Third Team’s a Charm as Magic Dancer Danielle Does Double Duty

If you have tried out for a dance squad and ended up not being selected, you never really know what your future might hold.  For instance, the future can still bring a decade of performing on three NBA squads, in addition to becoming a game emcee, plus choreographing routines for squads that cheer for a variety of sports, and traveling to so many places around the world that it is easier to say where you have not been rather than where your NBA trips have taken you.

 

That is how things worked out for Danielle of the NBA’s Magic Dancers.  Danielle is in her tenth NBA season, with a single season in Cleveland, three more in Atlanta, and, is currently in her sixth season with the Orlando Magic. I had the wonderful opportunity to speak with Danielle before the November 10^th Magic home game against the Jazz in the brand new, beautiful Amway Center.

 

Originally from the Youngstown and Cleveland areas, Danielle has been dancing since she was three, and was on her high school cheerleading squad. Danielle says, “In high school, I was a cheerleader, because our cheerleaders were the girls who danced at the basketball games, so I toughed it out for football season.”

 

“I auditioned for the Cavs right out of high school and didn’t make it,” Danielle recalls. “I think I was just way too young.  I remember my interview, I was this little girl from this small town; I wouldn’t have hired me either.  I was so green, I had no idea.” Danielle then danced for three years in college, and then gave the NBA another shot. “In my senior year of college, I thought, I will try it, to see if I can slay the big bad beast,” Danielle explains, “It felt good to accomplish that.”

 

Danielle left Cleveland after college graduation for warmer climes, stating, “I danced for the Cavs senior year and then got the heck out, because it is way too cold.”  See, you can take the girl out of the Midwest, but you can’t take the Midwest out of the girl; but you can take away her ability to deal with slightly cool temperatures.  Danielle had been talking to her mom earlier that day, and told me, “I’m such a brat, being from here now, it gets so cold, it was 50 degrees the other morning, and I had the seat warmers on in my car.”  Her mom filled her in that it was 26 degrees in Ohio.

 

Danielle’s NBA experiences have run the spectrum and been completely different. Danielle remembers that ten years ago, in general, dance squads were less than they are today.  Now, the dance squads are much more effective branching out as organizational ambassadors in the community.  Plus, her Cavs year was pre-LeBron, when they were worst team in the league (“the powder blue and orange era”) and most of the fans came dressed as empty seats. Then, during her Hawks tenure, the team ownership was in transition, and then the owners controlled both the NHL Thrashers and the Hawks. At that time, the Thrashers were winning more than the Hawks, selling more tickets, and receiving most of the organizational emphasis.  Being part of the Magic, for Danielle, “This is, I have to say, the best experience.”

 

After a decade of NBA dance, she is now part of something that extends beyond her current squad, to personal connections throughout the league. Danielle explains, “I’ve been doing this a long time, and it is like a really big happy family.” When hearing I was from Indianapolis, she mentions Pacemate captain Melanie, “I love her! We met a Pro Dance, and just hit it off really great!” Danielle says about the NBA camaraderie, “It becomes like family. It’s nice, I feel like I can go anywhere and know someone.”

 

And going places has been a big part of Danielle’s NBA experience. Danielle states, “I feel so blessed. China twice, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, we just went to Spain this summer. In my first season, we went on Armed Forces Entertainment tours in Europe. So, two weeks over the Fourth of July, we visited bases and put on an hour variety show for the families. It was so awesome, because it was the Fourth of July, and it felt so good to bring that piece of home to them.” But there are still places for Danielle to cover, “I really want to see India and Africa, if I can squeeze those two out before I quit…” Due to conflicts with life in Orlando, Danielle did miss two trips that the squad took to China over the last couple of seasons for a reality show that is an Asian version of “So You Think You Can Dance.”

In addition to a decade on the court, Danielle’s experience also includes choreography and being a game emcee. As far as choreography, Danielle says, “I started in college, so that is where I started to get my feet wet. In Cleveland, it was a requirement. I had to choreograph a Christmas routine with these huge candy canes. I thought I was going to cry, because, ‘I don’t know what I am doing!’ It kind of built from there.” Living in Orlando has provided other opportunities because, “Orlando’s dance community is pretty small, and we get to know everybody. The sports dance community is very tight knit,” so Danielle has been able to choreograph routines for other local squads, from arena football to lacrosse to soccer.

 

As far as hosting games as the Magic emcee, Danielle says the genesis lay in the fact that, “I talk a lot, and in Atlanta, someone eventually gave me a microphone. I started emceeing a lot of events in Atlanta, not necessarily games. When I came down here, I helped with a lot of the broadcasting activities.” About three seasons ago, the Magic wanted to go in a different direction for game emcee, and looked to the Magic Dancers. Danielle explains, “There were three Dancers on the team at the time, Megan, Shana, and myself, and all of us had broadcasting and hosting experience.” Everyone loved the results, and the Magic Dancers have been in the emcee role ever since.

 

This season, Danielle splits the game emcee duties with former Magic Dancer Megan, who was named Miss Florida in 2009. I asked Danielle if she was nervous the first time to have the microphone in front of tens of thousands, and Danielle replied, “No, I’m not afraid to look stupid, ever. That doesn’t ever really make me nervous. You know what makes me nervous? Final auditions, and we dance in front of a really small, intimate crowd, and that freaks me out.”

 

Danielle double majored at Baldwin-Wallace, graduating with degrees in business marketing and dance. Danielle and her husband own their own training facility, as he is a sports performance trainer, training athletes. Danielle gets to use the marketing side of her degree for her business, and dance continues to be a big part of her life; not a bad way to parlay her education.

 

Danielle was married in October 2009, so they just had their one year anniversary. Even NBA scheduling helped them out. Danielle wanted to marry in October, her favorite time of year in Orlando. It happened to be a game night, but the next week the Magic was on the road, so, between honeymoon and wedding, she only missed one game.

 

So, like Danielle, you may not have made the cut during your first auditions, and things may work out. Even sometimes things don’t go so well as an NBA rookie, and things work out in unexpected ways. Danielle remembered from her Hawks days, “My friend Jennifer, in her first season in Atlanta, was running out onto the court. Your first time out there, in any arena, it is hard to get your bearings.  Usually if you go off the logo, it helps.  So, Jennifer was running to the sideline, tripped, fell flat on her face, we all cracked up laughing.” Jennifer’s fall would live a life of its own beyond that rookie season, as Danielle recalls, “Well, one of our girlfriends came down here in Orlando, to NBA City, and they were playing Jennifer’s fall on the big screen over and over and over.” But that was just was a little slip in a successful career, as Danielle explains, “Jennifer went on to have many successful seasons for the Hawks, and was selected to be their All-Star ambassador when they went to Vegas.  She ‘bit face’ on the court her first year and ended up in Vegas.”

 

It was then time for Danielle to run off to her pre-game emcee meeting. During the Magic-Jazz game, Danielle was seemingly at the mike or dancing at all of the breaks. She accomplishes these duties with boundless energy (even when battling through a little knee pain), glowing when she is on camera emcee-ing, and with high energy moves on the court, accompanied by a fiery wall of hair that echoes her moves. Danielle’s enthusiasm about her two roles is obvious, and she says, “I love doing both, I love the organization, I don’t want to leave!”

 

We thank Danielle and Magic Dancer Manager Jeanine Klem-Thomas for the opportunity to learn about Danielle’s fabulous career!