FORT SMITH (KFSM) -- A Fort Smith native, who is now a dancer and choreographer, is giving local dancers the chance of a lifetime.
Katrina Steward owns a dance company called Miss K's Dance Bungalow, which has studios in California, Arkansas, and Louisiana. Steward has been invited to perform at three Oklahoma City Thunder games this season and she's chosen her hometown of Fort Smith to search for talent to join her.
"The [dancers] are excited, but they're using their nerves to bring it out through their dance and hopefully channel that," dancer Michael Gann said.
Steward said is searching for dancers of every age and skill level.
"The [dancers] free-styled and then they had to learn two to four 8-counts of choreography," Steward said. "They had to perform it as a solo and some had to perform it as a group."
Dancers said regardless of experience, this audition is a new challenge.
"You never know what the [choreographer] is looking for," Gann, who coaches dance in Bentonville, said. "As a teacher, you know what aspects that you need to look for in students, so being able to look at each other and practice makes it easier to bounce around critiques and get better."
Steward has performed on big stages before including with the Harlem Globetrotters and Los Angeles Clippers, but for most others, an experience like this is a first.
"I don't think the feeling has really hit me yet," dancer Jasmine McMichael said. "It's just all kind of new. I never would have thought I'd be performing in front of such a big audience, because I've never done anything this huge before."
Steward hopes this will give dancers an opportunity to show off their talent to a bigger audience.
"Fort Smith and Arkansas as a whole don't have opportunities such as this," Steward said. "So it was a blessing for me to be able to give this vessel for so many people today. It was just beautiful. It was really good."
Steward said she's pleased with the auditions.
"There were a lot of people who were bold, who went past their limitations," Steward said. "I am really proud of the moms, dads and the dancers who took a chance and who gave themselves an opportunity to do something new."
Due to such a large dancer turnout at auditions Saturday (Nov. 5), Steward will hold another open call audition Sunday (Nov. 6) at 2:30 at the Elm Grove Community Center in Fort Smith.
To register for auditions, or for more information, visit Miss K's Dance Bungalow website.