THE SOPHISTICATED LADIES

The Sophisticated Ladies are the auxiliary dance team for the Tennessee State University Aristocrat of Bands. Known for their beauty, style, and grace on and off the field, the Sophisticated Ladies pride themselves on passion, dedication, and heart for their university, community, and the artistry of HBCU dance. Envisioned and designed to be the upper echelon of dance teams, the Sophisticated Ladies brings sass and sophisticated flavor to the stands and a bold, jazzy flair to the field.  

Today, the Sophisticated Ladies are comprised of well-rounded, student dancers trained in ballet, jazz, contemporary, and other dance genres. Members maintain a 2.8 GPA or higher and, are committed to serving the Nashville community through outreach initiatives. Bonded together through their love and respect for dance, the Sophisticated Ladies are proud of the rich legacy that continues to generate productive doctors, lawyers, teachers, entertainers, counselors, scientists, and community leaders who DANCE…Forever Sophisticated. 

Auditions are held during the Spring semester in April or May. Prospects are encouraged to attend this audition as it is the Main Audition for the team. A second audition is held the first week of classes during the Fall Semester.

·  Splits (right, left, center)

·  High Kicks (Battemént)

·  Grand Jete

·  Switch Leap

·  Switch Leap in second position

·  Leap in second position

·  Toe Touch

·  Single Pirouette

·  Double Pirouette

·  Calypso

·  Heel Stretch

·  Axle

·  Turning leap in 2nd position

·  Turning “C” Jump 

·  Walkover

·  Tilt Jump

Dancers auditioning for the  Sophisticated Ladies must complete an online audition application (available one month before application deadline), submit a 60 second video displaying dance ability, participate in a group interview with the Sophisticated Ladies Director and Captain, learn 2-3 stands, and learn a 90 second field show dance routine.

The Sophisticated Ladies believe that academics come first. While there isn’t a GPA requirement to auditions, all members must maintain a 2.8 cumulative GPA.

The Sophisticated Ladies has several out-of-pocket expenses that each member is responsible for i.e. shoes, boots, warm-up, shorts, shirts, bag, sweatshirts, hair, makeup, etc. These payments are due at the beginning of the season to cover all team apparel. Upkeep of apparel and hair is required.

Yes! There is no limit to the number of times you can try out for our team.

There is not a set number of dancers, however, spots on the team are limited and based on the number of returning members and overall talent level during the audition process. The team usually ranges between 10 - 17 dancers.