When the beat dropped, the dancers dropped from standing into a full backbend on one arm for about four counts — in unison. The fans cheered when the Portland WNBA Fire dance team moved to a mix of Rump Shaker by Wreckx-N-Effect at the Aug. 12 game against the Minnesota Lynx. The Firewerks dance team kicks off the home games and performs at quarter break or halftime.
For Jasmine Shannon, coach of the Firewerks, inspiration for the choreography comes from the music first. She has been given playlists and expands on them.
“I think about the dancers, what resonates with them, what resonates with the fans, what the fans will react to, what will sound good in the arena, what creative movement I can do to really make it different from anything that’s in the Moda Center,” Shannon said
From there she selects a song and listens to it: the beats, the cadence, the speed, the words. All of this pours into Shannon’s choreography.
“It’s definitely a process,” Shannon said. “I listen to it for three to four days before I even start doing movement, because I need to really resonate with it and kind of formulate it in parts in my head.”
Shannon has creative freedom, is passionate about the craft of choreography, and builds on a solid foundation.
The 18 Firewerks dancers — 15 women and three men — range in age from 20 to 40 and attend one four-hour practice weekly. Everyone puts in hours outside of practice to be ready for rehearsals.
“I would say we learn a routine at a rehearsal, we clean it, and then we perform it,” Shannon said. “So we spend about eight hours on one routine perfecting it. Sometimes we get three rehearsals for one routine, but minimum we have two. And then we perform it that next game.”
Since it is part-time, dancers also have other employment, including corporate and office work, dance-related jobs, and service industry; some are college students.
Shannon and one of the dancers, Quinn, spoke with ArtsWatch about what it takes to light up the arena at the Moda Center. Both come from extensive dance backgrounds and were Blazers dancers at different times.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
ArtsWatch: What is it like being part of the first season for the WNBA Fire?
Shannon: It’s been really exciting. I think it’s something that the city really needed. I think after the pandemic, I feel like as a culture, we have had this gray cloud over the city. It’s taken us a while compared to other bigger cities to come back from that moment of being shut down. And I think that this is the exact thing the city needed to get reignited and come back to life in a different way to see how the fans show up. How they respond to the game, respond to the dancers, to all the creative things that the Portland Fire organization is bringing to a game experience has been really awesome to see.
ArtsWatch: What is the atmosphere like at games, and how would you describe the fans?
Shannon: Ecstatic. Everything bright and shiny and loud. And some of the best fans that I’ve seen in a really long time. I’m speechless, because I didn’t think that it would happen that fast, honestly. I didn’t think that I would see such a great reaction so quick. I mean, even for us internally, we kind of didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into as an internal group in the sense of what the games would be like. We’re here to dance. We’re here to choreograph. We’re here to be the lead for the team. And walking into the game days has just been really refreshing, really exciting. The fans are just amazing.
Quinn: It’s electric! As Jasmine said, I don’t think any of us really knew what we were walking into. We were just excited about this new dance opportunity in Portland. And the fans have honestly been so amazing. Everyone has been so kind. They genuinely seem like they’re excited to see us. They’re high-fiving us after our performances. Oh my gosh. They’re cheering us on. I’m used to looking out and seeing people on their phones or taking a break. People are genuinely really excited about our performances, and I think that helps get all of us hyped up as well.
ArtsWatch: Jasmine, do you have favorite musicians or favorite songs for dance routines?
Shannon: I would say anything high-energy and mainstream right now. Beyonce’s great. We have a Latin Heritage Night. Definitely wanted to get Bad Bunny in there because he’s trending from the Super Bowl that just happened. And then even Daddy Yankee is an iconic throwback Latin artist. I’m getting these themes based on what games we’re performing at. And from there I really dive into what’s current. But also what do our fans know? Because it’s a certain demographic and a certain fan base. What resonates with me but also resonates with the dancers and the fan base so that everyone involved is connected to what we’re bringing.
We just had a rivalry night and my creative direction was, we want them to be battling. I made two different groups and they had two different outfits on. The movement was centered around them kind of having a dance battle. So it was really fun. But things like that really help me push the creative and help me land on what’s good for them.
ArtsWatch: Quinn, what is your favorite part of doing this?
Quinn: I’m happy to be back on a team again. I think that we have a really diverse group of people that come from such different backgrounds, whether it’s studio, classical, dance team, street styles. And so I feel like I’ve learned a lot from people just watching them in rehearsals. Jasmine’s given us a lot of different types of choreography. So every routine is very different, which keeps it exciting for the fans as well … I have all of these styles that we can pull out. But it means that every routine, different people are kind of the expert in that. And so I feel like I’ve learned a lot just by watching my teammates in rehearsals and seeing who’s really great at that specific style and trying to emulate their work as well.
ArtsWatch: Each of you tell me about your dance background and what led you here.
Shannon: I’ve been dancing since I was six from Los Angeles, California. I grew up in a studio. And then from there I danced in college for four years at Oregon State. Then I danced for the Blazers for the NBA for three seasons. And then I went back to Los Angeles and I dove into the commercial industry and I did award shows, touring for years, music videos for artists, lots of artists. Kanye West, I’ve danced for. Who else? Money Bagg Yo, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Bryson Tiller. So I did that. Really fun, really an amazing experience. Then I met my husband and started a family, and so looked for something a little bit more stable, less traveling. And that led me back to Oregon State where I now direct the cheer and dance team. And now I’m also choreographing for the Portland Fire.
Quinn: I’ve been dancing since I was two. I started off with classical ballet. So I was at Oregon Ballet Theatre for eight years. And I was also competing nationally as an Irish dancer. So I’m an open championship level Irish dancer. And then in high school I danced for Jefferson High School, the Jefferson Dancers, and had the opportunity to tour and teach in Italy and China, as well as compete at the National High School Dance Festival in Miami and Philadelphia. And then post high school, I danced for the Winter Hawks for a season, the Blazers for two seasons, and now I’m here. So happy to still be dancing at almost 30. I didn’t expect that. And I’m just blessed every day that I get to come to practice and perform still at this age.
I’ve been really lucky that I’ve been able to make this a part of my life for this long and get paid to do it on a professional level. Yeah, just really lucky to be here.
Shannon: Whether you grew up in a studio, whether you grew up in a competition team, the etiquette and the culture of dance is the same. It’s universal. The language is universal, which is beautiful. That’s something this team definitely understands and appreciates and just embodies every time they walk into the room. They’re just excited to be there and in a new space, in a place that genuinely needs more arts and movement. So we’re very blessed to have this opportunity.
Future Firewerks
New dancers are already showing interest in auditions for next season’s team, and current members who want to continue will also audition. Moving forward, Shannon intends to have the Firewerks team continue representing the diversity of Portland.
“They are Portland on this court,” Shannon said. “… The range, the looks, their hair isn’t the same. They can do their hair however they want as long as it’s up, in some really cool, edgy look. It’s just like Portland to the ground, 10 toes down. You’ll see that in their performances. You’ll see that in all their amazing looks, faces. They’re all beautiful in their own way. And I think that that’s exactly what Portland is.”
