Sports Illustrated turned their attention to north of the border and has posted a gallery of the Toronto Raptors Dance Pak. To view their gallery, click on the image below.
Special to UC.com
SidelinePrep.com
May 26, 2016
On April 9th, the final audition was held for 2016-2017 Washington Redskins squad. Japanese native, Azusa made the team as one of eight rookies. The Washington DC area will be her new home for the next few years as she dances on the sidelines at FedEx Field in support of the burgundy and gold.
At the age of 5, Azusa started classical studio ballet in Tokyo. Since then, she has always loved dancing, performing and growing her technical abilities. In her college years in Canada, she didn’t have the opportunity to dance. She focused on her education but she missed performing and knew in the not so distant future that she would begin dancing once again. Her college degree landed her a reputable job for a major Japanese electrical company. Three years after she started working as a sales representative traveling to many countries like Germany, UK, Switzerland, Italy, China and Korea to conduct business, she began focusing on her love for dance again. She auditioned for IBM BigBlue cheerleaders, an American Football cheerleading team in Japan, and made it on her first attempt. From there her cheerleader life began.
In regards to cheerleading, Azusa said, “In the very beginning, I tried out because it looked like fun, but little by little, I was hooked.” During the summer of 2014, she took a Redskins Cheerleader workshop in Japan, which a former Japanese Redskins Cheerleader Maki Nakayama hosted. Then she started to think about trying out for the National Football League…with her eyes on the Washington Redskins Cheerleaders. She wanted to as well prepared for the auditions as possible, so in addition to taking numerous dance classes in Tokyo, she also applied for a spot on Sideline Prep’s Professional Cheerleader Coaching Program. She received one-on-one and group advice from Sideline Prep, pro cheerleader alumni, and other participants in the group. This also enabled her to have the “inside scoop” on auditions on the east coast. It was a great support system for preparing to be a pro cheerleader.
In January 2016, she attended Sideline Prep’s Pro Cheer Audition Prep Workshop where she was able to learn from and meet the top coaches in the DC area. Then in March 2016, she flew to Washington D.C to attend prep classes and try out for the Washington Redskins Cheerleaders. As Azusa thinks back to the auditions held at the beginning of April, she said “There was a moment where I exceeded my limit but I have always believed in myself and slowly but surely, I pushed myself through. After many hours of preparation and practice, now I’m happy to be a member of the First Ladies of the Football and can’t wait to perform at FedEx Field in front of fans!” Her journey as Redskins Cheerleader just has begun.
To register for either the pre-audition workshops or the open call auditions, please visit the Clippers web site at: Clippers.com/spirit.
Sports Illustrated turned their attention to the NHL with their coverage of the Dallas Stars Ice Girls. To view their gallery, click on the image below.
I never knew that shoveling ice was a spectator sport!
We are catching up on Sports Illustrated’s coverage of professional dance teams and they recently posted a photo gallery of the Oklahoma City Thunder Girls. Click on the image below to view the gallery.
Sports Illustrated has posted a large gallery of images of the Miami Heat Dancers. Click on the image below to view the gallery.
On May 1st, the Miami Dolphins held their final auditions for their 2016 cheerleader squad at the Rose and Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center on the campus of Nova Southeastern University. Over 800 dancers started the process, which included international auditions in Bogota, Colombia; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Mexico City, Mexico; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and local auditions in South Florida, and climaxed with 77 finalists in a pageant style final that was open to the public.
And regarding the 77 finalists…it was a cavalcade of beauty and talent worthy of one of the most visible entertainment groups in all of professional sports, the Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders.
This is the second year that I have covered the Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders Final Auditions with our Florida Correspondent, Jackson M. It is a wonderful event to shoot with the sheer numbers of absolutely gorgeous girls trying out and the unprecedented support we receive from the Dolphins organization, it makes for a magical experience and it is reflected in the shots we get.
Davie, Fla. – The Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders today at the Miniaci Theater at Nova Southeastern University selected 40 women to advance as Training Camp Candidates. These ladies will participate in a seven-week boot camp that consists of workouts, etiquette training, team building, uniform fittings, look development and performance training. Cuts are possible during the training camp period.
These 40 ladies were selected from the largest turnout for Miami Dolphins Cheerleader Auditions. More than 800 ladies registered to be the next Miami Dolphins Cheerleader, as the organization became the first NFL team to host auditions internationally, searching for enthusiastic, charismatic and talented women in Bogota, Colombia; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Mexico City, Mexico; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and South Florida to represent one of the most prestigious teams in the NFL.
[Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders]
[Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders Facebook Page]
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers posted a large gallery of images from their open call auditions. Click on the image below to see the photos.
