Rehearsing the dance routine

A key part of the finals was a dance routine performed in pairs on stage.  Although this was an individual event, it was noted for the candidates during the morning that the most successful performances were those in which the dancers kept an eye out for the other for proper spacing and timing.  It was amazing to watch the transformation from morning practice to afternoon performances.  The little glitches and kinks in the morning seemed to be smoothed over in the afternoon with both practice and the adrenaline from the lights, judges, and fans.

All of the dancers auditioned to the same song, Christina Aguilera’s “Not Myself Tonight.”  During the morning rehearsals, that song was played over and over again.  For the finalists, they had spent a week practicing to that song.  Although this was a competition for precious squad spots, there was a supportive air of camaraderie among the finalists.  During Sunny’s morning practice routine, she earned oohs, ahs, and applause for sticking a move with a high degree of difficulty.  Rather than cut-throat, the atmosphere was more of finalists bonding, while raising each other up to perform their best.

Sunny's dance moves were too fast to be captured by photos, so here she is in bathing suit finals

Veteran Ben-Gal Teresha was instrumental in providing access to UltimateCheerleaders.com to this event.  Teresha works in the hospitality industry and she certainly puts the “hospitable” in “hospitality.”  We appreciate the time and effort she put in to getting access for us!  During the morning practices, she was dancing, smiling, and laughing like the most relaxed person on the planet.  When she said she was “SO nervous”, I told her that she seemed more relaxed than anyone.  Teresha said that she might be the goofiest one, not the most relaxed.  Either way, she makes everything and everyone around her a bit less nervous when her fun spirit springs forth.

Teresha shines in swimsuit finals

The morning featured practice time for the three main activities in the afternoon: the opening number, dance routines performed by a pair of dancers, and bathing suit modeling. Scores from the interviews and skill set evaluations were compiled the previous week at the semi-finals and added to scores from dancing and modeling at the finals.

Rehearsing the big opening number

Morning practice for the swimsuit modeling

In the morning, Head Captain Tara lead the practice session.  Tara is one of our superstar pro dancers for so many reasons: this will be her ninth season on the squad; Pro Bowl squad selection; competitor on the NFL Network’s cheerleader competition; completing her Ph.D. in cancer biology at University of Cincinnati; and co-author of a paper in the prestigious journal Nature Genetics.  During a brief respite between morning practice and the start of the show, Tara took time to fill me in on all the things swirling around in this busy time.  This is the time of year when fans of the squads find out if some of their favorites are coming back, and Tara said this year’s decision was down to the wire.  In her busy life, there is a lot going on but that being part of the Ben-Gals is fun, and keeps her energized and definitely never bored.

Continue reading 2010 Ben-Gals Earn Their Stripes at Audition Finals

Celtics.com was live at the auditions in Waltham Saturday, where hundreds of girls showed up for a chance at taking the court next season as a Celtics Dancer. Click here to view the photos on the Celtics website.

WALTHAM (FOX25, myfoxboston) - Close to 100 women strutted their stuff in hopes of becoming a member of the Boston Celtics Dancers. Check out video and photos of their auditions. (Click here for lots of photos)

Ever wonder what goes on at KCD auditions? Wonder no more! Here’s a chance to see for yourself.

Knicks City Dancers Auditions:
June 28, 2009
The Monitor

Hundreds of dancers showed up to make their best moves at Madison Square Garden today, but only a few dozen were chosen to move on to the next round. Meet the women who made the cut - those who will hit the ground dancing again tomorrow, the next step on the road to becoming a Knicks City Dancer.

The dancers return to The Garden [today] for round two, so stay tuned for more behind-the-scenes audition photos and video of the dancers in action, plus hit Facebook for KCD coach Danielle’s updates from the floor.

Click here for MORE:
Meet the Semifinalists
Day One Highs and Lows
Toes to Nose: The Highest Kicks
How’d They Do That?!
Look, Up in the Sky: It’s Dancers in the Air!
Line Up With the KCD Hopefuls
KCD Audition Photos ‘08: Round One | Round Two

There was a great turnout for yesterday’s Clippers Spirit audition prep class! It was a terrific opportunity for aspiring dance team candidates to meet the Director, Audrea Harris, Assistant Director Cheryl Aure-Azurin, and a few Spirit alumni: Jessie, Brittany, Nicole, Melissa, and Brilane. (Click here for photos.)

Most of the afternoon was spent learning and performing a new combination choreographed by Cheryl. First, The Spirit girls (who had only learned the dance an hour beforehand) performed for the class, and then Cheryl started breaking down the counts. I swear, I hear that “Boom Boom Pow” song every day, and I had no idea the tempo was so fast.

Cheryl taught an 8-ct or two, then the group would do it a few times with the counts, then they’d do it a couple of times with music, and then she’d teach the next 8-ct. The Spirit girls were spread out in the crowd to help demonstrate and answer questions.

After they’d learned the whole combination and done it a few times, Audrea and Cheryl had them perform it in groups of six. Afterward, Audrea said they’d done very well, but she wanted them to try it again and really perform it - smile, attack the moves, keep it sharp, and make it clean. All of the girls took that advice to heart , and the second round of performances was really fun to watch.

Lesson learned: You can’t underestimate the importance of “selling” your performance.

It was a fast couple of hours. After all of the dancing was over, some girls had to leave, but most stayed for a Q&A session. There were lots of questions about everything - the audition process, what to wear, game night, choreographers, professionalism, time commitment, and balancing life as a Spirit Dancer with your life as a student, employee, race car driver, poet, turkey farmer, or whatever else you have going on.

There were lots and lots of questions.

By the end of the day, all of the girls had a MUCH better idea of what to expect and how to prepare for auditions. Tryouts aren’t for another 4 weeks, so the girls have a good amount of time to work on anything that needs to be improved between now and then.

Speaking for myself, I can’t wait to see these girls bring it on audition day. See you July 25th, ladies!

Final Decisions, Finally
By Nets Dancer Bonnie
New Jersey Nets
June 24, 2009

Hi Nets Fans! It’s official — the newest Nets Dancers have been chosen, and I think it’s going to be a fantastic team! Hundreds of girls faced a grueling audition process, and the judges chose the elite to represent the Nets Basketball this upcoming season.

The audition routine for the finals, choreographed by Jon Rua, pushed all of the dancers past their comfort zones and allowed the judges to see who could dance in a new and innovative style. Jon’s choreography has been seen on the court of the IZOD Center before: this past season, he choreographed the fan favorite “Strings,” as well as my favorite piece to perform, “Past-Present,” an upbeat hip-hop routine that incorporated “Juicy” and “Move If You Wanna.”

The young ladies who were chosen for the team all exuded confidence, performed to their best ability, and showed the maturity and technique that are expected of Nets Dancers. After the judges made their final decision, I was elated and honored to be the first number called to join the 2009-10 Nets Dancers!! I’m happy to say that all 13 returning members who re-auditioned made it back. We’re also excited to have a returning member back from two seasons ago, Marla! We also have two brand new girls, Terrie and Jen, who both killed the audition and impressed the judges enough to earn a spot on the team. Meeting them for the first time and seeing how overjoyed they were, I remembered how incredible it felt to be called last year.

The night of final auditions was exciting and stressful, but more than one day’s work went into this process. I had been preparing by following a rigorous gym routine as well as eating healthy. Being a dancer, music has a big impact on me, and an energizing mix on my iPod helped me to stay focused. Here’s a small sample:

1. “Shooting Star (Remix)” - LMFAO
2. “The Fame” - Lady Gaga
3. “Showdown” - Black Eyed Peas
4. “What a Feeling” - Peter Luts ft. Dominico
5. “Champion” - Kanye West

I’ve also looked for inspiration from the world of dance. When I’m not dancing for the Nets, I’m teaching at Dance Arts Academy. The students are preparing for the finale to their year, Nationals in Wildwood. Rehearsing with them and seeing how much hard work and love they put into each of their routines, I am reminded of how passionate I am about this art and how fortunate I am to have it as such a large part of my life.

My favorite summer show has also started up, So You Think You Can Dance. The contestants this season are all phenomenal. Seeing all the creative routines they’ve performed the past couple weeks has gotten me pumped up for another season working with my talented teammates and our ground-breaking choreographers.

I am so proud of our new team, and cannot wait to start a new and thrilling season. I know that I will continue to grow and mature as a dancer and a young woman during my next year with the Nets Dancers, and I look forward to watching my teammates do the same. Congratulations, ladies!!