Ogden's Becca Butcher is heading to Las Vegas for a Wednesday audition for "America's Got Talent."
"The casting director saw some of the stuff I did on YouTube and invited me to the second audition," she said.
"It really was out of the blue. They just called me one day and said, 'Hey, we've seen what you do, and we really want you on the show.' "
What Butcher does is pole dancing -- not anything dirty, she says, but a show of skill, choreography and athleticism.
Her act for the tryout is a combination of pole fitness and samurai sword.
"The idea I'm going for with the act is ninja-ish, sort of crazy climbing," Butcher said, explaining that she'll be hanging upside-down from the pole and doing some tricks similar to what Chinese acrobats do. "Then I'll jump off the pole and do sword tricks and spins."
Butcher's husband, Adam, is a national martial arts champion and choreographed the sword moves.
Becca Butcher is bypassing the first audition, which may be because of the "America's Got Talent" audition rules -- the Web site says video auditions are allowed, but swords are not, in the first round.
Show representatives won't deny or confirm Butcher's tryout, replying by e-mail: "We don't comment on potential contestants."
Being invited does not give Butcher any special benefits. She still has to pay her own way to the audition, and she is not guaranteed any air time or a spot in the finals.
"I'll do my act, and they'll decide from there whether I'll move on to the third round or not," she said.
If she makes it past the third round, she could be on the show.
Butcher teaches pole and aerial skills at Blue, a dance and fitness studio in Ogden. She placed in the top six at New York's Pole Superstar Competition in October.
She hasn't been feeling well lately, but says it won't affect the audition.
"It's one of those things," she said.
"You can't let things like illnesses or pulled muscles and things like that get in the way of things like training and performing."
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