It\u2019s 3:30 p.m. on a Monday, and a group of 16 senior dancers are grooving on the court at Chase Center.<\/p>\n
They throw their arms up and down, give a high kick, bend over low, draw a half circle with their hips, pop up and snap their necks back and forth, their grey and white hair glistening under the giant spotlights usually reserved for Steph Curry and Draymond Green.<\/p>\n
Five hours later, after the third quarter of what will be a Warriors\u2019 134-117 win over the Utah Jazz, the 14 women and two men, all aged 55 and older, line up in the tunnel just outside the court as they prepare to perform for 18,000 fans. They give each other a pep talk. Some get emotional.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy heart starts to beat really fast when we\u2019re in that tunnel,\u201d said 72-year-old dancer Kristie Turner, who previously danced for the Oakland Raiders in the 1980s. \u201cMy first game, I started tearing up even before I went out. It\u2019s just very emotional.\u201d<\/p>\n
Out they run, smiles big and bright.<\/p>\n
\u201cBring the energy, smile and enjoy it,\u201d Turner tells herself in these moments.<\/p>\n
As soon as the music starts, the dance crew moves in perfect unison.<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t some simple step-and-clap dance routine. It features some of the same complex choreography being used for the Warriors signature dance teams.<\/p>\n
The Hardwood Classics have been practicing all week \u2014 three times in Walnut Creek, rehearsals at Chase Center, countless hours perfecting steps in front of the mirror at home. All culminating in a 60-second routine.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve had people come and watch the games and then they\u2019ll ask me: \u2018If you practice so many hours to dance for one minute, is it worth it?\u2019\u201d said team captain Carol Uyeda, 61. \u201cAnd every single time I say, \u2018yeah, it\u2019s worth it.\u2019 Every time.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the men and women on the Hardwood Classics, these 60 seconds can fuel their entire lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t explain it,\u201d Uyeda said. \u201cI\u2019ve tried to explain it to my kids. They would ask me, \u2018What\u2019s the draw?\u2019 I say, \u2018It\u2019s the feeling when you run out on that court and there\u2019s 18,000 people all focusing on you. It just brings you up.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/MAG-L-HARDWOOD-15.jpg\")
The Hardwood Classics, the senior dance team for the Golden State Warriors, wait to head onto the court for their performance before the start of the fourth quarter during the game between the Utah Jazz and the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n
The first Classics team was formed in 2018, the last season the Warriors were at Oracle Arena in Oakland.<\/p>\n
Sabrina Ellison, the senior director of the Warriors\u2019 entertainment team, was pitched the idea of a senior dance team and liked it, but she had one concern: it couldn\u2019t be a comedy routine.\u00a0If she was going to put a group of hard-working seniors in front a rowdy crowd of NBA fans, she needed to be certain they\u2019d be taken seriously.<\/p>\n
She decided the same choreographers would be used for all the dance teams, from the Junior Jam Squad to the Blue Crew to the senior group. So this wasn\u2019t going to be a joy ride for the Hardwood Classics dancers. It was going to be hard work.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to push them past their limits as performers,\u201d Ellison said.<\/p>\n
With that in mind, the Warriors held tryouts.<\/p>\n
\u201cUsually we get 200 or 300 people to try out for our dance teams,\u201d Ellison said. \u201cFor the first Hardwood Classics team, we had 500 or 600 people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ellison wanted a mix of former professional and casual dancers, a group that could find chemistry with each other, bring out each other\u2019s strengths as performers and engage with a young crowd.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe makeup of our team is really those people that catch your eye and that are coachable,\u201d she said. \u201cWe don\u2019t just focus on dancers that have had years and years of experience. We focus on those that are going to make our fan base feel something.\u201d<\/p>\n
After selecting her first team of dancers, Ellison challenged them with intense choreography. She wasn\u2019t sure how\u2019d they handle it.<\/p>\n
Looking back at their very first performance at Oracle Arena in 2018, Ellison said it\u2019s one of her favorite memories.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was nervous because I didn\u2019t know how the fan base would receive them,\u201d Ellison said. \u201cAnd they roared. They absolutely lost their minds.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/MAG-L-HARDWOOD-16.jpg\")
The Hardwood Classics, the senior dance team for the Golden State Warriors, head to the court as they are encouraged by other performers before their performance before the start of the fourth quarter during the game between the Utah Jazz and the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Hardwood Classics performed at six games that season. Over the years that followed, they\u2019ve earned more and more time on the court, with the Warriors gradually ramping up their performance schedule.<\/p>\n
This year, they\u2019re dancing in a record 16 games.<\/p>\n
To meet the demand, Ellison expanded her roster to 32 dancers and now rotates two squads from game to game, though some dancers, including team captain Uyeda, dance for both squads.<\/p>\n
\u201cSabrina doesn\u2019t want this team to be a novelty,\u201d Uyeda said. \u201cThis is real dancing. That\u2019s what makes this team special, too, is the audience will say, \u2018Wow, you could still do that at their age?\u2019 She wants the wow factor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Uyeda was on the Warriors dance team for three years in the late \u201980s. She thought her dance career was over after that. She had a career in biotech. She had kids. She kept dancing casually.<\/p>\n
Then she saw the ad for the Hardwood Classics in 2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a dream come true,\u201d she said. \u201cI remember constantly thinking in 1991 I\u2019m probably not going to do this again. I may not ever get on a court again and dance. I mean that was back with Michael Jordan and Larry Bird. And we were doing four routines a game. I didn\u2019t think I\u2019d get to dance professionally again.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/MAG-L-HARDWOOD-20_a8a610.jpg\")
The Hardwood Classics, the senior dance team for the Golden State Warriors, including Carol Uyeda, right, perform before the start of the fourth quarter during the game between the Utah Jazz and the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n
Thinking about it, Uyeda starts to cry.<\/p>\n
\u201cI get emotional thinking because I know how hard everyone works,\u201d she said. \u201cWe all love this team. I\u2019m just so grateful to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Turner said that dancing for the Hardwood Classics has kept her brain sharp.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe choreography is way more robust than it was back in the day,\u201d said Turner, who was on the Raiders\u2019 dance team in the 80s and 90s. \u201cWe looked great for what we did back then, but I love the robustness of the choreography now. I have to practice 10 times a day. I find that all the practice really helps with remembering things.\u201d<\/p>\n
At least 10-20 hours of preparation goes into each minute on the floor, she said.<\/p>\n
The group has an unwritten rule: don\u2019t complain about the pain.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing hurts,\u201d Turner said cheekily.<\/p>\n
But in truth, every time Turner steps onto the court, she said she isn\u2019t sure if it\u2019ll be her last. To lengthen her career, she focuses on cardio training throughout the year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just ran my last half marathon,\u201d the 72-year-old said. \u201cI run all year. And one of the things that Sabrina asks us to do is get low, which means your quads have to be worked. So I put a weight program in there. And I try and go to as many exercise classes as possible to work the brain.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/MAG-L-HARDWOOD-3.jpg\")
The Hardwood Classics, the senior dance team for the Golden State Warriors, perform before the start of the fourth quarter during the game between the Utah Jazz and the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, the group celebrated the 80th birthday of one of its members, Jan Yale, who retired after the 2024-2025 season. Turner is now the oldest member.<\/p>\n
Dion Wiedenhoefer, Marcy Borghi and Marlo Dewing were original Warriors dance team members decades ago and have returned to the spotlight with the Hardwood Classics.<\/p>\n
Ruben De La Pena, Tracy Perrilliat and Charlotte Merriwether all battled cancer and are now dancing again while in remission.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like one little beautiful family,\u201d Ellison said. \u201cThey\u2019re a reminder that life will get hard. This team deals with a lot of different challenges because of where they are in that stage of life. And what is so inspiring about them is how they throw a smile on. They cheer each other on. They\u2019re bringing treats for each other. They\u2019re celebrating each other\u2019s birthdays. They\u2019re leaning on each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
Making friends in your 60s and 70s is hard, the dancers said, but the team has given them a sense of community. The love they feel from the fans is the cherry on top.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese dancers really touched our fanbase,\u201d Ellison said. \u201cYou see the Hardwood Classics and they\u2019re just as strong as any of our dancers. And the expectation is high for them as well. So it really leaves a lot of joy when you see them perform.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ellison is 47 now, still eight years away from being eligible to join the Classics.<\/p>\n
When that day comes, she plans to become a member.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Hardwood Classics are a beautiful testament that no matter your age, you\u2019re not done until you\u2019re done,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/MAG-L-HARDWOOD-13.jpg\")
The Hardwood Classics, the senior dance team for the Golden State Warriors, celebrate backstage after their performance during the game between the Utah Jazz and the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s 3:30 p.m. on a Monday, and a group of 16 senior dancers are grooving on the court…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":618215,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3785],"tags":[7,6675,19859,24687,15580,2747,164,423,6,15055,422,427,3972,255],"class_list":["post-618214","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-utah-jazz","tag-basketball","tag-chase-center","tag-dance-team","tag-dancing","tag-exercise","tag-features","tag-golden-state-warriors","tag-jazz","tag-nba","tag-seniors","tag-utah","tag-utah-jazz","tag-utahjazz","tag-warriors"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116115541678272594","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=618214"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618214\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/618215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=618214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=618214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=618214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}