By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
A Thomas More Prep-Marian senior, in less than a year, has gone from Homecoming court to dancing on the largest stage in the world.
Emma Basgall, 18, of Hays was selected to dance at the Super Bowl halftime show.
Basgall sent in a video audition in January, and, after a series of callbacks, was selected to be one of the dancers in a star-studded halftime show that featured Usher.
She received an email to notify her she had been selected to perform. She said she was shaking as she read the email.
"I was in shock. I thought, 'What the heck, I'll audition.' I was not thinking anything of it at all. I have been trying to audition for things hoping that something would come of it. I was in complete shock."
She auditioned on a Monday, was notified on a Wednesday and left for Vegas on the following Tuesday. She had to sign a confidentiality agreement, so she couldn't let the community know about her big news until after the game.
Basgall has been dancing since she was 2 and involved in dance competitions since she was 5 with Jackie Creamer's Dance Studio. She's now an instructor.
Basgall had to be in Las Vegas for the two weeks leading up to the big game.
The experience was "... insane. It was like nothing I can describe," Basgall said. "The atmosphere when you walk on that field is so crazy. There are so many people in the stands, but you can't really see them all.
"It's a feeling like no other. The music starts, and it goes so fast. You work so hard for two weeks, and it's over in like a second."
Basgall was right next to the stage as Usher, Ludacris and Lil Jon were performing. She was very close to Ludacris as he walked on stage.
"Being so close to them was surreal. To actually be a part of that, it was like a dream. It was crazy," she said.
She said it was like having front-row tickets at a concert, but you're a part of it.
Usher participated in all of the field rehearsals with the cast. Alicia Keys attended the later rehearsals.
"You could tell he was a good person," Basgall said, "because he came to every single rehearsal and ran through everything every single time and put all his effort in every time. Being so close to him was crazy."
Jay-Z and Blue were also present during some rehearsals. Basgall saw Beyoncé on game day.
The Super Bowl broadcast was seen by 123.4 million people.
"I was definitely nervous when we were lining up and getting ready to go in because I didn't know what to expect with all of those people and what it would feel like and the atmosphere," Basgall said. "Once I was in there, I was with all my friends. (I had met so many people.) I soaked in every moment."
She said the crowd was incredibly loud, but so was the music. The dancers wore earpieces so they could hear the music and cues from the field director.
She said it was almost like an out-of-body experience.
Basgall's family are big Chiefs fans, and their win was icing on the cake, she said. The family has season tickets.
Ironically, despite her performance at the halftime show, she missed most of the game. The dancers were bussed to the stadium during the first quarter and then bused back to their hotel right after the performance. They didn't have seats.
Basgall and her family watched the Chiefs clinch the title on TV from their hotel room.
This is not Basgall's first experience performing on a national stage. She also was selected as a runway model during Fashion Week in September in New York. She modeled for Kazie Couture and Drisha's Closet.
"They were smaller designers, but it was still an awesome experience and a privilege to be able to walk," she said. "The hope is that you get into the industry. You start out with small people and you make connections and get seen and go from there."
She said her parents, April and Bradley, and family were very supportive of her participation in the Super Bowl and her dance aspirations in general.
"I wanted to give a big thank you for all the support and love," she said, "and a thank you to God because I couldn't do it without Him."
Basgall's dream is to work as a full-time dancer. She will be attending the Theater Arts Preparatory School in Las Vegas next year.
"My ultimate goal is to be successful and love what I'm doing in life," she said. "Right now, my plan is to dance. I love dance."
She said she is interested in teaching when she's older and perhaps owning her own studio.
"Right now, my dream is to dance as long as my body allows and live in the moment," she said.