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"They've Taken Life by the Handlebars!"
Hardly Angels is the first all women synchronized motorcycle riding team. The uniqueness of their choreograPhed maneuvers to music has drawn the attention of numerous national magazines, they have been featured on NBC's Later Today Show with Florence Henderson and recently performed at the foot of Mount Fuji near Tokyo, Japan.
The Hardly Angel's story begins in the fall of 1993 in a town with long, winding roads and open space called Durango, Colorado. Lynell, the Angels' founder and director, combined her passion for motorcycles with her training in dance, music, and stage production and inspired the formation of this all women's motorcycle drill team. With support from the community, her riding friends, family members and even a motorcycle-riding United States Senator, Lynell set out to take her vision literally on the road.
Through this unique form of entertainment, the team educates audiences in motorcycle control and rider safety, promotes goodwill between motorcycle riders and their communities, and encourages women to step outside of a comfort level for challenge, personal growth and achievement.
Director Lynell is a former junior high teacher who spent more than two decades as a dance and gymnastics instructor. She studied choreograPhy and stage production at the University of Arizona in Tucson and was a professional musician.
With hundreds of performances in the saddle, the Hardly Angels are well on their way to becoming a national Phenomenon. From exhibitions at the Sturgis Rally and Races in South Dakota and the Fiesta Bowl Parade in Phoenix, Arizona to standing ovations from crowds at Harley-Davidson's 95th anniversary in Milwaukee, the Hardly Angels continue to WOW audiences throughout the nation. No matter what the venue, the Angels create a personal connection to their audiences - signing autograPhs, inspiring would-be riders, and just "talking bikes".
Their shows bring both grace and daring to the art of motorcycle maneuvering. "No-Hands" limbo dancing, "five-alive" stunt riding, and the precision of intertwining over a dozen motorcycles are all carefully choreograPhed to popular music.
Photo By Matthew Lindgren