Like the Dolphins, these auditions are going to be featured in multiple posts.
Flight Crew Auditions began on April 21st when close to 300 women from the tri-state area and beyond (Florida, California, Washington, Japan) converged on the Lexus Club Level of Met Life Stadium.
Hopefuls had a quick chacne to introduce themselves to the judges, and then ninety seconds to freestyle.
Riley's a former Buffalo Jill and just earned her Masters in Accounting.
Guest Judge Jennifer. Jennifer was one of the original Flag Girls, A four-year Flight Crew VeteSelf-described "Insurance Geek" Amanda is a graduate of the University of Delaware and the only candidate who auditioned in boots.
Flight Crew Vet Amanda was the DJ for the first round. She said when you are out on the floor free-styling, it's the longest 90 seconds of your life.
Yes, freestyling meant anything goes!
Alica is a former Washington Wizards Girl
Guest Judge Jennifer. Jennifer was one of the original Flag Girls, A four-year Flight Crew Veteran and the cover model for the squad's 2011 Calendar
The Detroit Pistons are looking for dancers with the “total package.” We are looking for dancers who are positive, talented, energetic and have great personalities.
Location:
The Palace of Auburn Hills
6 Championship Drive
Auburn Hills, MI 48326
Registration begins at 8:00 AM
Auditions start at 9:00 AM
*All participants must be 18 years or older by October 1, 2012
Initial Audition Saturday July 28th
Semi Finals Sunday 29th
DPD Boot Camp July 31 & August 2nd
Judges will be looking for the following criteria for Detroit Pistons Dancers
Dance Ability
Physical Appearance
Personality
Self-confidence
Energy
Poise
Team Player
Knowledge of Pistons and basketball
Get paid to do what you love (rehearsals, games and appearances are paid) You will not only dance the Pistons basketball games you will a get a chance to perform with award winning artists during our incredible halftime shows. Last season’s halftime shows included: Taio Cruz, Tpain, Flo Rida, Travie McCoy,Jay Sean, Temptations, Gladys Night, Dougie Fresh, Rose Royce, Robyn S, Salt & Pepa, Mc Hammer, Black Sheep , Bell Biv Devo, 112 and many more.
The 2012 St. Louis Rams Cheerleader squad is official with a team of 28. Emcee Andy Banker of FOX 2 KTVI-TV and Melanie Moon of KPLR11 were the first to introduce the new squad to St. Louis during the final auditions on Tuesday, April 24 at The Pageant. The event was a culmination of a two-week search for St. Louis’ most talented, beautiful, professional and poised women. In addition to the judging that took place that evening, the 51 finalists were also evaluated on preliminary rehearsals, interviews that previously took place at ContinuityX Training Center and an online voting component.
As captains Tiffany, Christa and Ashley welcomed the selected returning veterans and chosen rookies to the 2012 squad, the audience cheered on in anticipation of each of their favorite finalists joining the team. Rampage was on hand to introduce each new Rams Cheerleader to the crowd and when all was said and done the Rams welcomed 20 veterans back to the team and opened their arms to eight rookies.
This was the third year that the final auditions were open to the public. The event also featured performances from Nikko Smith and the 2011 St. Louis Rams Cheerleader Captains.
The audition process helped to generate a $10,000 contribution to breast cancer research, one of the top priorities for the Rams Cheerleaders. Last year, the ladies raised $18,000 during their year-long “Cheer for a Cure” initiative. In addition, each year the Rams Cheerleaders average more than 850 hours of community service.
To see more coverage on the 2012 auditions, please check out the “Making of the Squad” videos here.
Congratulations to the 2012 St. Louis Rams Cheerleaders:
Seven-year-old Whitney Ward saw a cheerleading video one day and told her mom, “that’s what I want to be … a cheerleader.”
Fast-forward 15 years to May 2012
“Mom, guess what? I’m a Tennessee Titans cheerleader,” said Ward with a thrill in her voice on Wednesday night.
The road to the top of the cheerleader world for the 22-year-old recent graduate has taken her from United Cheerleading to Loftis Middle to Soddy Daisy High School and four years of cheering for the Mocs.
A communications major with a minor in marketing, Ward presented herself well enough to the panel of judges on the first day (three weeks ago) as she make the cut from 250 to 150 to 52.
“We danced in groups of three before lunch and they cut about 100,”said Ward whose mother, Shawnee Ward, also cheered at Soddy Daisy “We danced a second time and I made the final cut at 52.”
This past Wednesday, the Titans made the final cut and No.34 Whitney Ward was one of the 26 names called.
“They called us in numerical order and when they called my name and number I couldn’t believe it,” stated Ward. “I told myself, ‘I am a Titans cheerleader.’”
“This is real special for me as I am one of seven new cheerleaders on the team for 2012 and as far as I know, the first Titans cheerleader from Chattanooga.”
The cheerleaders perform only at home games, but attend about 200 Titans events throughout the year.
“This is serious business being a Titans cheerleaders as we represent a big-time NFL team,” Ward stated.
“Any slip ups in any way and we are gone. No questions asked. This a big responsibility, but also a huge opportunity for me.”
The Titans organization looks for cheerleaders who can do much more than cheer, but are going somewhere in life.
“The squad includes ladies who have college degrees, master’s degrees and one even has her PhD.”
One smart young lady in her own right, Ward earned A’s and B’s throughout school, made the UTC Dean’s List three semesters and retained her Hope Scholarship all four years. In high school she received the leadership award and the 110% award as a cheerleader.
Tuesday is an important day for Ward who signs her Titans contract and also has a job interview. She plans to settle in Nashville early this summer.
“I hope to be hired in some type of sales position and my job needs some flexibility to complement my responsibilities with the Titans.”
Ward and all Titan fans are excited about the 2012 season.
“Our home schedule is great as we open against the (New England) Patriots and Tom Brady on Sept. 9 and (Tim) Tebow and the Jets come to town for a prime time game on Dec. 17.”
Other home games include Pittsburgh (Thurs. Oct. 11), Indianapolis (Oct.28), Chicago (Nov. 4) and the final home game with Jacksonville (Dec. 30).
As Brady and company watch from the sidelines prior to kickoff 17 Sunday’s from today, Ward will help lead the Titans on to the field at LP Field for opening day and the dream of a 7-year-old will become a reality.
“Cheerleading has been a fun ride and now I am looking forward to the next adventure,” she stated.
Auditions for the Brooklyn Nets all new dance team will be held on June 2nd at the Long Island University Brooklyn Campus. Audition prep classes kick off this Thursday, April 26 at Crunch Fitness in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. (The auditions will be much more involved than in the past; check back for more details on the new process.)
OPEN CALL AUDITION – SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 12:00 P.M.
Registration begins at 11:00 a.m.
Long Island University Brooklyn Campus
Wellness, Recreation and Athletic Center
161 Ashland Place, Brooklyn, NY 11201
AUDITION REQUIREMENTS:
Dancers must be 18 or older and have at least 8 years of technical dance training. Tumbling skills are a plus, but not required.
Wear fitted attire and non-marking sneakers or dance shoes.
Arrive in performance ready hair and makeup.
Select dancers from the open call will be invited to attend callbacks on Sunday, June 3. Finalists must be available the evenings of June 5, 6, and 7.
WANT AN EDGE? SIGN UP FOR A PREP CLASS!
NETS DANCER BROOKLYN INTENSIVE
Thursdays from April 26 through May 31, 8:15-10:15 p.m.
Crunch Fitness Fort Greene
691 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Learn a different NETS Dancer routine at each session.
Learn first-round audition choreography.
Receive audition tips from the NETS Dancer Coach and team captains.
Open to intermediate and advanced level dancers ages 18 and older.
$35 per session; $30 per session with the purchase of 3 or more.
Those who purchase all 6 sessions will receive an automatic pass through the first-round of auditions.
Visit http://shop.letsgonets.net or call 201-635-3147 to sign up today!
Trying out for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and not making it isn’t all that newsworthy. There’s a television show that has taught us that. But when it comes to a grandmother trying out for the team and not making it — when there was no joke about her tryout — is a bit newsworthy.
Sharon Simmons, a grandmother of two who is 55 years old, tried out for the squad this week and became a story, if not an inspiration, to many. She wasn’t stuck on her age and has been in fitness competitions the better part of a decade. Simmons didn’t make the cut, but that doesn’t mean her story won’t live on.
Sharon Simmons joined WDAE in Tampa with Ron and Ian to discuss how she stays in shape, her tryout for the Dallas Cowboys cheerleading squad, if she feels she didn’t make it due to age, if other girls asked how old she was and where she goes from here.
How do you stay in such great shape?:
“Number one, nutrition. Number two, a lot of difficult training. I have a personal coach that I work with. This week we did the TRX Training. Yesterday I did Nike Boot Camp Training and today I’ll do yoga.”
How did the tryout go with the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders?:
“It was fabulous. I had a blast. I did not make the final cut, but it was all worth it, every minute of it.”
Did you feel you didn’t make it because of your age?:
“I didn’t feel that at all, I really didn’t.”
Did the other girls come up and ask how old you were?:
“A couple of them did, but probably, my goodness, I’d say 95 percent, treated me like I was one of them.” Did you feel like one of them?: “I did.”
Where will you go from here. Are you doing fitness competitions?:
“This will be my seventh year in competing in fitness. I also danced in theatre, so I’ll continue to do that. And then I’ll be writing, and in fact I’ve already started, my second book.”
Is your husband pretty fit. Can he keep up with you?:
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Titans 53-man roster won’t be set until the end of August, but the 27 spots on the 2012 Tennessee Titans Cheerleading squad are final.
Click to view full size
A packed crowd at the Wildhorse Saloon in downtown Nashville watched and cheered last night as the 48 finalists auditioned for the eight celebrity judges in an event sponsored by Sun Tan City.
The panel of judges included Titans Pro Bowl safety Blaine Bishop and his wife, Cella, former Miss Tennessee USA Allison DeMarcus, Fox-17 Morning’s Kelly Sutton and award-winning country producer Michael Knox. Their vote counted two thirds of the final tally, while a previous interview with Director of Cheerleading Stacie Kinder made up the remainder of the ballot.
One of the strongest fields in the history of the event was made up of several college graduates, including 10 women with master’s degrees, and one Molecular Biology PHD candidate at Vanderbilt University.
“The talent and personal success stories in this group of 48 women are truly spectacular” Kinder said. “I think tonight was arguably the most competitive night we have had in many years because we had a pool of candidates that even starting back in the first round were excellent. We could have taken 40 contestants tonight, not just 27.”
The NFL lockout of 2011 led to an accelerated training camp and less time to prepare for last season, so for second year members like Anne P., a full off-season and summer training camp will be a whole new experience.
“I am really looking forward to this year and doing our swimsuit calendar shoot early, having our full training camp in June, and all of the typical pre-football celebrations that we didn’t get to do last summer,” Anne said.
The many long hours of athletic training and preparation, the summer boot camp, and practicing five nights a week while balancing a career is hard work, but “that first run out there on the field for that first game makes it all worth it,” Anne said.
Game day is when the public see the cheerleaders, but behind the scenes they are involved at many charitable and Titans community functions.
“I love going out in the community,” Anne said. “Nashville is a great community. It’s so awesome to be with the Titans and to be able to connect one-on-one and meet everybody that on a normal daily basis you would never get to meet.”
Some of the 2012 squad members are veterans, but just like the football team, there are always rookies to welcome in. Heather, from Birmingham, Ala., has been dancing since she was three years old and is one of the new members of the team.
“I think this year I really found myself, found my style, found what they were looking for and really grew into myself,” Heather said of making the team after missing the cut a year ago.
Becoming an NFL cheerleader is not easy. Kinder and her contestants pointed out that not every team has cheerleaders, and their team is about half the size of the football team.
The final cheerleader auditions were equivalent to the NFL combine, and draft night rolled into one. Instead of words like gamer, intangibles, and measurables thrown around by analysts, Kinder said that the difficult decisions made Wednesday evening came down to each cheerleader’s showmanship on stage.
“That’s when they dance they have that confidence, that charisma and that certain ‘it’ factor that you just can’t quantify,” she said.
2012 TENNESSEE TITANS CHEERLEADERS
Amber
Angela
Anne B.
Anne P.
Ashley A.
Ashley P.
Brintley
Brooke
Chocez
Erica
Evony
Heather
Heidi
Jalanda
Jena
Jessi
Jessica
Katy
Mariel
Molly
Stephanie A.
Stephanie B.
Stormi
Tandra
Tiffany
Whitney
Yalea
graduate has taken her from United Cheerleading to Loftis Middle to Soddy Daisy High School and four years of cheering for the Mocs.
Trying out for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and not making it isn’t all that newsworthy. There’s a television show that has taught us that. But when it comes to a grandmother trying out for the team and not making it — when there was no joke about her tryout — is a bit newsworthy.
