Hip Hop Hopefuls : Trendy TV Show Holds Casting Call for Dance Troupe

A dancing army of young hoofers auditioned their steps and street-smart attitudes Tuesday in Hollywood, strutting their stuff in a quest for the oldest of the entertainment industry’s cliches--a chance at instant stardom.

The occasion was an old-fashioned casting call for a cutting-edge dance troupe--the Fly Girls, who energize the Fox Broadcasting comedy show “In Living Color” with hip hop dancing and a trend-setting fashion look.

More than 500 young women flocked to Fox Television’s Hollywood studios Tuesday hoping to win one of three slots in the show’s five-woman dance troupe. In full costume, lugging portfolios and athletic bags, the contestants lounged on a patio, leaving only when they got their call to line up in a second-floor studio on Sunset Boulevard.

It was hot. They were cool.

Though an open casting call these days is as much a publicity stunt as a serious attempt to search for undiscovered talent, Tuesday’s auditions provided a chance at the big time for many unknown dancers.

Among the contestants was Alita McGhee, 19, who spent $900 to fly from Guam for the casting call. The trip was worth it, she said, to “see if what I’ve been doing in Guam is what they’re doing here.”

For the unhip, fly is slang for a funky, sexy, young woman. Their look is black combat-style boots, black mesh stockings and skimpy tops, or baggy jeans, T-shirts and skimpy tops. A jauntily worn baseball cap is virtually de rigueur. No choirgirl types need apply.

One aspirant described the Fly Girls as a modern-day version of the Rockettes--with attitude. “There’s a uniform going on here,” said television journalist Marjorie Levy, who went to the tryout on a lark. “It’s a street-smart uniform, with an emphasis on strength.”

Keenan Ivory Wayans, star of “In Living Color,” and its executive producer and his choreographer, Rosie Perez, said they were looking for “flavor,” not just dance steps. “Flavor is very different than being taught,” said Perez, who is an actress as well as a dancer.

“You can go to 50 million dance studios and learn hip hop, but if you don’t have the flavor you don’t got it,” she said. “As soon as they start dancing, I can see if she’s got it.”

Even before. The vast majority of applicants only got to move their feet as far as the front line. After whispers between Perez and Wayans, sitting behind a long table, most were dismissed.

A few lucky applicants got the chance to strut their stuff. The music of choice was rap music, heavy on the beat. The rap song “Head Banger” by EPMD pulsed through the hall with lyrics that seemed to fit the moment: “Who do you want? What do you need?”

Attitude and flavor alone, though, were still not enough, even for those few who were able to audition their dance steps. One funky street dancer was eliminated because she could not execute a pirouette. She had no idea what a pirouette was.

“I think they’re going to be a little bit edgier this year,” Wayans said during a break.

UCLA student Nydia Smith had her own interpretation of the “flavor” the “Living Color” staff wanted. Noting the scantily clad outfits of some contestants, she said it shouldn’t be necessary to wear a bra and underwear to get attention. Smith did not get a chance to dance.

On the other hand, professional dancer Dawn Price, who flew in from Miami, said she has been pestering “Living Color” staffers for an audition for months. She picked a low-cut, see-through black net outfit in part because it showed her body. She showed her “attitude” during a requested flip that revealed the teeniest of thongs underneath.

Price was one of four finalists picked Tuesday. The others were Lisa Thompson, 23, of Encino; Donielle Phelps, 21, of Los Angeles, and Christine Sanchez, 25, of Fullerton. A similar casting call in New York yielded four other finalists. The final selections will be made soon.