美国国家公共电台 NPR These NBA Dancers Spin, Shimmy And Twerk. And They're All 50 Or Older

 

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:

The Washington Wizards have a new dance squad¹ this season - Wizdom. It's made up of performers 50 and older. And it has been a hit at basketball games in Washington, D.C. NPR's Samantha Balaban caught their latest performance.

SAMANTHA BALABAN, BYLINE²: Christopher Johnson is a 53-year-old special education teacher. But right now he's dancing alone backstage at D.C.'s Capital One Arena³ next to some large industrial equipment and an ice resurfacer. Johnson is the only male dancer on Wizdom. He heard about the team last summer from his daughter but was reluctant to try out. Everyone in the ad looked old.

CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON: Like real, real old. They looked old. And I was like, I don't want to be on the team. And they called us, like, at the senior citizens' team. I can't get it in my mind that I'm a senior citizen.

BALABAN: But Johnson ended up being surprised.

JOHNSON: It has been an unbelievable experience. And at this age, the energy level that I have and to be around people who share that and celebrate that - it's phenomenal. You know, many times, younger people are always celebrated⁴, and old people are pushed aside. And so for once, the older people get the spotlight⁵.

DERRIC WITFIELD: All right, here we go - ready.

BALABAN: As the game - Wizards versus⁶ Bulls - is about to start...

WITFIELD: One, two...

BALABAN: The dancers gather to rehearse their routine a couple more times.

WITFIELD: Shake what your mama gave you. Move. One, two...

BALABAN: About a dozen NBA teams have senior dance squads⁷. Wizdom dances at home games about once a month. They have a new choreographed⁸ routine to learn for each performance. Some members are former cheerleaders. Some use sedans for professional sports teams. One is a bodybuilder. And some have never danced professionally in their lives.

WITFIELD: Come in. OK, let's fix this diagonal.

BALABAN: They might take a little longer to warm up and make more jokes about age-related pains than other dance troupes⁹. But Derric Witfield, the team's choreographer¹⁰, says, make no mistake. They're good.

WITFIELD: They're very well-rehearsed. They perform with a lot of energy, a lot of charisma¹¹, a lot of style. They're just entertaining to watch. And people - the audience can just get behind them because they are so good. So it's not just, oh, that was cute. It's, wow. Like, they really can dance. And that's what we want. So I - you know, we push them to the limit in practice to really make sure that, you know, they perform as a professional dance team because they are.

BALABAN: Witfield says 50 or 60 people tried out for the team, and it was hard to choose just 20.

WITFIELD: They were all good. But, you know, it was important that we picked the right people - especially for the first year - who were passionate¹² and dedicated¹³ and just wanted to do this and had a bigger reason for doing it than just the glitz and the glam. And that's, I think, what has made the team so successful.

LENORA WILSON: I'm Lenora Wilson, known as Nana. I am 76.

BALABAN: Nana is the oldest member of Wizdom.

WILSON: And in my interview, initially¹⁴, I said I just wanted them to be able to say, you go, Nana.

BALABAN: A few years ago, she couldn't have imagined being here.

WILSON: I was kind of laying around, having a pity party because I lost my husband eight years ago. And I lost my mother two years ago. And in between, I had brain surgery. So I had gone through a lot. But, anyway, then I got my new Wizdom family.

BALABAN: Nana says it's been a blessing¹⁵.

WILSON: This has really lifted my spirits. It really has. And one thing we have in common - we go through our aches and pains together. Anybody have Tylenol Extra Strength?

(LAUGHTER)

WILSON: Give me three.

(LAUGHTER)

BALABAN: Then it's time. The dancers put on their sequined track jackets - red and blue - and line up courtside.

UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the court, the Wizdom.

BALABAN: The dancers all have huge smiles. Their joy is infectious the whole time they're on the court. And for the finale, Christopher Johnson flawlessly executes a flip¹⁶ and a split, and then it's over.

WANDA NEWMAN: (Crying).

WILSON: Oh, sweetheart.

BALABAN: Sixty-five-year-old Wanda Newman bursts into tears. Wizdom is only performing one more time this season. And Newman, who is a recent-ish retiree, can't be there.

NEWMAN: It's been a great ride (crying).

BALABAN: Newman says she'll miss the camaraderie¹⁷ the most. But she and Nana, who are hugging each other backstage, already have plans for the dancers to stay in touch.

WILSON: We're going to have a cookout at my place in May. We're going to have a pool party at someone else's house in July, so we're going to to keep this thing going. You know, we're going to just continue to stay together. And we're going to keep working on our moves so that we're ready for the next audition¹⁸ come September.

NEWMAN: So we pray that we'll make the next audition.

BALABAN: Wizdom will continue next year. It's been successful and warmly received by the fans. Nana, who will turn 77 soon, says even if she doesn't make the team next season, she's learned a valuable lesson.

WILSON: I've learned that you just need to get up and do something...

NEWMAN: Mmm hmm.

WILSON: ...And just try to spread the joy everywhere.

NEWMAN: Mmm hmm.

WILSON: Mmm hmm.

BALABAN: Samantha Balaban, NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SHAKE YOUR GROOVE¹⁹ THING")

PEACHES AND HERB: (Singing) Shake it, shake it. Shake your groove thing. Shake your groove thing, yeah, yeah.

1 squad   

n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组

参考例句：

• The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
• A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。

4 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

5 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

6 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。

7 squads   

n.（军队中的）班( squad的名词复数 )；（暗杀）小组；体育运动的运动（代表）队；（对付某类犯罪活动的）警察队伍

参考例句：

• Anti-riot squads were called out to deal with the situation. 防暴队奉命出动以对付这一局势。 来自辞典例句
• Three squads constitute a platoon. 三个班组成一个排。 来自辞典例句

8 choreographed   

v.设计舞蹈动作( choreograph的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• There was some carefully choreographed flag-waving as the President drove by. 总统的车经过时，人们按精心编排的动作挥舞着旗帜。
• Achim had choreographed the dance in Act II himself. 阿希姆自己设计了第2幕的舞蹈动作。 来自辞典例句

9 troupes   

n. （演出的）一团, 一班 vi. 巡回演出

参考例句：

• There are six Kunqu opera troupes left in the country. 整个国家现在只剩下六个昆剧剧团。
• Note: Art performance troupes include within and outside of the system. 注：艺术表演团体统计口径调整为含系统内、系统外两部分。

10 choreographer   

n.编舞者

参考例句：

• She is a leading professional belly dancer, choreographer, and teacher. 她既是杰出的专业肚皮舞演员，也是舞蹈设计者和老师。 来自辞典例句
• It'stands aside, my choreographer of grace, and blesses each finger and toe. 它站在一旁，我优雅的舞蹈指导，并祝福每个指尖与脚尖。 来自互联网

11 charisma   

n.(大众爱戴的)领袖气质，魅力

参考例句：

• He has enormous charisma. He is a giant of a man.他有超凡的个人魅力，是个伟人。
• I don't have the charisma to pull a crowd this size.我没有那么大的魅力，能吸引这么多人。

12 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

13 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

14 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

15 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

16 flip   

vt.快速翻动；轻抛；轻拍；n.轻抛；adj.轻浮的

参考例句：

• I had a quick flip through the book and it looked very interesting.我很快翻阅了一下那本书，看来似乎很有趣。
• Let's flip a coin to see who pays the bill.咱们来抛硬币决定谁付钱。

17 camaraderie   

n.同志之爱，友情

参考例句：

• The camaraderie among fellow employees made the tedious work just bearable.同事之间的情谊使枯燥乏味的工作变得还能忍受。
• Some bosses are formal and have occasional interactions,while others prefer continual camaraderie.有些老板很刻板，偶尔才和下属互动一下；有些则喜欢和下属打成一片。

18 audition   

n.(对志愿艺人等的)面试(指试读、试唱等)

参考例句：

• I'm going to the audition but I don't expect I'll get a part.我去试音，可并不指望会给我个角色演出。
• At first,they said he was too young,but later they called him for an audition.起初，他们说他太小，但后来他们叫他去试听。

19 groove   

n.沟，槽；凹线，（刻出的）线条，习惯

参考例句：

• They're happy to stay in the same old groove.他们乐于墨守成规。
• The cupboard door slides open along the groove.食橱门沿槽移开。