By Passion is the name many people give to the things they are enthusiastic about. For Laker Girl and recent Cal State Long Beach graduate Pennee Eagatatt, her passion is dance.
Eagatatt graduated from CSULB in the spring of 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in health care administration and a minor in human resource management. During her four years at CSULB, Eagatatt was part of the Long Beach State Dance Team.
“I loved performing for SOAR and homecoming,” she said.
One of Eagatatt’s memorable moments at CSULB was being part of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority, where she worked with charities and kids. This experience inspired her to pursue a master’s degree in education, after which she plans to become a high school teacher.
“I wanted to continue dance professionally, and since L.A. is right here I thought I might as well try out,” she said.
The audition process is not easy, according to Eagatatt. Roughly 400 to 500 girls audition before a panel of ten judges, where they all go through a series of dance routines, call backs, cuts and interviews for the finalists.
“I was really nervous,” Eagatatt said. “It was intense because there are a lot of people watching you. You want to stand out, but not too much.”
Eagatatt was thankful and happy that she made the team. Performing for her first game was something to remember.
“My heart was pounding. Everyone in the arena was watching,” she said. “Dancing on the Lakers logo at center court was amazing – it made me smile.”
However, she believes auditioning for the second time around is a lot harder.
“There’s more pressure on you because you already made it the first time,” she said. “You don’t want people thinking the first time was a fluke.”
Eagatatt’s favorite part about being a Laker Girl is going out into the community and participating in the Lakers’ Read to Achieve campaign. The organization focuses on promoting literacy and instilling a love for reading in Los Angeles youth.
“I want to enrich kids in any way I can,” Eagatatt said. “Reading to these kids and making someone smile is the best feeling.”
Eagatatt said another perk about being a Laker Girl is that they get the best seats in the house. Besides that, the experience of dancing for the Los Angeles Lakers is once in a lifetime.
“You get to meet great girls and you make a lot of friends,” she said. “Everyone helps each other out; it’s not like something you’d see in the movie ‘Mean Girls.'”
The Laker Girls perform their routines between quarter breaks and timeouts and keep the crowed pumped up throughout the game. They also assist with half-time activities on the court, and go through several outfit changes during the game.
Eagatatt has been a Laker Girl for two years, but said she will not be auditioning a third time.
“I want to get my master’s degree in education, plus my priorities have changed,” said Eagatatt, who recently got engaged on Valentine’s Day.
While dance is still a passion for Eagatatt, teaching and inspiring others to dance is something she would love to do.
Pennee Eagatatt
Age: 23
Hometown: Bellflower, Calif.
Hobbies: Ice skating, Bikram yoga, reading, dance
Favorite song to dance to: “Together Again” by Janet Jackson
