The Stanford Dollies, the group of five women who dance at sporting events and rallies as part of Stanford’s marching band, recently found the next five dancers to continue the Dollie Legacy.

Next year’s Dollies include Shelley Guo ‘29, Lily Poon ‘29, Collete Chang ‘29, Ani Yordanova ‘29 and Logan Christopher ‘29.

“My first time I saw [the Dollies] was during band run,” Chang said, “and that was probably the day that I knew that I wanted to audition and be a Dollie.”

The Dollie Legacy extends back to 1953, and introduces a new team of five dollies each year.

“The Dollie alumni group is ginormous, and it just makes me so happy to be part of this Legacy of really cool women,” Chang said.

The 2026-2027 team of Dollies was rolled out in early February after a short but intense audition process, which included a pom dance, jazz dance, self-choreographed solo and two-day interview process.

“You can ask my roommate. I was so stressed the night before [rollouts],” Yordanova said. “I put on my pink pajamas. I was like, ‘I should try to be really cute for my rollout’ … I woke up before they even rolled me out, out of nerves.” 

Nerves were a common denominator among the newest Dollies on rollout day.

“I remember that I was super, super nervous, like, the whole weekend,” Chang said. “I genuinely woke up seven times. I could not sleep that night. And then I just remember them pounding on my door … And then my Dollie mom, Talon, who’s a current Dollie No. 3, had a poster and flowers and a little dog stuffed animal.”

The new Dollies were welcomed with open arms by their “Dollie Moms,” the current Dollies numbered one through five that will turn over their role at the end of the school year. 

“We had an alum send us a care package for our very first meeting,” Christopher said. “The first day we got rolled out, we were immediately put in a group chat of all the Dollies that are on or nearby campus. They’re always there if you need something, or if you need help with choreo, they’re the ones you text.”

Guo met a former Dollie through her dormmate over family weekend, whose mom used to be a Dollie.

“I come back to my room, and there’s a note under my door from his mom, and she’s like, ‘Hi, Shelly, I heard you were a Dollie, and I’m sending you all my Dollie love!’ … I think that’s what the Legacy really is. Just giving on to the next generation… Dollie love. It’s always there,” Guo said. 

The Dollie Legacy runs deep, fostering the Cardinal spirit since 1953. Past Dollies will oftentimes return to campus to teach the new Dollies choreography they made when they were on the team.

“Everyone has created their own dances every single year … and you see the style changing throughout different periods of time,” Poon said. “We learned this dance that was made in 2020 or 2019, and you could tell that it was from that time … It’s little snapshots of time.”

Adding to the Dollie repertoire and teaching future dancers their choreography is a tradition the Dollies find to be very special.

“It just shows how it really is something that has been so strong for so many years, and you feel really integrated into it the moment you step in,” Yordanova said.

Although they are commonly mistaken for cheerleaders, Dollies are actually a facet of the Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band, contributing to school spirit together as one unit.

“The Band always wins no matter what,” Guo said, “because we’re here for the team, we’re here for the students, and we’re just here to have fun and make a good environment.”

The team’s excitement didn’t stop at rollouts. The incoming Dollies have a lot to look forward to.

“I’m definitely really excited for Big Game,” Chang said. “We have a tradition where every single group in the band dresses up, and then they hide their costumes from everyone else, and then on game day, reveal them.”

The Dollies also have what they call “Dollie Boot Camp” prior to move-in day next fall.

“We go to Disney right before school starts,” Guo said. “I’m so excited for that. . . I’ve heard amazing things about Dollie Disney.”

But even with all of the Dollie traditions and festivities, performing for Stanford is a highlight.

“My grandma’s really excited about being in the stands with my little sister,” Yordanova said. “I think it’s so cool that the Dollies’ fans span totally every age.”

One thing in particular was a common excitement among all the dancers on next year’s team: sisterhood.

“We’ll be seeing each other at the legit worst but still understand. It’s honestly like a family. It is sisterhood,” Poon said.

“I think just knowing you can be yourself with these other four girls is so important, and I already feel that,” Christopher said.

For the newest Dollies, the rollout marked more than the start of a new role. It marked their place within the Dollie traditions and Cardinal spirit that generations of Stanford dancers have carried forward.