Day 1: Friday

In the lobby of the second floor of IM Sports-Circle, the mood is quiet. Inside the studio, five members of the Urban Dreams dance team are preparing to judge today's auditions that, for a few, will make dreams come true.

The three dancers outside are already prepared - they had to create a whole hip-hop routine set to music - but now they have to wait to show it.

At the first day of the Urban Dreams dance team's spring auditions, about 15 hopefuls showed up to perform.

No-preference freshman Camille Kenner is the first to audition. She's small and limber in her black pants.

To be the first performer in front of a panel of judges in an unfamiliar studio can be nerve-wracking, but if Kenner is nervous, she isn't showing it.

"(I was) just a little," she said. "But it wore off."

Kenner has been dancing since she was 4. She wants to make the team because she loves to perform.

For education sophomore Achana Phillips, being a member of Urban Dreams would fill a void.

"I'm an only child, and I've always wanted to be part of an organization to feel like part of a family," Phillips said. "I want it so bad."

Auditioning can be an intimidating process. It's not just the panel of judges, the videotaping and the unfamiliar studio that can be intimidating - it's also the competition.

After the judges watch the footage and compare their notes, the dancers will receive an e-mail letting them know whether or not they received a callback to join the 2-year-old team.

All are hoping for that e-mail.

As Kenner leaves day one behind, another competitor wishes her good luck, saying, "Hope to see you tomorrow."

Kenner smiles. "No, we will see you tomorrow."

Day 2: Saturday

The studio is typical: slick wood floors, full-body mirror and a balance warm-up bar that runs along two of the walls. Inside this room, eight Urban Dreams hopefuls who survived the first cut are preparing for the second day of auditions. Kenner, the first dancer to audition yesterday, is back, as is Phillips, who both heard the news around 11 p.m. Friday night.

"We were all sitting around, (and) our friends were all watching us as we opened our e-mail," Phillips said. "And it was like, 'Urban Dreams callback,' and we were like, 'Ahhhh!'"

The dancers' faces light up as more people walk through the doors to the second-floor lobby. Before this moment, no one knew who would be returning today.

Following a formal warm-up led by Urban Dreams choreographer kinesiology sophomore Jessica Dunn, the dancers will learn a new dance routine in the span of two hours.

During the warm-up, Dunn walks the room and pushes on several dancers' backs, forcing them to go lower in their stretches. By the end of the afternoon, the extensive workout will take its toll.

"I'm hurting now, though, 'cause I haven't stretched in so long," Kenner said. "So now I'm going to be sore."

In the end, though, attitude is everything.

"If I made it this far, I have a pretty good chance," Kenner said.

Day 3: Sunday

There is a half hour before the auditions are scheduled to start and Kenner is already working with a group of people, counting off sets of eight to create the beat.

Every so often they stop because something doesn't look right or the timing is off. Together, they figure out the problem and then pick it up where they left off.

They know this is it: The final day of auditions. The last chance these dancers have to prove to the panel of judges that they have what it takes.

Phillips is feeling more confident than yesterday.

"This is the final step," she said. "I made it this far, but I want to go further."

Kenner is more nervous about the floor elements of the dance because of how much pain she's in. Yesterday, her entire body ached as she left the studio. Today, it's in her thighs.

The eight dancers will be broken into four groups of two. Each group will perform twice, the first time receiving constructive criticism from the panel of judges. Their job then is to fix what the judges pointed out before the final audition. E-mails will be sent out following the auditions.

Most of the judges told the dancers to be more precise in their movements, have more energy and confidence in their performance and smile more.

Kenner was supposed to work on precision for the second audition, but said she may have concentrated too hard on that and messed up part of the routine.

"I think I did better the first time," she said. "I may have made some facial expressions, but I'm not sure."

For Kenner, this entire audition process has been an experience.

"It's been really interesting because I've always been on the other side of the table," she said. "I've always been the one judging (for other auditions), the one deciding who makes it, and now I'm auditioning.

"And if I don't (make it)? There's always next year."

Day 4: Monday

The team has been selected. The e-mails have come. And Kenner can proudly say that she is one of them.

She was at the movies when the e-mails came. One of the girls who also tried out - and made the cut - surprised her over the phone to tell her she was selected.

"I jumped out of my chair when I was in the movie theater," she said. "I was so happy."

Phillips received her e-mail today and found out she did not make the team. She said she has no regrets.

"Maybe I'm not what they're looking for, but maybe I'm what somebody else is looking for," she said. "It doesn't mean I'm not a good dancer.

"I would do it all over if I had the chance."