build up my confidence,” said dancer Vyrticia Thompson.
“We have friends, we have sisters, we’re like a family,” said dancer Morteria Walker.
Sandra Walker said they’ve won a lot of competitions over their 15-year history, but the opportunity awaiting them in July, would be their greatest accomplishment yet.
“This will be the first time for these girls to compete on TV,” said Walker.
The Prancing Dancerettes were one of 50 dance teams across the country invited to perform on the reality show, “Bring It," alongside their heroes, The Dancing Dolls. The performance is scheduled for July 17.
“This is a blessing for us we’ve worked really hard,” said Walker.
“It’s going to be fun because I always wanted to be famous,” said dancer Nyla Heflin.
The team isn’t going to make it to Jackson Mississippi on talent alone, they need to raise $5,000.
“We have inner-city youth girls whose parents are on a fixed income,” said Walker. “We do car washes, we do bake sales, we do donut sales.”
The Prancing Dancerettes have also started a Go Fund Me Account. They say performing on the show would open up opportunities they once only dreamed of.
“It would put us on the map, like we would be very known,” said Sacuoia Moore.
For more information, visit the Dancing Dolls 2021 Event GoFundMe.
