Scott & Rookie get down at the 1st Pup-Peroni Freestyle Cham- pionship

NEW YORK — For their first public performance dancing together in 1996, Carolyn Scott of Houston buttoned up an elaborate red-spangled vest and cinched up a bolero hat. Rookie, her Golden Retriever, wore his birthday suit: a full coat of shimmering, reddish fur, elegant as any ball gown—and accented with a rhinestone collar.
    
The two partners arrived at the competition as unknowns. Three minutes later, after wowing a crowd of 700 with a routine set to 2 Unlimited’s techno-thudding version of Twilight Zone, they were winners.
   
They are just one team of 100 or more in the United States who practice Canine Freestyle—or in the vernacular, humans and dogs dancing together in choreographed routines. Six legs, two arms, and a tail interpreting rap, classical or rock ‘n’ roll music.
    
Winning their event, Scott, a 49-year-old dog trainer who says she also likes to go dancing with her husband, looked good. But it was 3-year-old Rookie’s performance that clinched it. To paraphrase the feminist adage about Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, he did the same complex moves Scott did—only backwards and with paws.
   
Freestyle, conceived only a few years ago, pairs traditional dog obedience mastery such as heeling with creative expression. Today, at least three groups are actively pushing the sport into the mainstream: the Musical Canine Sports International of British Columbia; the Canine Freestyle Federation of Fairfax, Va.; and the Pup-Peroni Canine Freestylers in Brooklyn, N.Y.
    
The guidelines and rules are still evolving among these groups, and their efforts to popularize the activity have made demos and competitions increasingly commonplace at traditional dog shows and American Kennel Club meets. The aim, say those involved, is to promote obedience training and responsible pet ownership.
    
Judging varies between the groups, but like ice skating, it generally focuses on technical execution and artistic impression. In some events, costumes are encouraged. Mixed breeds are welcome. But treats and toys as incentive to perform are not allowed.
   
My dog Joya is a natural dancer. During keepaway at her run, she’s pure Baryshnikov, performing defensive pirouettes, executing evasive jetés en tournant. But I wonder, would she enjoy the rigor of learning a three-minute routine?
   
Definitely, says Joan Tenille, the president of the Canine Freestyle Federation. “The dogs absolutely adore this…everybody kind of laughs at me a little bit until they see it,” she says. “They actually choose the music. If they don’t like it, they won’t heel. But when they hear something they like, they seem to get bigger, they glow, they get a presence.”
   
A complicated dance might involve a lot of distance moves, where the dog goes skidding off into other parts of the utility ring only to return to his partner right on the beat. Joya would keep going until she found the hot dog concessionaire. For people like us, there is a beginner’s variety, called on-leash freestyle.

Some groups allow team freestyling as well. Two partners with two dogs (called a brace) or one partner with two dogs; or you might get a Rockette-inspired lineup of four handlers, four dogs. With each performer the chances for mayhem increase. Scott knows from working with just Rookie that a dog can improvise a bit. “We did a routine to the song, 'Oh Yeah.' by Yello and this time he was a wild man,” Scott says. “He was just really having a good time and adding in his own twirls once in a while. You just kind of go with it.”
   
Those who are into the sport think it has legs, in part because of its wide-ranging appeal, says Patie Ventre who heads the Pup-Peroni Freestylers. “As the trainers and the schools learn what the sport is and how to teach it, we expect it to grow because anyone can do it. We had a 6-year-old and a 62-year-old senior citizen performing at our last event.” For dog lovers, there’s something else. “When audiences see the beauty and the intelligence and the bonding, it brings tears to their eyes,” Tenille says. “They become mesmerized.”