CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – The Charlotte Hornets open their basketball preseason in North Charleston on Sunday against the reigning NBA champs, the Oklahoma City Thunder.<\/p>\n
And when the home team takes the court, there will be a familiar face on the sidelines cheering the guys on.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love it! It\u2019s such a great experience. Just getting to be with the team. They\u2019re just like my second family. Just hearing the crowd, just roar, scream,\u201d Charlotte Honey Bee SaVannah Pasley said.<\/p>\n
Pasley is in her second year as a Charlotte Hornets Honey Bee.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, being a Honey Bee, is it hard work? Yes, it definitely is a lot of hard work. It takes a lot of dedication, discipline, and a lot of high skill professionalism as well,\u201d Pasley said.<\/p>\n
The West Ashley native is well-prepared for the high energy and commitment it takes to be a professional performer.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s been dancing since she was two years old. <\/p>\n
\u201cYes, I danced at Charleston Dance Center. It\u2019s formally known as Just Dance. I danced there from probably like five-ish all the way to 12th grade as a competition dancer, where you do like different styles and travel as well, like jazz, hip-hop,\u201d Pasley said.<\/p>\n
SaVannah continued growing her dance skills in high school at Charleston County School of the Arts, and at South Carolina State University as a champagne dancer for the Marching 101 band.<\/p>\n
While she was in grad school in Atlanta, she worked as a dance coach for a high school, then in 2023, moved to Charlotte.<\/p>\n
She thought her days as a performer were over, but she could hear the hum of the Honey Bees. <\/p>\n
\u2018I wasn\u2019t sure yet about auditioning for a team, but once I saw it just randomly popped up on my page, the Hornets and the Honeybee, and I was like, maybe this is my year,” Pasley said.<\/p>\n
She had her doubts about whether she could make the squad, and that\u2019s when her mentor and first coach stepped in, her big brother Kedrick Pasley.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was like, \u2018I\u2019m just a little hesitant,\u2019 and I was like, if it scares you, do it. Simple as that. Uh, fear, the only way to break down fear is to go through it,\u201d Kedrick Pasley said.<\/p>\n
Kedrick is a professional dancer now living in Las Vegas. He\u2019s the one who got SaVannah into dance.<\/p>\n
He performed in the Super Bowl halftime show with The Weeknd in 2021 and has appeared in commercials and TV shows.<\/p>\n
More than 2,000 miles away from Charlotte, on the other side of the country, he coached her over the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI set my phone down, I\u2019d back up, and I\u2019d try to demonstrate it for her. She\u2019d copy. She\u2019d be in her gym at her apartment, and I\u2019d be like try it like this, try it like that, and yeah, we just kept working on it,\u201d Kedrick Pasley said.<\/p>\n
After a month-long process, she landed a spot. But being a Honey Bee is a part-time job. Her full-time gig is working as a buyer for a luxury retailer. Most sports teams require that dance squad performers have responsibilities outside of the team, whether that be a full-time job, being in school, or charity work. <\/p>\n
Pasley is now in her second year as a Honey Bee, and she can\u2019t wait to kick off the new season in front of the hometown crowd in the Lowcountry.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am very excited. I feel like it\u2019s such a great opportunity to be back in Charleston as well and just see my family and friends and just cheer on another team, which is the Hornets in that arena,\u201d Pasley said. <\/p>\n
You can watch Pasley cheer on the Hornets against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Oct. 5 at 5 p.m. at the Charleston Area Convention Center. Click here<\/a> for tickets.<\/p>\n