A sweet Valentine’s Day dance with a twist leads to nearly a decade of 3D Dancing Dancer Dads

When their Magic Dancer daughters ask, some dads are a definite ‘No’; some dads provide an unexpected ‘Yes’; and some dads pull a Carly Rae Jepsen-ish ‘Maybe.’ But those dads that take the nerve-wracking plunge into being one of the 3D Dancing Dancer Dads soon find they are part of a bigger Orlando Magic Dancers extended family with connections winding throughout the Amway Center. Started nine years ago this week, the Dancing Dads are the dads of current or former Orlando Magic Dancers, but they get their own big-time moments in the center court spotlight. And once some Dancing Dads get a taste of hardwood performances, they stick with it, for reasons like a chance to bond with their daughters, to become a team of pals with the other dads, and to go from sports fans to part of the NBA experience. And the Dancing Dads are like the Supreme Court Justices, they are appointed for life, even after their daughters’ terms with the Magic Dancers are over.

UltimateCheerleaders gained insight from two Dads whose daughters are still Magic Dancers. Gizelle’s Dad was a “definite maybe” when first asked about it, and Shaunte’s Dancing Dad was a surprising immediate affirmative. And also, we will hear from a Dancing Dad who remains on the team even though his daughter Lyndsay is no longer a Magic Dancer because she is getting married FRIDAY, and her fiancé’s on-court proposal from last season is two million YouTube hits popular. Family is a constant theme with the Orlando Magic Dancers and The Dancing Dads are an essential ingredient.

So let’s go back to nine years ago this week. Jeanine-Klem Thomas, the Orlando Magic Dancers Manager and Appearance Coordinator, has the Dancing Dads as one of her performance groups, and explains their genesis. “We started the Dancing Dads team in 2004,” Jeanine explains. “We had a game that fell around Valentine’s Day, and we decided to do a theme-y daddy’s little girl dance in honor of Valentine’s Day. We started out with a ‘Daddy’s Little Girl’ type of song, something really cute. I had them dance together, and then I had the dads push the daughters away, and take over to ‘Lean Back,’ I think. Conceptually, they pushed the daughters away, like, ’Hmm, we got this!’ Crowd went nuts! My boss at the time said, ‘Oh my gosh Jeanine, we have to start a team!’ And so, boom, that is how Dancing Dads started. They are hilarious!”

With the help of Jeanine and Cherie La Rosa, Assistant Manager to the Orlando Magic Dancers (the former Magic and Nets Dancer actually was an OMD when Dancing Dads started), now the Dancing Dads are an established entity, but back in 2004, the dads were a little hesitant. “I had to coax them onto the floor that first game,” Jeanine recalls. “Some of them have been here ever since. We have a few that have been here all nine years, and their daughters, maybe three, four, five, at the most; and their Dads are here nine. It’s so cute.”

One of those original Dancing Dads is Steve, whose daughter Kasey was an OMD back in 2004 at the start. His recollection of that initial performance, “The first time, it was a trick,” Steve says. “They said, ‘You are just going to go out there to dance with your daughters, and then they are going finish.’ No! When we came out here, they said, ‘Oh yeah, you are going to push your daughter off stage.’”

Veteran Dancing Dad Fred’s daughter was former Dancer Kristina, and when asked whether he was nervous his first time, responds, “The first time, oh yeah. I still get butterflies. It takes nerve to go out there and do it.”

But there is a thrilling aspect to hitting that big stage. Third-season Dancing Dad Mark explains the routines’ general flow, “Everything starts out kind of slow. Then, all of a sudden, BOOM. We did ‘Gangnam Style’ for the first one this year. I’ve always loved athletics. I thought when we broke into ‘Gangnam Style,’ the crowd was like, ‘ROAR!’ I just felt, WOW, I can see how these guys get charged up by a crowd. It was just neat.”

Plus Dancing Dads receive unique visibility, as Fred, wearing a blue Mohawk, recalls, “One year, they had us on the tickets. Twinkle Toes (an original member also named Steve), me, and one other Dancing Dad.”

But before we turn to the dads who became Dancing Dads, not every Magic Dancer’s dad is able or willing to try it. For instance Jamie is originally from Ohio, and was a Cavs Girl in Cleveland. So would Jamie like her dad to be a Dancing Dad? “If he lived down here, yes,” Jamie replies. “I always think about that to when I see the Dads, aww!” But would Jamie’s dad say yes to some finesse? “No, he wouldn’t,” Jamie laughs.

Laine is still hoping to convince her dad to join the fun. “I keep trying, it is like a work in progress,” Laine says. Does her dad have dance skills, like his OMD daughter? “Yes, but he has better singing skills,” Laine relates. “So he said if it was singing, it would be different.”

Shalize’s dad is former NBA standout Reggie Theus. Reggie was always known for unparalleled moves in the open court and sartorial super coolness off the court. But would Dancing Dads expose a weakness; the kryptonite to his cool reputation? Asked about Reggie being a Dancing Dad, Shalize responds, “He is just so busy, and on top of that, he has no rhythm.”

But Shalize’s mom has some ideas that she would like promoted within the Magic entertainment organization. “My mom, she is constantly saying, ‘Why doesn’t Jeanine come out with the Dancing Moms? Just ask her yourself!’” Shalize laughs. “’I say, ‘No, there are Dancing Dads for a reason, they think it is a little funnier.’ She said, ‘No, women will steal the show.’ She is so funny.”

And back at their holiday halftime performance, not all of the Dancing Dads could make it. One was five-year veteran Ashley’s dad Brian, who has been a Dancing Dad ever since Ashley was a rookie OMD.

“I never thought he would,” Ashley explains. “He is like a very sports family man. I have two brothers, and he always coaches soccer and baseball. He has been supportive of dance but never part of it.”

Did Ashley see her Dad dance a lot prior to becoming a Dancing Dad? “Never in my life!” Ashley exclaims. “He doesn’t dance at weddings, so it’s hilarious just to see him get up there. He loves it now, and the Dads have their little bond. They love it.”

Does Ashley ever get nervous FOR her Dancing Dad? “He is actually better now, but the first three years, he would be so lost and confused,” Ashley remembers. “I would be like ‘Dad, go, go, go!’ Like a three point turn, OH GOSH! The things we take for granted. He’s improved a lot, definitively proud of him. “

Ashley adds, “They really practice, and Sherri and Jeanine send them their videos and their music, and they are all rehearsing in the locker room. It’s funny.”

Rookie Elyse notes, “They seem like they try so hard as well. They ask, ‘Am I doing it right? Show me that one more time.’ It is really cute.”

Would Elyse like to see her pops become a Dancing Dad? “I DO!” Elyse answers. “And if I am on the team next year, I am going to try to get him to do it. My dad is a doctor, so he is on call a lot, and didn’t think he would be able to do it. But my teammate’s Dad (Emmy’s Dancing Dad Mike) is a doctor as well, so I said ‘Dad, maybe you can make it,’ So next year we will definitely have to get him out there.”

So let’s meet some of the Dancing Dads, who live in the middle, top, and bottom of the state. They come together to share in an exciting time in their daughters’ lives.

GIZELLE’S DAD PEDRO TURNS AN INITIAL ‘MAYBE’ INTO A SECOND SEASON ‘YES’

Gizelle is in her second season with the Magic Dancers, and has been a notable part of pro dance in Orlando the last few years, with a resume including two seasons with the AFL Predators and Head Captain of the UFL’s Florida Tuskers Cheerleaders. But as much as the energetic, outgoing Gizelle takes any opportunity to dance, her dad Pedro was a definite ‘maybe’ about being a Dancing Dad during her rookie season. “She tried last year, and I said, ‘Let me watch it first and see what it is, what’s involved in it,” Pedro says. “But it’s fun.”

Pedro has danced with Gizelle before, “I used to dance with her, when she was with the studio,” Pedro explains. “They used to get the dads involved with the girls doing numbers for competition, and I used to do a few of those with her. She has been dancing since she was three years old.”

During the afternoon break before the gates opened, Amway Arena was in audio-visual testing mode, and Pedro looked up to see Gizelle’s video on the huge, crystal clear video screen, including Gizelle being on stage during last year’s NBA All-Star halftime, in clear view right next to halftime star Pitbull.

Pedro took a photo of on-screen Gizelle as her video from the All-Star game filled the Arena. “And she was RIGHT THERE too!“ proud papa Pedro exclaims. “She was right in front of them all of the time.”

And sometimes, you just have to listen to dad’s wisdom. For the All-Star halftime, the petite Gizelle was put in the front of the stage. “She was saying, ‘Oh, they put me in the front, I am not going to be able to dance with people’” Pedro recalled. “I said, ‘Relax, go and have fun.’ And when she came out on stage, we were watching at home, and she was right in front of us, I said, ‘Look at that!’ So we recorded the whole thing. When she came out of the show, she called and asked, ‘You saw that?!’ ‘Yep, that’s what I told you, things happen for a reason.’”

And being Dancing Dad happened for a reason too. After a busy rookie season with a compressed schedule and a lot of All-Star game preparation, Gizelle loves that her dad joined Dancing Dads for her second season, and she knew best too: it’s a wonderful bonding experience with her dad.

SHAUNTE’S DAD CHUCK WAS RIGHT ON-TIME WITH AN NO HESITATION ‘YES’

Unlike Pedro, Chuck was an immediate affirmative to join the Dancing Dads, and his daughter Shaunte did not expect it.

Magic Dancer Shaunte loves having her dad Chuck part of Dancing Dads now, but Chuck says she didn’t always want him being part of her dance life, because his promptness was cutting into her fun time. “I remember when she was a little girl, I used to have to go sometimes pick her up from dance,” Chuck recalls. “Because I did 20 years in the Navy, I’m on-time for everything. If I am not there on time, I am late. So she would hate to see me pick her up because her mom was always late, and Shaunte wanted more time.”

Chuck lives in Jacksonville, a couple hours away, so Shaunte, now in her second season with the Dancers, did not expect her dad to consider being a Dancing Dad. But during Shaunte’s rookie season, Chuck says, “She was blown away because, last year was her first year, and Jeanine sent her a message requesting more Dancing Dads. So she forwarded the email to me, and she was shocked when I said I would do it, because I am travelling from Jacksonville to here. She was ecstatic, because I get a chance to come down here and spend the weekend with her.”

Chuck is a devoted Jacksonville Jaguars backer, and on the same day that the Jags hosted the Pats, it was the Magic’s holiday halftime, during which the Magic Dancers followed the Dancing Dads onto the court. “It’s pretty awesome,” daughter Shaunte says. “Actually for this routine, we are next to each other. Because, usually, he comes to the game and they dance first quarter, and we dance third quarter; we’re never together. But this is like the one time of year when we get to dance together. And he is a big Jaguar fan, and (Shaunte feigns the obvious, looking at her dad) I think they were supposed to have a game today. I told him, ‘Dad, you have to miss the game because you have to perform, because we have to dance together.’ So at the end of the dance, he actually right behind me; so we high five at the end of the dance.”

Chuck being a Dancing Dad gives them a chance to share Shaunte’s devotion to dance, even if she needs to help him out time and again. “It is a father-daughter bonding experience since he lives two hours away,” Shaunte says. “I actually give him some pointers here and there. I can’t have him going out there and embarrassing me (laughs). So today he was off on his spot and I went out there and kind of nudged him a little bit.”

But don’t the little imperfections add to the Dancing Dads charm? “I feel like they practice for two hours and they get a standing ovation,” Shaunte laughs. “And we practice all week, and people are like, ‘I am going to get a hot dog.’ So I get a little jealous. I think, ‘Come on man, we work pretty hard too.’ They are really good and they enjoy it.” Chuck adds, “It is fun, totally.”

Shaunte moved to Orlando to attend the University of Central Florida, and is working on becoming a physician’s assistant. So if school or work takes Shaunte away from Orlando, Chuck may still find himself making trips to Orlando to be a Dancing Dad. “When I am not on the team anymore, I am pretty sure he’ll still be out there,” Shaunte hypothesizes, as Chuck nods in agreement.

ALUMNUS LYNDSAY’S DAD MARK KEEPS THE FAMILY’S OMD CONNECTION IN TACT

If Chuck needs any evidence of a Dancing Dad who continues even with a long drive, he has to look no farther than teammate Mark. This season, with a new job and her wedding on Friday (!), Lyndsay left the Orlando Magic Dancers. But Lyndsay’s dad Mark is back, despite living a long distance to the south.

Mark also did not seem to be an obvious candidate for the Dancing Dads. “For me, I would not even dance with Lyndsay when she did Father-Daughter dances,” Mark explains. “I’ve never danced with my wife or anything. The first time I came out, my knees were shaking. There were 20,000 people out here.”

So did it take a lot of convincing when Lyndsay first asked; when did Mark say yes? “As soon as she asked,” Mark answers as he sits courtside during afternoon practice. “I love basketball. I could sit here all day and not do the dance and just watch this. We get to watch the players come onto the court and shoot some baskets. So it’s pretty neat. I look forward to it. I never thought I would ever do anything like this.”

Asked if Lyndsay missed being a Dancer, Mark responds, “She misses it today. She was jittery, and wanted to be here.”

But while her dad is readying himself for an on-court appearance, now it is Lyndsay on the concourse with her fiancé Alan on their way to their seats. Lyndsay echoed that her dad was ‘all in’ right away. “It didn’t take convincing at all,” Lyndsay re-iterates. “My dad says that he has found his calling in life and he has received what he needs from me in his life.”

Was Lyndsay surprised that Mark stayed with the Dancing Dads when she decided not to return to the Magic Dancers? “Uh, no,” Lyndsay laughs. “He brings a sharpie to the games just in case people ask for his autograph. He travels three and a half hours for the games. He has been up here the last three weekends in a row; he combines trips, to do the dancing. He is so dedicated to it. This is his exercise and it is very good for him. It has kept him motivated to be heart healthy.”

And Mark’s employer also holds up his time with the Dancing Dads as a positive example for others. “I work for a big company, and they always want you to have work-life balance, activities outside of work,” Mark explains. “The Vice President of my unit talks about work-life balance to crowds, and say, ‘Well, we’ve got a guy who does Orlando Magic Dancing Dads.’ And I know a lot of people in the company, so as he makes these speeches, they’ll pick up the phone and call me, ‘Hey, you are getting talked about today.’”

But Dancing Dads are always self-effacing about their performance abilities. Cherie walks over to say hi to the Dads, and Mark jokes, “We are very professional, she just fine tunes us.” Then, about Cherie’s Dancing Dads practice prior to the halftime performance, Mark says, “I think we do 35 seconds, and it took her two hours.”

Cherie laughs, “It did not. I would say it took me about 30 minutes to teach you guys.”

Mark says, “Cherie and Jeanine walk us through everything. These ladies are professionals, they put a lot of time into the show. Cherie has tremendous patience, because there are a couple of guys who really know what they are doing, but some of us don’t have a clue. I think we do a minute and ten seconds, and we usually practice six hours. And Cherie is SO patient, she never says, ‘You are messing up!’ She says, ‘That was really good, now try this.’”

“We came in a couple of weeks ago, and it was for a Saturday and Sunday rehearsal, and then we came back for a Friday game,” Mark recalls. “Well, we can’t remember from one day to the next, but a whole week?!”

But Cherie videotapes the Dancing Dads and emails it to them so they can review prior to the game. “It’s funny, because they are very precise on what they want and they really work hard to get it,” Mark says. “The Silver Stars (senior dancers) and her regular dance group do it. And they take their time with us, and we get as close as we can get. But they are very professional and on-key all of the time.”

But for a sports fan like Mark, getting to see this side of the NBA makes it more than worthwhile. “We get a huge kick out of it,” Mark says. “Last year we were playing the Lakers, and we can’t go inside the three point line, and Kobe was shooting (during practice). I am always on the end because I am terrible, and he started talking to me. We talked about 20 minutes, like I am his long lost friend. He was going off the court, and I said, ‘Kobe let me put my hands up and you shoot over the top of them, and I’ll have these guys take a picture. And he said, ‘Well, you know, we can’t do that. Besides, that shine off the top of your head, I wouldn’t be able to see the basket.’ For a geek like me, I tell everybody that story, ‘Man, I got to talk to Kobe Bryant!’”

Lyndsay recognizes her dad’s love of sports and what being connected to the Magic through the Magic Dancers means to him. “Well, I have three brothers and none of them were really into sports, and we were just talking the other day,” Lyndsay explains. “We were watching football, we were watching basketball, and I said, ‘Dad, what would you do if you had sons like Eli and Peyton Manning, that were pro football, pro basketball players?’ He said, ‘Lyndsay, I think you are the closest that I have to being a pro athlete.’”

Well, certainly being an NBA dancer is an elite club, if not even a bit more so than being an NBA player. Mark says of Lyndsay being a Magic Dancer, “It is a neat thing to be able to say you did it.”

And Lyndsay knows Mark loves his Dancing Dad experience as a result of her OMD time. “He is absolutely thrilled about it, and it is amazing to watch,” Lyndsay explains. “And my dad is not a very emotional person at all, and when I decided to stop doing the team, because I’m getting married and I have a lot going on, I have a new job; it is the most emotional I have seen him. He said, ‘What was the most fun about it, was doing it with you, and seeing it with you,’ because he never was able to experience sports with his kids, which he is so into. So it was a way to connect with one of his children with the things that he loves, which is sports and his daughter. He never thought he’d have something that would really let us connect like that. And we did, we had something that when I was 24 years old, that we really found a connection from. It has really been amazing and my family has really bonded over it. My mom loves to watch him, and nag him, about his dancing, so it has really been amazing.”

Lyndsay is a special needs counselor, which has been a passion for her and always part of her nature. In high school, Lyndsay put together an event for children with disabilities around the county called ‘Special Olympics High School Field Day.’ “She has this knack for it,” Mark says. “In fact, this is the eighth year, and we had 1200 participants, sponsors; it was huge! It was a lot of fun. (Your children) get you into a lot of stuff that you never get to do.”

But the connection of Lyndsay’s family to the Magic goes beyond Dancing Dads to even another dimension, as Lyndsay’s fiancé Alan proposed to her on the court last season after she danced with the OMD. Also, Alan asked Mark at a previous Magic game if he could ask for Lyndsay’s hand.

Mark’s memories of the engagement game are forever cemented in family history, recalling, “Twenty-one family members in the crowd, and nobody knew except my wife and I knew. My youngest son knew he was going to do it, and my oldest son, too, because we were at the game one night, and Alan, her fiancé, asked, ‘Do you mind if I marry your daughter?’ So they had 21 people in the crowd, and they were able to come down afterwards, and Jeanine and Cherie were absolutely great. It was very, very neat. You don’t get choked up about many things but that was one of those things.”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZAT8DviFvc[/youtube]

The proposal is on YouTube with over two million views. Lyndsay was in the dark that a proposal was eminent. “I had no idea,” remembers Lyndsay. “I thought I was in trouble, because one of the girls grabbed me and pulled me to the side, like in a tunnel that we do if players are coming out. And I thought, ‘Shoot, I am in trou-ble!’ Looking around and then I saw him there, and I was totally flabbergasted. And there were people from Fox News there, and I couldn’t even form words, I was like, ‘(high pitched random noises), OH MY GOD!’ I had no idea.”

So Alan, were you nervous to propose on court in front of tens of thousands? “No, I was not nervous at all, until I got on my knee,” Alan recalls.

And with all of the views on YouTube, Lyndsay says, “The comments on it are just hil-lar-i-ous! Reading them, my dad sat there crying laughing, it was just so funny.”

Lyndsay reflects, “So the Magic really has become such a part of our family. Between my dad, he is such a sports guy, me, and my whole family is here at the game today. My dad has always put his kids first, his wife first. I’ve never really seen him do something for himself, and this is what he does for himself. This is his thing, it makes him happy.”

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So the family connections are bountiful throughout the OMD program, from Jeanine’s daughter Malia dancing with the Magic Mini’s, to the Dancing Dads, to on-court proposals, to former OMD Tara’s husband as emcee, to Heather, a former OMD who dances for the Detroit Pistons now, while her dad Tom still a Dancing Dad in Orlando. And the Dancing Dads are an essential component, after all, there would be no Orlando Magic Dancers without them!

Thanks so much to all of the Dads and Magic Dancers for sharing their experiences! And especially thanks to the n’th degree to Jeanine, Cherie, and the rest of the Orlando Magic organization.