Madison College Student Doubles as Lady Liberty

They're dancing for business on Park Street, and the work isn't too taxing

EMILY BISEK | ebisek[at] madison [dot] com | 608-252-6120 | Posted: Friday, February 12, 2010 4:00 pm | Wisconsin State Journal

If you've ever driven down South Park Street, especially around tax time, you've probably seen them: Statue of Liberty impersonators dancing, waving and generally making a spectacle of themselves. You know the job can't pay that much. So why do they look like they're having so much fun?

"It's like our own little dance party on the sidewalk," Tasha Tourtillott, 28, said of the promotional job for Liberty Tax Service, where she earns just over minimum wage.

Tourtillott and her sister Jessica make up two of seven costumed Lady Liberties who try to attract drivers to the business at 945 S. Park St., a gimmick the tax preparation company uses around the country from January to April. The two work three- to four-hour shifts together for about 15 hours a week.

"It's just fun. It's like a three-hour workout," Jessica Tourtillott, 29, said of her continuous dancing, which she does while listening to her iPod.

It also pays off for Liberty. Pam Hocevar, owner of the South Park Street location, said the costumed characters — technically part of the marketing team — are a "critical element" of the business. She credits them with attracting half of the new customers the business gets each year.

"Without them, a lot of people would drive right past us," Hocevar said.

When hiring for the job each tax season, Hocevar said, it's all about the applicant's personality. Applicants watch a film describing the job and then are asked to put on the costume and dance outside — more of an audition than an interview.

The job description is fairly simple. "Wavers," as they're called, are asked to interact with the public and catch their eye. That typically involves dancing, waving or wiggling a sign. The more enthusiastically done, the better.

Although the pay is modest, the Tourtillott sisters said the money comes in handy as extra income. Tasha Tourtillott, who worked as a waver for Liberty for three years in Green Bay, is studying early childhood education at Madison Area Technical College and works a second job. Jessica Tourtillott recently moved to Madison from Green Bay.

Two other Tourtillott sisters also have worked as wavers for Liberty in Green Bay. The youngest sister, Rebekah, recently quit, however, after a passerby threw a chocolate shake at her, hitting her.

Jessica and Tasha Tourtillott have found Madison much friendlier. They said they barely mind the physical demands of the job.

"I don't even really notice the weather," Jessica Tourtillott said.

Although their feet and backs sometimes get sore, and they have to endure the occasional rude gesture from drivers, the sisters said they enjoy trying to make passersby smile and honk.

"You know they're getting a good feeling," Jessica said. "You're making their day just a tiny bit better."