Day in the Life: Jeana Gilbert
Jacksonville State University Ballerina
Toni Merriss
Issue date: 11/9/06 Section: Features
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"Well, JSU is not too far away from home and I can go back anytime I want," said the Attalla, Ala. native. "Plus, my older sister went to JSU, and she was a big reason why I wanted to become a Ballerina."
With the Marching Southerners 50th Anniversary coming up, Gilbert gets a chance to dance side-by-side with the Ballerina she has always looked up to- her sister, Laura Nicholson.
"We have so many alumni coming back to both play with the band and dance with the Ballerinas. I am so excited that I get to dance next to my sister! I remember watching Laura do the dances, then she watched me do them. Now we get to do them together," said Gilbert.
It is not all just fun and games for the JSU Ballerinas, though. There is a lot of sweat and hard work that goes into making the finely choreographed dance routines go off without a hitch.
In the Ballerina "chain of command," Gilbert is directly under head Ballerina Allison Inglis as a group leader. Gilbert shares this title with three other Ballerinas. The group leaders are responsible for their group of nine to ten other Ballerinas. They make sure that their group is wearing the right attire, is informed on any instructions and is taught all the Ballerina dances.
The Ballerinas' practice schedule for the fall semester can get quite hectic. Monday through Friday they practice from 3:30 to 6 p.m. On Wednesdays, they take a short dinner break and head back to practice from 7 to 9 p.m.. Thursdays also differ a little since they get to practice on the football field. From 5 to 6 p.m., it is just a Ballerina practice. At 6 p.m. they are joined by the rest of the band.
On a typical practice day, Gilbert starts off with a one-mile run around 3:30 p.m. Then the Ballerinas warm-up with one of their well-known moves, the kick-line.
Broken off into their appropriate groups, the girls practice the program they will perform at the upcoming football game.
Once all that is completed, the whole band comes together to practice segments of the entire show. They continue to go over any problem areas until the Southerners Director Ken Bodiford is satisfied with the end result.
"Mr. Bodiford is so nice to all of us. Even when there is a problem with something we are doing, he just keeps working with us until we finally get it right. I am not sure if he knows how much we appreciate his patience with us," said Gilbert.
Game day is a little bit more fun for the Ballerinas but not any less busy.
Waking up around 9 a.m., Gilbert has to start her day by rolling her hair. "On game days, I have to stay in rollers almost all day, so I have to make sure I am up early enough to do that," said Gilbert.
The next item of business on Gilbert's list is to make sure her boots are clean. "If our boots are dirty, we have to polish them. Sometimes I can get my boyfriend to polish them for me, but not that often," laughed Gilbert.
As for any performer, make-up is a large part of getting ready. "We all pretty much wear fake eyelashes for effect. Then there is the heavy eye shadow and traditional bright red lipstick," said Gilbert.
Each week ,the Ballerinas pick a different name for a secret pal gift exchange. As soon as they show up on game day, they find their assigned secret pal and give them their surprise.
After entertaining the tailgaters and fans with the JSU fight song and a short parade near the stadium, they head off to start warming up and stretching to prepare for the halftime show. The Marching Southerners show everyone what home games are all about. Even in the stands, they keep playing and cheering on the Gamecocks.
"About 15 minutes before halftime, we stretch again and go over the dance we are going to perform. Then we pray as a group before taking the field," explained Gilbert.
Due to the Southerners getting new uniforms, the band no longer gets the third quarter off; this is done in an effort to keep them clean. Now they are only allowed to drink water when in uniform now.
Gilbert holds the memories she has made the past three years as a Ballerina close to her heart. "I have definitely made my best friends through the Ballerinas. I know most people would not believe that so many girls could get along, but we really do. I love all the Ballerinas I dance with," said an emotional Gilbert.
She has made many new friends but also kept some old friendships though Ballerinas. "My roommate and best friend from high school, Ashley Epperson, is also a Ballerina. Sharing these experiences has really kept us close," added Gilbert.
The Ballerinas try to include everyone in group activities and even have a system for the older girls to get to know the younger girls on the line. Similar to the big/lil program of many sororities, the Ballerinas have mommies/babies.
"Usually people only get one baby, but I decided to get another one this year. My first baby is Megan Wright; I got her last year. This year I got Katie Gray. They are both so great," said Gilbert. " I think my mommy, Lindsay Stonebraker, was such a great example for me, I just want to keep giving," explained Gilbert.
One thing that Gilbert is truly looking forward to this coming weekend during the Marching Southerners 50th Anniversary is the halftime show. "We are expecting more than 100 alumna Ballerinas to come back to participate in the halftime show with us. There should be over 1,000 alumni here on Saturday," said Gilbert.
The Ballerinas will be performing two different dances in the show. One is the traditional Ballerina dance to "Quilting Party." The second is actually six different dances combined into one. It starts with the traditional dance style and then takes the audience all the way through the years to the Ballerinas' current dance style.
"A large part of being with the Marching Southerners as a Ballerina is the tradition of it all. So many things we do are based on tradition. That is one of the many things that I love about it," said Gilbert.
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