A Boston Cannons Dancer
Hundreds of patrons were in attendance at the legendary Hard Rock Café on Saturday afternoon for the New Orleans VooDoo Doll Finals. The franchise is very pleased to announce that 18 young ladies have been selected to represent the franchise for the 2014 season as VooDoo Dolls.
“My self and the judges were so amazed at the amount of talent we had come out to audition,” said VooDoo Doll Director Jasmine Martijn. “I’m beyond pleased with our 2014 Dolls selected and can’t wait for the fans to meet them at our season opener on March 29.”
The New Orleans VooDoo welcomes back six VooDoo Doll veterans, having danced for the team last year or in years prior.
The 2014 VooDoo Doll Dance Team is listed below:
Taylor Ann – California
Alisia – Lafayette, Louisiana
Tiffany – New Orleans, Louisiana
Marci – Slidell, Louisiana
Brooke – Metairie, Louisiana
Jaime – Harvey, Louisiana
Jasmine – Harvey, Louisiana
Brittany (B-Dub) – Kenner, Louisiana
Lynn – New Orleans, Louisiana
Kinetra – New Orleans, Louisiana
Mildred – St. Bernard, Louisiana
Kayla – Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Rachel – Harahan, Louisiana
Christian – Harvey, Louisiana
Amber – St. Bernard, Louisiana
Lon’Rai – New Orleans, Louisiana
Tyranika – New Orleans, Louisiana
Victoria – St. Rose, Louisiana
ABOUT THE CHOREOGRAPHERS
Jamilla Keene
Jamilla Keene is currently in her first season as the Assistant Director for the Washington Redskins Cheerleaders. She recently retired after her 10th seasons with eight of them as a line captain. As a Redskins Cheerleader, Jamilla has traveled the world performing for our military, as well she has danced with artists such as Wale, MC Hammer, Billy Cyrus, Chuck Brown, La Chic, and for the Radio One 25th Anniversary with likes of stars such as Beyonce, P.Diddy & Aretha Franklin in attendance. She had the honor of representing the “First Ladies of Football” at the 2005 NFL Pro Bowl in Honolulu, HI and received numerous WRC awards during her 10 year tenure as a dedicated team member and Captain. Jamilla also is a current company member of Capitol Movement, Inc., a nonprofit dance organization based in Washington DC. Prior to her professional cheerleading career, Jamilla cheered on the nationally ranked George Mason University Coed squad for five years, and then coached the George Mason University All-girl squad for four years. Jamilla is also a former Universal Cheerleaders Association instructor of seven years, and also worked for All-American Cheer and Dance.
Derric Whitfield
Derric is the Dance Team Manager and choreographer for the NBA Washington Wizard Girls. He is in his third season with the team and has truly transformed the style, look, and attitude of the Wizard Girls. Prior to accepting the position with the Wizards, Derric coached the Houston Rockets Little Dippers and Space City Seniors for six seasons, as part of the Houston Rockets organization. Derric also coached the Houston Energy Code Red Dancers, the AFL2 Texas Copperheads dance team and the WNBA Houston Comets Team NRG. He is also an instructor at the P-R-O Convention held every year in Atlanta.
Liz Guaraldo
Elizabeth Guaraldo has been the Coach for the Major Indoor Soccer League’s (MISL) Baltimore Blast Cheerleaders for six years. The Blast Cheerleaders have released numerous swimsuit calendars, performed at the AST Dew Tour and traveled to Bermuda to participate in the Island Soccer League (ISL) All Star game. She is also the Coach for the North America Lacrosse League’s (NALL) Baltimore Bombers Cheerleaders. In addition, Liz coached the dance team for the Baltimore Mariners. Prior to taking on the role of being a Coach, Liz was a 2005-2006 Washington Redskins Cheerleader. She went to college at UMBC where she was on their dance team as both a member and a captain.
Kelly Allen
Kelly is the Coach for the Professional Indoor Football League’s (PIFL) Richmond Raiders Dance Team. Kelly recently hung up her pom poms where she was a Washington Redskins Cheerleaders for 7 years and a Wizard Girls Dancer for 3 years, holding the title of Captain for both teams. She choreographed for the Washington Wizard Junior Dancers and made several trips to the Middle East, Europe, the Balkans, Central America, and Greenland to entertain and boost the morale of our troops. Kelly is currently a member of the Capitol Movement Dance Company. In her “spare” time Kelly is also a singer with Kaleidoscope, a 10-piece band based in Maryland, and has done all types of performances ranging from NFL Football games to the Inaugural Balls for Presidents George Bush and Barack Obama.
By Joey Millwood
BlueRidgeNow.com
When Laura Bebo was a cheerleader at East Henderson High, her focus was on one thing.
“When you’re in high school, you can’t see past Friday night,” she said.
That view has changed dramatically over the last three years. Not only is Bebo a cheerleader for the Carolina Panthers, but she’s heading to Hawaii to be in the NFL Pro Bowl on Sunday, Jan. 26.
As a high school cheerleader, the thought of cheering on Sundays never crossed her mind. It didn’t even cross her mind to audition for a collegiate team.
The 24-year-old graduated from East in 2007 and went to college at UNC Charlotte. At the encouragement of her friend, Jenny Baker, she tried out for the 49ers cheer team and ended up cheering on the Charlotte football team for the last three years of her schooling.
She graduated with degrees in environmental science and education, and is a science teacher at Brawley Middle, just north of Charlotte.
That’s one of her full-time jobs. Her other is being a TopCat.
Bebo has been a member of the TopCats for the last three years and was voted into the Pro Bowl by her teammates — one of the highest honors she has received.
“That’s the biggest honor,” Bebo said. “It’s an incredible feeling when your team thinks you’re worthy to go.”
And she is worthy, TopCat coach Richelle Williams said.
“Laura has demonstrated not only commitment and hard work, but a genuine passion for the Panthers organization and TopCats program,” Williams said. “I’m thrilled that Laura is representing the TopCats at the Pro Bowl in Hawaii. The fans will love her.”
Bebo has worked hard to get to this point. She was a little more prepared about cheering at the next level when she was on the verge of graduating from Charlotte. Again encouraged by Baker, Bebo tried out for the Panthers’ squad in the spring of 2011.
That also happened to be her final semester of college and the semester she spent student teaching.
It was a busy semester. That busy schedule, however, got busier by the next fall. Bebo was teaching from 7:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. and then fulfilling duties as a TopCat all over Charlotte and has maintained that routine for the last three years.
There are appearances through the week, two practices per week and on Sunday, she’s cheering in front of more than 70,000 fans.
“It’s so similar and it’s totally different in the same way,” she said of cheering in front of that large of a crowd.
The nervousness on Friday nights was different because she knew so many faces in the crowd. The large crowd is actually a little more comforting, she said, because there’s “no way that everyone can be looking at you.”
A lot of people were watching the Panthers this weekend as Cam Newton, Luke Kuechly and the team hosted the San Francisco 49ers Sunday in the second round of the NFC playoffs. The Panthers lost 23-10.
Bebo experienced the building excitement over the last three years. Her first year was also Newton’s first year with the franchise. This year, they made it to the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
“It’s just abuzz,” she said in the weeks before the game. “People can’t stop talking about it. It starts with the team. It’s translated to the fans. We can feel it. We can feel the excitement.”
And that excitement is something that Bebo never wants to let go of. Officially, she can only cheer professionally for 10 years, but she likes to wish she could be a TopCat forever.
“We want to live and breathe TopCat life for as long as they’ll have us,” Bebo said.
The Manchester Monarchs Hockey Organization, the AHL affiliate of the LA Kings, is proud to announce the creation of the NEW Manchester Monarchs Promo Squad! We are currently looking for a group of energetic, talented, outgoing, charismatic, and personable women to be a part of the Manchester Monarchs Promo Squad.
The New Promo Squad will be in attendance at the Manchester Monarchs home games and will be heavily involved in game day promotions and activities while interacting directly with and motivating fans and creating the ultimate fan experience. Mirroring the likes of the LA Kings Ice Crew, the Promo Squad will be assisting in on-ice and off-ice promotions and will have the opportunity to represent the Manchester Monarchs organization throughout the community and become ambassadors for the Monarchs organization.
Auditions for the NEW Promo Squad will be held on Sunday, January 19, 2014, at the Executive Health and Sports Center in Manchester, NH. Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m.
Michelle Gagnon joins the Manchester Monarchs as the Director of the New Manchester Monarchs Promo Squad. No stranger to the entertainment world, she has studied dance with schools such as Dance Visions Network in Manchester, NH and has attended classes at the Boston Ballet School. Michelle has been teaching dance for over 15 years around New England.
Michelle is a former New England Patriots Cheerleader, where she was also a member of the Patriots Cheerleaders Show Troupe, traveling to and performing at military bases across the country. While a member of the Cheerleaders, she had the honor of performing at Super Bowl XXXVI, helping the Patriots to their first Super Bowl win. In addition, Michelle is a former Captain and Director of the Manchester Wolves Arena Football Dance Team. For the past 3 years, Michelle has been the head coach and choreographer for the competitive Southern New Hampshire University Dance Team.
Outside of dance, Michelle has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Southern New Hampshire University where she graduated Summa Cum Laude and a member of the National Business Honor Society. Michelle currently works as the Northeast Style Pro for Angela King Designs, Inc. and Go Wild! Wear providing custom costumes and uniforms for dancers and professional dance and cheer teams throughout the Northeast United States. She is also a consultant with Going Pro Entertainment, providing consulting and training for those who wish to pursue college or professional cheerleading and/or dancing. Michelle also teaches dance at Dance Etc. in Billerica, MA.
If you are interested, or know someone who is interested in auditioning for the NEW Manchester Monarchs Promo Squad, please contact the Promo Squad Director, Michelle Gagnon at MichelleGagnon12@outlook.com for more information. Please also visit us at www.ManchesterMonarchs.com for audition information and paperwork.
[Monarchs Promo Squad on Facebook]
A Houston Texans Cheerleader
In the rain – Samantha of the NY Jets Flight Crew
Looking for: Black, Asian, or Hispanic, young, gorgeous, experienced female host. Needs to be hilarious, of the cuff, and good in any situation presented.
Bonus: Needs to be a fan of cheap traveling and can get along with anyone in any situation.
Time is of the essence. Please send reel ASAP to brandy@northsouth.tv
Caitlin Johnston
Tampa Times
Dotti Groover-Skipper thinks every person has key life events that shape the person he or she becomes. For her, it was her time as a Miami Dolphins Cheerleader and as a self-esteem instructor in Tampa that led to her work fighting human trafficking. As chairwoman of the Community Campaign Against Human Trafficking-Tampa Bay, she’s heavily involved in raising awareness of the issue and promoting January as National Human Trafficking Awareness Month. Tampa Bay Times staff writer Caitlin Johnston talked with Groover-Skipper, 57, recently to learn more about the issue.
I know trafficking itself has been going on for decades, but when do you think it became the prominent issue it is today?
I have to give a lot of the credit to the Commission on the Status of Women, of which I’m vice chair, who held a fall forum back in November 2012 and really shone a spotlight on the issue of child sex trafficking. We brought community leaders together to begin a dialogue of how can we work together to eradicate child sex trafficking … We were then charged to go back to the county commissioners with the recommendations that we gleaned from the forum on what the county could do to help solve this problem of child sex trafficking.
Can you tell me a little more about the Abolish Movement?
The Abolish Movement is just amazing. Ad2 Tampa Bay was the creative organization that put this campaign together. It’s very edgy, I think. Very youth oriented, which is a target that we wanted to go after as well. And it’s a week of events to bring awareness to the community on the issue of child sex trafficking.
Can you feel awareness growing?
Absolutely. A year ago, when I first took over the helm of the community campaign, I would say most everybody I talked to had no idea that this happened in our community. And now I would say probably one out of three people I talk to knows, or has at least heard, about human trafficking. But I think we still have a long way to go.
I’m noticing the questions are shifting more from “What, that’s a thing here?” to “Oh, I’ve been hearing about that, but I don’t really get it.”
Exactly. That’s what I’m seeing, too. People still need to learn a lot more about the signs to look for and what to do if they see the signs. And that’s what we’re anticipating this whole Abolish Movement will do.
How did you get into this work in the first place?There were two major events for me. One was when I was a (Miami Dolphins) Cheerleader. I was thrown into a world that I had never experienced before. And luckily I made good decisions back then, but all around me I saw these beautiful young women who were not making good decisions and willing to sell themselves for a cheap high. And I was like the mother hen. I’ve always been that way. But that really opened my eyes.
The second major transformation for me was probably about 20 years ago, about 10 years after the cheerleading incident. I was commissioned to teach self-esteem classes in the projects here in Tampa. And in my class there was a 13-year-old girl who was extremely angry. She asked me if she could bring her 4-year-old sister to the next class. She brought her, and something in my gut told me there wasn’t something right about the 4-year-old. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that the 13-year-old and her little sister lived with their grandmother, and their grandmother was selling them on the street every night for drug money. And the little 4-year-old girl had gonorrhea.
I can’t tell you how that shook me to the core. Because I was still living in the Beaver Cleaver world. I could not believe that there was such evil that a 4-year-old’s grandmother would sell her on the streets to get high.
What led you to become a Miami Dolphins Cheerleader?
I was dared to go down to the Orange Bowl and try out. And I kind of did it just as a joke, thinking, “There’s no way.” There were 500 strong women trying out, and I kept making all the auditions and going back. And they finally cut it to 30, and I made the 30. And they made a first string and a second string, and I was on the first string. So it was all very exciting.
But again, that’s when I was thrown into that world. All kinds of parties. And in the late ’70s and early ’80s in Miami Beach, that was the disco era. A lot of drugs. I look back now and think, “How did I make good decisions?”
That’s always been a question to me, what drives a person to make good decisions when so many people around are making not-so-good decisions and having the consequences that follow.
You can almost compare that to children growing up who are getting the whole world thrown at them. What is it that leads some children, or adults, to go one way instead of another?Exactly. I know many of the cheerleaders were invited to be in Playboy, because it was really big then. And I actually was in the magazine, but I had my clothes on. So I only made like $1,000, where if you took your clothes off you made $10,000. But I just wasn’t going to go there.
What’s interesting is that I remember saying back then, “You know, what if I have children one day? What if I have a son?” And lo and behold, I have seven children, six sons. So I’m glad there’s no back issue where they can go back and say, “Whoa! Mom!”
