PORTLAND, Ore. -- Trail Blazers fans who have been to a game at the Rose Garden arena know Rolia Manyongai-Jones -- they just don't know her by name.

Instead, they may know her as "The Dancing Lady," who jumps to her feet during time-outs and serves as a spark of energy for the Blazers and their fans.

During the course of the game, fans at the Rose Garden will likely see Manyongai-Jones at some point. But her flamboyant dance isn't a ploy for attention; rather, it's simply who she is.

"I don't think about it. I just do my normal thing because dance is a part of me," Manyongai-Jones said. "I'm not intimidated by dancing. So when the music is playing and I'm psyched, I just get up and celebrate."

Manyongai-Jones came to the United States in the late 1970s from Liberia, a country in west Africa. For the past 26 years, she has headed up the Kukatonon African Dance Troupe in northeast Portland.

She said it was important to bridge the gap between African-American children and their heritage.

"African dance, the form of dance I do, is very energetic. All the dances symbolize something," Manyongai-Jones said. "So you're not just up there dancing to be dancing. You're dancing because it's a celebration of birth. It's a celebration for graduating. It's a celebration of life. It all symbolizes something."

On Blazers game night, the dancing symbolizes her love for Blazers basketball.

"I'm celebrating the talents of the young people I'm embracing," she said. "All those guys, when they're connecting with one another, it's like a dance being choreographed. Because you know something phenomenal is about to happen."

Manyongai-Jones has been attending games for more than 20 years. Shortly after the team moved to the Rose Garden, the in-house production crew knew it had a gem.

Todd Bosma, the director of game operations, said all that is needed to spike the energy is to show Manyongai-Jones on the big screen.

"She gets the people on their feet. They put her on the big screen going all crazy and she's up there dancing, a lot of people will join her," Bosma said.

The Blazers' secret weapon often goes to work after the team makes a big-fourth quarter run and the other team calls a time-out. While it may be subtle and it may not show on an opposing team's game tape, the "Dancing Lady" always delivers when the Blazers need something extra.

"It seems like the fans really like my energy. Every day with positive energy because I'm a positive person," she said. "So if I bring that kind of energy and it's affecting everybody. That's a great thing to do."