Earlier this month, six members of the Oklahoma City Thunder Girls and Dance Team Manager Carmen Butler traveled to Taiwan to participate in 2010 NBA Madness in Taiwan. They were kind enough to share some photos from their trip.

Continue reading OKC Thunder Girls in Taiwan

By Ma. Rosanna Mina
ABS-CBNNews.com

MANILA, Philippines – A half-Filipino is among the Miami Heat Dancers who are in the country to dazzle NBA and PBA fans with their moves and grooves in the NBA Asia Challenge 2010.

Filipino-Mexican “Maria”, whose mother is a full-blooded Filipino, said she is elated to be back in the Philippines.

More than anything else, it is Filipino cuisine which Maria misses the most.

“I miss the food. I miss the culture,” she told reporters at the Fiesta San Miguel restaurant in Dusit Thani Manila Hotel on Tuesday.

“It’s great,” Maria said. “I’m really glad to be back.”

Six of the 25 Miami Heat Dancers will perform at the NBA exhibition event at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on Friday.

Maria is joined by Shara, Taryn, Shea, Natalie and Natalia.

“It’s just such an honor,” Shara said of being invited to be part of the NBA Asia Challenge.

Just like Maria, Natalia is very excited to try Filipino dishes.

Shea, meantime, added that fans can look forward to watching “vibrant and energetic girls.”

She revealed that their routine will have a little bit of salsa from Miami as well as hip-hop.

Their “7th member” of the Miami Heat was also introduced during the press conference on Tuesday. It is no other than Burnie, the Miami Heat mascot.

Prior to the exhibition game on Friday, NBA Asia had lined up various activities for the players and fans.

The events scheduled on Wednesday are the NBA Cares Basketball Clinic, NBA Read to Achieve Activity, Team Practices and NBA Fan Day and Media Availability.

The venue for Wednesday’s activities is the Araneta Coliseum except for the storytelling activity which will be held at the nearby Ali Mall Activity Center.

The Coors Light NBA Pop-A-Shot Tour will be held Wednesday night at Metrowalk in Ortigas, Pasig City.

On Thursday, the NBA Asia Challenge Mall Tour will take place at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.

There will also be a Habitat for Humanity build in Caloocan City on Saturday morning.

Babson College
8/13/2010

Alyssa Ziemba, a 2010 Babson graduate with a MS in Accounting, was named one of the 18-member Celtics Dance Team.

Ziemba, from Thomaston, Conn., has been dancing since the age of 3 and competitively since she was 8. She was named Connecticut’s “Dancer of the Year” in 2005.

“The Celtics Dancers audition was a chance to learn and perform with the top dancers in New England,” said Ziemba. “Almost 300 tried out, with 36 advancing to the final auditions which took place over three long days. The final audition, which included a six- minute opening number, group audition, solo audition, and swimsuit round, was held at the House of Blues where a celebrity panel of judges chose the winners. The whole process made us even more excited to get to know each other and to start a great basketball season with the Celtics!”

While at Babson, Ziemba continued her passion for dance earning a place on the Babson Dance Ensemble (BDE) in her first year. During her junior year, she became activities coordinator for the BDE, and was vice president as a senior. Ziemba also served on the Senior Week Committee and as a Peer Mentor, and participated in the winter 2009 Ghana Study Abroad course.

Ziemba will use her Babson degrees (Masters in Accounting and Bachelor of Science in business administration) in her new position as staff auditor at BDO Seidman, LLP, in Boston, starting in January 2011. She is currently studying for the CPA (Certified Public Accountant) exam.

Boot camp is over and the new team has been selected. Go here to see the new squad.

By Marjorie Gorospe
Nation and World
August 25, 2010
[photos]

QUEZON CITY, METRO MANILA–Maria, a member of the Miami Heat dance group, says she is proud of her Filipino roots and culture her mother instilled in her.

“I know that whenever Filipinos see another Filipino, they feel very proud for that someone representing their country. So I feel honored to be a Filipina with a chance to represent every Filipinos for the Miami Heat,” she says.

Maria, who politely declined to give her full name, shares that her last visit in the country was when she was six years old when she visited Davao, her mother’s hometown.

“I was really young back then, but even if I was away from the Philippines, my mom brings her culture in our house. I grew up in an environment surrounded by Filipino culture and food like lechon and lumpia,” says Maria.

She says that one of the most important lessons she learned from her mom is to be respectful to elders. “It’s her constant reminder when I was growing up,” says Maria.

Maria says as much as she wants to visit her family in Davao, she only has a few days with the NBA crew in Manila. She adds that the few hours of free time she had was spent shopping at Greenhills with her co-Miami Heat dancers.

Out of more than 400 girls who auditioned to be a member of the Miami Heat dancers, she was one of those selected to undergo boot camps, rigorous training, and dancing sessions to stay fit.

“I felt so honored being in a great team. I love dancing and this is the best way for me to express my passion for dance,” says Maria, who started dancing at the age of 15.

Aside from her stint as a member of the group, Maria is also taking up a theater and dance course at Broward College. In her free time, she is a dance instructor for kids and a child-care giver.

As for the rest of talented Filipinos, she hopes that more will show to the world what Filipinos are capable of and that more will embrace their God-given talents.

“For every Filipino across the globe, you should embrace your talent and don’t be afraid. If it’s something that you love to do, then it’s something meant for you so don’t give up.”

Denver Nuggets: After a week-long audition process, 16 talented ladies have been selected for the 2010-11 Denver Nuggets Dancers. Of the 16, nine will be returning from last year’s squad, while seven will be making their NBA debut during the upcoming season.

MEET THE TEAM | AUDITIONS VIDEO FOOTAGE

Metromix Denver has photos from this past weekend’s Nuggets Dancers Finals.

[Metromix Nuggets Dancers Gallery]

[Denver Nuggets Dancers]