Once Upon A Time In Atlanta: The 2019 P-R-O Convention – Part Two

This is my 10^th year covering the annual P-R-O Convention in Atlanta.  It is my favorite event of the year to cover because I get to photograph professional cheerleaders from all over the country and some from outside the US.  It’s a wonderful experience and every year I get some memorable photographs.

The P-R-O Convention in Atlanta is the premier professional cheerleading convention and attracts the very best professional cheerleaders and choreographers in the nation. Squads from the NFL, NBA, minor league sports, and several college dance teams gathered in Atlanta for a fun filled weekend of dance, team building and networking.

The staff of All-Pro3 gave UltimateCheerleaders.com complete access to the convention’s events.  In the second part of my article, we continue our coverage of P-R-O with a report on Sunday’s events.

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SUNDAY

Sunday is always a busy day.  Its getaway day, but it is also a day full of dance choreography compressed into a six hour period. Thirteen dances were taught and there was no lunch break.  Classes were scheduled from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. with no down time.

Promptly at 8:00 a.m. things got underway with a brisk warm up and stretching session.

Sideline Blitz – 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.

For the past several conventions, the staff have put together a mash up of mini dances that they call the Sideline Blitz.  Each instructor comes up to the stage and choreographs a couple of eight counts and they run the steps a few times before the next instructor comes up and repeats the process.  When all of the sequences have been introduced, they run the music and let it go.  It’s a fun little exercise that gets the girls all pumped up and ready for what comes next.

After the Sideline Blitz, it was time for the first session of dance instruction.  There would be four classes in this sesion: Derric Whitfield – jazz, Theresa Baugus – pom, Brandii McCoy – holiday, and a technique class.  At the conclusion of the instruction, the girls showcased what they learned in the grand ballroom.

Session 2 – 10:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

After the first showcase, the girls hurried off to their next scheduled round of sessions.  In this portion, there were four more classes taught: Tara Battito – rock, Jakene Ashford – jazz, Jerrod Fewell – funk, Tracy Rutledge – classic rock.

Session 3 – 12:15 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.

It was a little after noon and the last session of the day began. Four more dances were taught: Katie Gibbons – sassy jazz, Marla Viturello – jazz/funk, Dres Reid – groove/funk  and Denise Garvey – novelty.

After the final showcase, the girls gathered near the stage.  The convention sponsors had a few items to raffle off and several attendees received a nice gift to remember their time in Atlanta.  And with that, the 16th edition of the P-R-O Convention came to a close. 

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I would like to thank Brandii McCoy, Alto Gary, Tracy Rutledge and the staff of AllPro3 for allowing me to cover the 2019 P-R-O Convention.  This was my 10^th year covering this amazing event and I had another wonderful experience.  See you next year!