The choreographers sit cross-legged in a corner of the studio. They speak in low tones, heads close together, backs to the mirrors that cover one of the walls.

Their final moments of quiet are up as the women file in. It’s the second night of auditions for the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous can-can line and though the room is quiet now, it soon buzzes with anticipation as the ladies run through new and old choreography.

They start by warming up. Bare and socked feet face the mirrored wall where Kate

Fitzgerald leads them through a warm-up as hip hop tunes bounce off the walls.

Her co-choreographer, Becky Reyolds sits in the corner with can-can line manager Bonnie Gingras – twisted into a position only a trained dancer would comfortably sit in.

She fans out sheets of paper representing each dancer, handwritten notes scribbled on each as Gingras helps her organize the paper chaos.

At the start of day two, the choreographers still have no idea what the line will look like for this winter’s festival.

“It’s a tough decision as always,” says Fitzgerald, who makes up half of Velvet Antler Productions, the company hired to choreograph this year’s line. It’s her fifth year being involved.

“There’s always so many different types of women that come out. ... It’s not a black and white decision ever.”

Part of what makes the can-can line so successful is that it’s made up of women from the community. They all volunteer and many have never received dance training before they step into Reynolds and Fitzgerald’s office.

During a break from learning the routine, the 22 or so women filter off to the sides of the room for a water break.

Kate Bradshaw, whose red hair and smile light up the room, has grown up in Whitehorse.

She says she recognizes many of the women in the room from around town.

“I grew up always wanting to be a can-can dancer,” she said, “so it’s like 12-year-old me living out my dreams.”

It’s Bradshaw’s second year trying out for the can-can line. She made it last year and had a lot of fun, saying she wasn’t really a dancer before.

“I dabbled in dance in high school,” she says, sipping water. She feels out of practice and laughs, “My kicks are averagely high.”

The women run through tonight’s new choreography, flirting, kicking and adding their own spin on moves. It’s clear that the choreographers don’t care how high they kick, but rather that the kicks are “clean” – straight legs and pointed toes.

They’re also looking at personality, attitude and energy.

Everyone is going to make mistakes, it’s how you cover it up and how much fun you have that counts, says Reynolds. “You can teach technique, but you can’t teach spirit.”

During Rendezvous, the dancers could have up to 50 performances. They’ll be in tents and at bars, at the convention centre, retirement homes, schools and daycares. The can-can line doesn’t just live at Rendezvous, they also perform at events throughout the year, decked out in colour skirts, tall feathers tucked into hairbands.

“We just try to go around and spread Rendezvous spirit whenever we can,” says Gingras.

Since the spaces they perform in are so varied, the choreographers try to design the six routines they learn to work in all the spaces and to showcase each individual woman.

“Any dance we can fit a kick into, (we) gotta fit a kick in there,” says Fitzgerald.

With Canada’s 150th coming up and the 75th anniversary of the the Alaska Highway, a lot of the choreography will also lean towards World War II.

The auditions for the can-can line finished up last night, and the dancers will soon find out their fates.

Says Gingras, “I’m excited to see what the line looks like this year.”

The Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous kicks off Feb. 17, 2017.

By Marissa Tiel, Star Sports Editor