Hip-hop dance groups and a 50-plus team rev up Timberwolves crowds at Target Center

At the Minnesota Timberwolves game at Target Center on Nov. 4, 612 Crew stepped onto the court during the first time-out, bursting with rhythmic energy. With synchronous movements, bent knees and sharp arm gestures, the hip-hop dance group revved up the crowd with their explosive spirit.

612 Crew is one of several professional dance groups that add to the home game buzz for the Wolves. There are also the Timberwolves Dancers, who perform most frequently, Senior Dancers, Pups, and 1st Avenue Breakers. In addition, groups such as the drumline team PACKcussion, and a trampoline dunk team called the Slam Squad are on the entertainment roster.

“When we’re on that stage, we’ve got to put forth strength so that we can entertain and show out for the Minnesota dance community as a whole,” said Herb Johnson III, who choreographs dances for 612 Crew.

Johnson, known internationally for his staccato movements of krump (a hip-hop style that features stomps and arm swings), began dancing for the Timberwolves and Lynx about 14 years ago. When he first started, there was one dance crew that did both breaking, the original form of hip-hop, and other forms of hip-hop that included more standing moves. A few years later, the Timberwolves created two different crews that focused on the two styles. Johnson was tapped to choreograph for the latter group.

“It’s a huge stepping stool for people who want to take what they do to another level because you’re put into the position where you have to consistently perform,” Johnson said.

He noted that while the Twin Cities offers ample opportunity to teach hip-hop dance, there are fewer performance opportunities available. Johnson has shared his choreography at events like “Rooted: A Hip Hop Choreographer’s Evening” and performances at the now-closed Cowles Center. But performing at the Wolves games has been a more consistent gig. Last year, the troupe even joined the Wolves on their trip to Abu Dhabi for the NBA Global Games.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the different dance groups would sometimes perform together during the Wolves’ halftime shows. Since then, all but the main group, the Timberwolves Dancers, mostly perform during one-minute time-outs during the game.

Having just about a minute on the court means there’s high pressure to make an impression, said Jake Riley, a coach and choreographer for the 1st Avenue Breakers.

“The trickiest thing is to manage the nerves, especially last season, performing for the Western Conference Finals. Every single seat was packed, and the energy was through the roof,” Riley said.

The dancers also performed amid flashing lights, which made things more challenging. “You have to know where you’re at as you’re spinning on your head. It’s a lot to manage,” he said.

To help prepare the dancers, Riley said his group typically rehearses on the court before the show, flashing lights included.

“Part of my job is not just to choreograph, but to coach the new members in particular, to be ready for those timing cues,” he said. “Because if you miss a cue and you fall out of a move and we’re transitioning, it can have a bad snowball effect.”

Riley also owns House of Dance, an official dance studio partner of the Timberwolves and Lynx. The 1st Avenue Breakers rehearse in the space, and it’s the site for auditions, as well. “It’s been a good relationship because we’re so connected to the hip-hop dance community in general,” he said. “Our studio serves as a pipeline of talent for the Timberwolves.”

In a way, basketball is a kind of dance, with set moves and improvisational movement performed by the players. A soundtrack of recorded music and sound effects underlays the rhythm of the basketball hitting the floor, the shoes squeaking against the wood, and the ref’s whistle. Formal dance groups, mostly grounded in different forms of hip-hop vocabulary, supplement that basketball game with their own ebullient moves.

Sheridan West, vice president of live programming and entertainment for Minnesota Timberwolves & Lynx, said that the arena itself creates a kind of stage for the different dance groups to perform.

“The court is really a stage, so it provides a unique opportunity — more so than any sport — to have dance be showcased,” he said. “That’s why some of the NBA and WNBA teams have so many unique performance teams. The variety and the entertainment and the engagement that it brings is tremendous.”

Often the dancers perform during a time-out. So, on one level they provide “a breath of fresh air, something to entertain when we’re not seeing basketball,” Sheridan said. But the dancers also help rev up the crowd.

One of West’s favorite groups is the Senior Dancers, a 50-plus team of entertainers whose only requirements for auditioning are to have charisma and energy.

“The crowd appreciation that comes at the end of each of these performances is energized and synergizing for me,” West said. “It’s awesome to see and hear.”

Barb Hoffman, also known as TimberBarb, a team captain of the Senior Dancers, auditioned for the group nine years ago. “I absolutely love it,” she said. She has to re-audition each year, and is thrilled every time she makes the team (this is her fourth year as captain).

“I’m big into including everybody and keeping everybody happy,” she said. “And balancing having fun on the team, but still putting in the work to make us look good on the floor.”

Hoffman took tap and ballet as a youngster, and tried out for the Edina High School dance-line team. “I was doing the splits, and one girl pushed me so my kneecap went to the side,” she recalled of her high school audition. She ended up in a cast and thought that was the end of her dancing future. But she got back into it sometime in the 1980s, when she became a substitute aerobics teacher while living in Illinois.

When she moved back to Minneapolis, she ventured into the world of competitive ballroom dancing, and one day received an email about auditions for the Timberwolves Senior Dancers. Her boyfriend (now husband) encouraged her to try out, and she made it.

“I have always loved to dance throughout my years, but never thought I’d get to be paid to do it,” Hoffman said. “When I dance, I smile because it’s just so fun for me.”

Dec. 2: 612 Crew (along with the Timberwolves Dancers) at Target Center.

Jan. 2: 1st Avenue Breakers.

Jan. 6: Senior Dancers.