Beauty tips from the Raptors dancers: How they’re prepping for the NBA All-Star Game

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Let the games begin. The National Basketball Association crosses the Canadian border for its annual All-Star Game this Valentine’s Day Weekend in Toronto. You can expect a festival-like atmosphere with three days of  parties, VIP functions, fan events and exhibition play before Sunday’s official ball toss. The Raptors Dance Pak is a familiar site to local fans, but the 22-member professional dance squad will be front and centre when the All-Star game is broadcast around the world (an All-Star Dance Team featuring dancers from across NBA association will also perform). We chatted with lead choreographer Amberley Waddell and learned that the Dance Pak is an extension of the Raptors brand and is considered a necessary complement to the game. Dance Pak dancers are tasked with engaging with fans and getting them in the spirit of things.

“Living in a multi cultural city like Toronto we are fortunate to have a team filled with many diverse looks,” says Waddell. “The dancer’s make up is always kept very classy. We go for a more natural look than stage makeup as we don’t have the heavy lighting of a stage and there is a lot of fan interaction involved with this job.”

Like Waddell herself, who has danced with the likes of Bette Midler and Beyoncé, Raptors dancers usually come from a competitive background and train hard on and off the court. Lead makeup artist Jasmine Duffy and Waddell work with each dancer to create a personal beauty look that is on-trend and approachable. In fact, dancers often have to unlearn the theatrical make up techniques they might have mastered in their previous stage careers. According to Duffy, when it comes to the Dance Pak you’ll never see theatrical makeup come game time. What you will see is a red lip and that’s not just because of the Raptors red.

“I am not sure if it comes from my many years of competitive dance or my love for vintage starlets like Marilyn Monroe and Rita Hayworth,” says Waddell. “I have always believed there is no better accessory than a classic red lip.”

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Photography by Mauricio Calero

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“It is a Dance Pak tradition to wear our hair down. We might switch up the style for a special routine, but we always wear our hair down. Looks best for the hair whips,” says dancer Nina. “I try to switch up my style between straight and curly hair. I like curling my hair the best because it is easier to dance with and you get more hair movement on court.”