>
Article snippet: They rehearse at night and learn choreography with breathtaking speed. They dance for crowds that extend into the thousands. Sure, New York City is home to lots of dance troupes, but if you’re a dance fan these two groups may not even be on your radar. Don’t be a snob. The Brooklynettes and the Knicks City Dancers perform intricate choreography during the breaks between quarters of pro-basketball games, in arenas with 360-degree views. And they are not messing around. “I’m like, you just think we appear and it’s perfect?” said Alyssa Quezada, the coach of the Knicks City Dancers, with a laugh. “Do you know how much work goes into it?” Hours before the players show up, the dancers measure their spacing on the court. (They use cracks and lines on the floor as a map for their spots.) And they must know their steps. At a recent Knicks City Dancers rehearsal, Ms. Quezada had a firm message: “Carve this into your muscle memory because we don’t have time to go back over this a million times on Sunday” — game day. Ms. Quezada runs a tight ship because she has to. The dancers are part-time, so they have a lot of choreography to churn out. Her position as coach is part-time, too. “I asked for that,” she said, “because I want time to pursue other dance opportunities.” The Brooklynettes, established in 2012, perform at Barclays Center; the Knicks City Dancers, who have been around since 1991, appear at Madison Square Garden. Each team has 20 dancers and performs at home game... Link to the full article to read more