This story aired in the March 12, 2026 episode of Crosscurrents.
The Warriors basketball team has a saying: strength in numbers. The senior dance squad that performs at Warriors’ games, The Harwood Classics, embodies that mantra. They show how there’s strength in the numbers 55 and up.
Here we meet the dancers who proves artistry, athleticism, and passion never retire.
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Story Transcript:
Sound of a crowd of voices, shouting: Go ahead, have fun, you got this!
REPORTER: In a cavernous gymnasium at Las Positas College in the East Bay, over 100 women and men wearing numbered bibs are vying for a spot on this season’s Hardwood Classics dance squad. Judges sit at a long table at the free throw line. The candidates queue up in groups on one side of the court. Then, it’s show time on the center line.
Sound of song, “Jump in the line, shake Señora”
REPORTER: For today’s semi-finals the candidates had to prepare a choreographed hip-hop routine and a free style dance. They have a minute to impress the judges, then it’s over to the other side of the court to cheer on the next group of dancers.
DANCER: Way to play it!
REPORTER: Routine after routine, the same music, the same beat over and over, for over an hour and a half until all the candidates have auditioned. Oof! Just the dancing is exhausting, but then everyone is putting in as much energy into cheering each other on.
Sound of Dancers cheering wildly.
REPORTER: The Hardwood classics started in 2018, and hold auditions once a year. Dancers here today have travelled from as far as Nevada City, Las Vegas, and parts of Oregon. The one thing they have in common is they’re all over 55. That doesn’t mean that they aren’t professionals though. As one of the coaches tells them, if they make the squad, it's a serious commitment.
Sound of applause
COACH: Our standards are high across the board. If it's not a yes today, that doesn't mean it's not a yes tomorrow. So if it doesn't work out today, make sure you practice your craft, and if it does, make sure you get prepared when you go through boot camp.
REPORTER: The candidates will know by the end of the day if they made the cut. If they do, they’re expected to attend three rehearsals a week and perform at 7 to 10 home games throughout the season as well as special events. All together, squad members put in a minimum of 20 hrs a week. A few months after the audition, I joined the dancers who made the cut at a rehearsal.
CAROL: All right, we just did the whack so (COUNTING OFF) 5, 6, 7, 8
REPORTER: For three hours, team captain Carol leads them in perfecting the routine. (At the Warriors’ request, I’m only using first names to protect the dancers’ safety.)
CAROL: I’ll do the full-out. All right, here we go.
Sound of song “Kissy Face”
REPORTER: The routine is intensely physical…honestly it's a massive grind..You’ve gotta really love dub nation to do this!Sound of dancers clapping.
REPORTER: At the end of this rigorous rehearsal, Carol shares what motivates her to endure this rigorous work.
CAROL: The Warriors have put together this team and really curated everybody to fit in and to be a family, which you can tell that we are.
REPORTER: And because they are all people around the same age…
CAROL: …we’re all in a similar stage of life too and we’re going through lots of things with family and this is support for that too.
REPORTER: Dancer Laura agrees. She says the group supports each other through life’ highs and lows - like when she had to take a season off because of a knee injury.
LAURA: There's setbacks for all of us, but we just kind of push through it, because this is our passion and our family, you know, and we work together to support each other.
CROWD CHANTS: Let’s go Warriors
REPORTER: Every member of the squad I spoke with mentioned this sense of belonging as the reason the squad means so much to them.
ANNOUNCER: Bay Area, where you at?
REPORTER: A few weeks after the rehearsal, it’s game day for the Hardwood Classics at Chase Center.
ANNOUNCER: Let me hear you say, “Warriors.”
REPORTER: Back stage, the dancers watch the game on monitors.
DANCER: What happened?
ANOTHER DANCER: Oh my gosh!
A THIRD DANCER: This is a really good game.
REPORTER: The dancers perform at the top of the fourth quarter. They used to perform earlier, but they were so popular, the Warriors now save them for later in the game to help motivate the crowd.
CAROL: OK, quick circle time
REPORTER: The group circles shoulder to shoulder with their hands stretched out to meet in the center.
CAROL: Thank you guys for working so hard. I know it was a challenge to do the set last night and again today but the coaches are happy, so thank you.
REPORTER: Captain Carol leads them in a cheer.
CAROL: I’ve got one thing to say: I want everybody to get low. So Hardwoods on 3 and get low!
REPORTER: Amped up, the squad waits in the tunnel leading out to the court. The atmosphere is electric and Chase Center is deafeningly loud.
Sound of crowd cheering loudly.
REPORTER: And then it’s show time.
ANNOUNCER: Well, fans, you're in for a treat. You know, they bring the energy each and every time they perform right here on the court. Give it up for our fan favorites, “The Hardwood Classics.”
REPORTER: The performance is only a minute -– but what a minute! The Hardwoods go full out, the crowd goes nuts and it’s over in a flash.
Sound of applause.
REPORTER: Up in the stands, two hyper-energized fans stand out. They’re dancing and waving glittery blue and gold pom-poms.
MONIQUE MACKEY: We're known as the pom-pom moms because we are coming to every game with our pom poms.
ZINNIA KOCH: We've been watching the game since…
MONIQUE: Steph first joined.
REPORTER: Monique Mackey and Zinnia Koch are diehard fans of the Warriors and the Hardwood Classics.
ZINNIA: I mean, their moves, their energy, the spirit, it's exciting to watch them,
MONIQUE: And they're fan favorites.
ZINNIA: Well, you know, it proves that age is irrelevant, right?
REPORTER: And it has to be said, the Hardwoods are warriors in their own right. They redefine what aging looks like every time they hit the court at Chase Center.