By Evan Mohl
The Galveston Daily News
July 25, 2010

TEXAS CITY — Amber Martin sat backstage at The House of Blues on Tuesday. The 2008 Texas City graduate had been at this same spot last year, waiting for her name to be called. Only it didn’t happen.

Mostly nervous and partly preparing for another disappointment, Martin ignored the music and all the fans sitting around the stage. She didn’t even pay attention to the other dancers. She put up a wall.

A first name got called with screams and cheers. Then another. The third name came across the microphone, and Martin raised her head.

Was it hers? She thought so but wasn’t sure. No one was cheering and no other girl ran up to accept a spot as part of the 2010 Houston Rockets Power Dancers.

Finally, coach Susie Boudwin announced “Amber Martin” again. Martin came running out, with a huge smile and received her pompoms.

The 20-year-old did it. She made the Houston Rockets Power Dancers.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Martin said. “Words couldn’t even describe the feeling.”

A Dream

Martin giggles about her dream to become a Rockets Power Dancer. She always has loved to be on stage, performing and dancing since she was a toddler.

But she also has a thing for the Rockets. Throughout her childhood, Martin attended games with her family. She enjoyed watching players like Hakeem Olajuwon and Tracy McGrady.

Yet the dancers caught Martin’s eye. She couldn’t believe how 20 girls could captivate an arena of 20,000 people.

Martin wanted to do that. She figured now, at a young age with minimal responsibilities and nothing to lose, was the best time to try.

“I have lots of goals I’d like to accomplish,” Martin said. “But this is one of my dreams, and if I wait too long, it may never happen.”

A Failure And Lesson

Martin tried out in 2009. She wanted to give the Power Dancers a shot, even though she didn’t know much about it. She had no idea the dancers even got paid.

“I just wanted to check it out,” Martin said. “Just to see if I had a chance and what it was all about.”

Martin got a wake-up call. She realized the skill, technique, work and effort it took to make the team. She had to go through a boot camp, three-hour learning sessions and constant judging.

Despite her unfamiliarity and ignorance, Martin hung in at the tryouts thanks to her dancing experience. She picked up the moves rather quickly and advanced to the final round.

Renewed Focus

After getting cut in the final round, Martin realized she had a chance to fulfill her dream. She was determined not to let it slip away.

Martin returned to College Station, where she attended Texas A&M University, and got to work. Between classes, she went to the gym. She also took multiple dance classes each semester to maintain and improve her skill.

Martin estimated she spent two to three hours four days a week in the gym or at a dance class.

“I gained muscles I didn’t know I had,” she said.

Martin also ate well — mostly fruits and vegetables. It helped that she’s lactose intolerant and doesn’t like fried foods.

A Second Chance

Martin came into this year’s tryouts with a new mindset: determined, focused and ready.

She was not fazed by learning dances in 30 minutes, three-hour auditions, interviewing, running laps, receiving criticism or facing off against 204 dancers for 18 spots.

Martin also pulled out all the stops. When Martin introduced herself at The House of Blues in the final round, she said her name and did the moonwalk.

“The crowd went nuts, and I could see the judges smiling,” Martin said. “I just wanted to go for it, and that’s a move that always makes people smile. Ever since high school, I’ve always done it, so I figured why not now?”

It clearly worked.

Back Home

Martin moved back to Texas City to get closer to the Toyota Center so drives to practices and games won’t be too long. She’ll attend the University of Houston-Clear Lake.

Martin said she’s looking forward to appearances and being a representative of the Houston basketball organization. She can’t wait for opening night, when she’ll be on the basketball court, helping get the crowd pumped up for a new Rockets season.

Now, all eyes will be fixed on her.

“It’s really a dream come true for me,” Martin said. “I still can’t believe my name got called.”

Rockets.com
July 22, 2010

Houston - After ten days of intense training, multiple auditions and nerve-wracking performances, the results are in and a new generation of Rockets Power Dancers has been unveiled.

Culminating a process that began with the initial round of auditions on July 11th, 18 lovely and talented dancers were chosen Tuesday night at the House of Blues in downtown Houston to join RPD co-captains Ebony, Ginger, Natalie, and Christie on the squad for the upcoming season.

The event marked the second time that the Rockets have held the final auditions in public, and more than 1,000 people were on hand to witness the festivities which included top-notch performances from all the finalists, plus Clutch the Rockets Bear, Launch Crew, Little Dippers and the Space City Seniors.

If you weren’t able to attend, don’t worry - Rockets.com has you covered with video footage (click here)
and a slide show (click here)
from the event.

And be sure to keep an eye on the Rockets Power Dancers’ homepage in the weeks and months to come for more pictures, news and information on the ‘10-11 team.

[Finals photos on 39online.com]

[Finals photos on KVUE.com]

[Finals video on Click2Houston.com]

By Paula Beltrán,
Houston Press
Jul. 22 2010

[Houston Press Slideshow]

The Rockets Power Dancer final auditions were in full swing Tuesday night: oh the glamour, the perfectly-sculpted legs … the NASA engineer adjusting her hot shorts?

Yup.

“I’m an engineer at NASA, so when I’m not dancing I work with some of the best and brightest in Houston,” Summer Williams told Hair Balls. Williams has legs that Bridget Jones would kill for, but she has an even longer title: Sustaining Engineering Lab Manager in the Avionic Systems Division.

At NASA — which just puts the rest of us saying we don’t have time, or we are too drained by the daily grind to work out, to sh-sh-shame, people.

The women endured several weeks of grueling physical preparation — you try landing that step perfectly every time and then covering up the bruises that come with perfection. They devoted all their available time to achieving that winning combination of form, technique and, of course, sequined hot shorts and bedazzled bras.

The judges selected eighteen of the thirty women that tried out for the honor of cheering the Rockets this season.

Geneva Gordon was one of those selected and she was bubbly as she told us that this will be her third season with the Power Dancers. The artist is also celebrating her sculpture show currently at the Lawndale Art Center.

This season’s Rockets fans will also have the chance to appreciate the athleticism of Rachel Snow and Yvette Nguyen, who although new to the Power Dancers, have plenty of experience cheering for teams.

Nguyen, a recent Marketing graduate from UT-Arlington, used to dance and skate for the Dallas Stars, and Snow spent two seasons with the Texans.

True, they’ll have to get used to winning more often now.

The best part for all the ladies whether they made the team or not?

A break from the endless stretching.

There are tons of photos of this year’s RPD tryouts on the web.

Click here for photos from 39 online

Click here for photos from Mike McGuff

Click here for photos from Click2Houston.com

Click here for photos more photos from Click2Houston.com

Vote Now For Your Favorite RPD Finalists!
Houston Rockets: It’s time to cast your vote to help determine who will join captains Christie, Ebony, Ginger, and Natalie on the 2010-11 RPD Squad! Vote now for your top 3 candidates between now and Monday at midnight to ensure your favorites make the cut. The top vote getter will be announced at the RPD Final Auditions.

Final auditions are OPEN TO THE PUBLIC! They will be held from 7-9 PM on Tuesday, July 20 at the House of Blues

2010-2011 RPD FINALISTS….Click here to vote!

Rockets Power Dancers Auditions Running Diary
John Dabkowski
Rockets.com
July 14, 2010

HOUSTON - In what has become a midsummer tradition to rival the 4th of July, Rockets Power Dancers auditions were held this past Sunday at Toyota Center. More than 200 RPD hopefuls turned out this year, looking to impress the judges with their dancing, showmanship, fan interaction and more.

Our self-described ‘hopeless romantic’ and resident Rockets Power Dancer Expert Jason Friedman was away on Summer League duty, so I filled in for him in the illustrious role of Rockets.com guest judge. Jason asked only one thing of me: to continue the tradition of a running diary on audition day. So even though my prior writing duties for the Rockets up to this point have been limited to 140 character Tweets and Facebook, hopefully I can paint a picture of a day in the life of a Rockets Power Dancer judge.

10:03AM – Arrival at Toyota Center

The honor of parking in the loading dock of Toyota Center is the first perk for the RPD judging panel. For me, this is already an improvement compared to a typical work day. Usually the underbelly of the building is reserved for the likes of Aaron Brooks, Shane Battier and the rest of the Rockets personnel as they come and go for practices and games.

Upon arrival, I was greeted by some veteran RPD Dancers who were not required to compete in the preliminary auditions. I was quickly whisked upstairs to a conference room overlooking the Rockets’ practice court (the setting for today’s auditions). Here we’ll have a pre-audition judges meeting to give us direction on our task.

10:15AM – Judges Meeting and Audition Warm Up

The 27 judges for today’s auditions are a mix of Rockets employees, RPD alumni, dance instructors and coaches, radio personalities from around Houston, plus a lucky Rocket Season Ticket Holder, among others; a solid group of people who will no doubt be seeing much of RPD during the 2010-11 season as they perform at Toyota Center.

As our meeting continues, warm ups are well underway on the practice court beneath us. We have found out which song will be continually pounded into our brains for the next couple of hours – “Break Your Heart” by Taio Cruz, an unfortunately ironic title for those who will not advance to round two. The court is packed with more than 200 ladies looking for their moment in the spotlight. They are given instructions for the routine by RPD Coach and Choreographer “Sweet Susie” Boudwin and some RPD vets from this past season.

My first thought: Prep Classes are a must. While I’m a dancer strictly on special occasions only (read: open bar weddings), I can’t imagine even the most weathered expert being able to completely nail a dance routine in a limited amount of time and an even more limited amount of space. Oh, and don’t forget to add in the pressure cooker environment that is RPD Auditions. Preparation is key.

11:03AM – Round One of Auditions Begin

For the first round of auditions, the process could not be simpler. Each RPD hopeful will perform in a group of eight to ten for the judges. They will receive a simple “Yes” or “No” from each judge to continue to the next round. This is based on each lady’s dancing, fitness, look, personality, etc and whether we think they have potential to perform before 18,000+ Rockets fans on more that 41 nights this season.

Luckily, with my amateur judging experience, I have been placed next to a long-time member (and former captain of RPD) Carrie. Upon asking her for advice during today’s proceedings as a non-dance expert, she gives me this simple tidbit: “Look for those who stand out in the crowd. You’ll know who can do this and who can’t.” Pretty good advice I’d say. Thankfully, I was able to lean on the thoughts of Carrie and Rockets Game Operations Coordinator Jackie Maldonado all day.

The process is a whirlwind. Group after group after group enter the court. The best comparison I could think of all day: a cross between “So You Think You Can Dance?” and Speed Dating.

1:15PM – Round One of Auditions End

After a two-hour plus process, the judges’ tallies have been calculated and we know who is moving on to Round Two of preliminary auditions. The judging panel is scaled back in the next round to a much smaller group of Rockets employees, RPD Alumni and coaches. Fortunately, I’m still included in this group. Susie announces that we’ll need to be back at 4:00PM to continue with Round Two. A welcome surprise. The scheduling gods looked down on us today. I’ll get to watch the entire World Cup Final!

4:00PM – World Cup Thoughts

Perfect timing. Andres Iniesta of Spain broke Dutch hearts with his classy finish just as we were being summoned for the next round of auditions. This is something I can actually offer a somewhat educated opinion on. Clearly not the best match, but the Final rarely delivers in that respect. Too much pressure on the players, combined with too much fear of making a fatal error. The referee Howard Webb is taking lumps for his performance, although other than two or three of the early yellow cards, I thought he managed a physical (and sometimes dirty) match quite well. Cesc Fabregas changed the game when he came on for Spain in the 85th minute. Why he wasn’t given more time in the tournament is beyond me. Ok, back to RPD.

4:10PM – Round Two of Auditions Begin

Things are changed slightly for Round Two. Again, the group of judges is cut in half. While I was reveling in the World Cup Final, the ladies who advanced were busy practicing a routine set to OMG by Usher. Trouble. Big trouble. This one will be in my head for eternity. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Ohh my gosh. Thanks, Usher.

Our scoring process has also changed. For each dancer, there are three categories to judge. Court appeal, showmanship, and dance ability. Each is scored on a scale of 1 through 5. A score of one meaning “Poor”, a score of five meaning “Excellent”. Only four to five ladies perform in a group during this round.

6:00PM – Round Two of Auditions End

After much deliberation and debate (plus one dramatic callback for five contestants), Susie informed the 32 finalists who will compete in RPD Final Auditions on July 20 at House of Blues. These 32 will join the returning group of RPD veterans to compete for spots in the 2010-11 Rockets Power Dancers. Among the finalists: Brittany, our first original member of Little Dippers to compete for a spot on RPD. Brittany was a member of Little Dippers in their first season four years ago and has returned to the Rockets with the hope of reaching the next level with RPD. Also included are Kirsten and Kristen. You guessed it. They are twins who are identical in look, outfit and dance style. Clearly auditioning as package deal, even their registration form and submitted pictures were borderline indistinguishable.

After seeing the fresh talent on display today I’m confident that after the final competition at House of Blues, Susie and co. will have a great team that Rockets fans will enjoy all season long.

I left Toyota Center with two final thoughts in my head on Sunday:

First, it takes some serious courage to come out and put it all on the line and try to become a finalist for an RPD squad. To perform and be judged in such a high pressure situation is reason enough for praise. All 200+ participants should be lauded for that alone.

The second comes courtesy of Usher, who is lodged in the forefront of my mind for at least the rest of the day: Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Ohh my gosh.

Our friend Albert in Texas came through like a champ once again. This time, it’s a two-fer. We’ve got the Snake Charmers, dance team for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, and a few shots of the Houston Rockets Power Dancers, who were in town for special appearances. Albert has a tone of great photos - too many for us to post here. Check this out, and then click here to see more of the Snake Charmers, and click here to see more of the Power Dancers!

Uniform shots and profiles are now online for the Houston Rockets Power Dancers. Click here to go there now.