By GEORGE MAHL

NEW ORLEANS – Several years ago, around the hardcourt ascendance of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, the National Basketball League promoted a slogan, “The NBA. It’s FANtastic!”

Arenas around the country were consistently packed to the rafters with ordinary Joe’s sitting next to movie stars and business moguls. During television timeouts all eyes would turn to mid-court to watch the high-energy routines of each franchise’s sophisticated dance squads and units like the Laker Girls became synonymous with the excitement surrounding professional sports.

The New Orleans Hornets, currently enjoying its inaugural year in the Crescent City, features a dance team – the Honeybees – and its members are creating a vibrant atmosphere for everyone in attendance at the New Orleans Arena.

Two of the team members, Angelle Tymon of Paulina and Ashley Deaton of LaPlace, along with the Honeybees’ dance coordinator, Andrea Landry of Reserve, are playing vital roles in the Honeybees’ initial success. They work for American All-Star, the organization in charge of the Honeybees and the SaintSations, the dance squad of the NFL’s New Orleans Saints.

When asked why they wanted to dance, these local ladies smiled and gave a long list of reasons.

“I guess because it is fun and exciting. It also proves that hard work does pay off,” Tymon said.

According to Deaton, dancing for the Honeybees is more than just an ordinary job.

“I’m trying to make my community proud. I’d like to become a role model,” she said.

As with most dancing careers, the three were taught at a young age. Deaton started dancing even before she began grammar school.

“I took dancing in kindergarten. I then danced all through high school and college. I guess you could say this is the next step,” Deaton said.

Ironically, Landry taught Tymon how to dance.

“When I was at the dance studio in Reserve, Angelle was my first student. I guess she was eight and I was 14,” Landry said.

Incidentally, dancing was not at the top of Tymon’s list when it came to extra-curricular activities.

“I played sports when I was little,” she said. “I think I did everything but dance.”

When it was announced the Hornets were moving from Charlotte, N.C., to New Orleans, the women decided to give it their all and to try out for the squad.

“Basically, all I could do was keep my eyes and ears open waiting to see when and where tryouts would be,” Deaton said.

Tymon said she heard about the move two or three days before the tryouts and just went “to check it out.”

The tryouts, which lasted for two days in September, featured about 500 dancers from the New Orleans and Baton Rouge area.

“They gave us a short routine to do in the morning and another one to do in the afternoon. With about a month to go until the season, they (the judges) cut the number down to 20 and then interviewed us,” Deaton said.

To say the least, when their names were called, the local residents had realized their dreams.

“I felt fortunate just to have been one of the 45 going into the finals because they had girls who had great performances,” Tymon said.

Landry said she was just hoping she would have enough time to prepare for the start of the season.

“The only thing I’m thinking is we’ve got to get ready by Oct. 30,” she said.

Even though Tymon, Landry, and Deaton have attended each home game, they admitted they know little about basketball, much less the Hornets.

“I knew some (about basketball) but not much. The little I did know was because I was a Tiger Girl for LSU’s basketball team,” Deaton said.

Landry said, through a mischievous grin, “I learned about basketball on a Web site.”

Although the Honeybees declined to say how much they get paid, they did agree it can be tough to balance dancing and a “real” job or school. For example, when Deaton is not making moves on the basketball court, she works at a production company in Baton Rouge doing commercial voice-overs.

“It can be really tough with two schedules. You get home late at night coupled with the fact that you have to get up for class the next day,” said Tymon, a Mass Communications major at LSU.

A typical Honeybees’ schedule consists of a Tuesday practice from 7-10 p.m., a Thursday night practice in Mandeville, as well as participating in a community projects, usually on Wednesdays and Fridays. The trio usually arrives at the arena at 4:30 p.m. on game days.

Each of the Honeybees see themselves dancing for several years to come.

“Why not, we can all carpool together,” Tymon said with a laugh.