A cheerleader who has danced in Japan since high school this month became the first Japanese dancer to make the NBA Detroit Piston’s dance team.
Japan News reports Reiko Ogasawara auditioned virtually from Japan and will head to the United States as soon as she gets her visa.
“The novel coronavirus has made it impossible for spectators to cheer out loud, so I want to get the crowds excited through my dancing,” Ogasawara told Japan News. “I’ll do my best as a representative of Japan to keep up with American dancers.”
According to the Piston’s website, she’ll go by the name Lindsey in the United States. Her guilty pleasure is peanut butter, she thinks Lucy Liu should play her and she has a hidden talent as a massage therapist who can also hula hoop for a long time.
She got her start performing professionally with the Devils, an adult cheerleading squad before joining the Sunrocker Girls of the B League basketball team, Sunrockers Shibuya.
She quit the squad in June with the goal of making an NBA squad. There are about 20 other Japanese girls dancing in the NBA right now, according to Japan News.
At age 34, she’ll be the oldest member of the Pistons dance team.
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This move highlights the beautiful fusion of cultures in sports.
This move is also significant for the representation of Japanese athletes in the NBA.