James, East Coast Correspondent – Page 175

by Kerry Eggers
Portland Tribune

They converged on the Rose Garden hardcourt last Wednesday night, 65 strong, all legs and full of gusto.

For 90-second dance sets at breaks between the first and second and third and fourth quarters, they turned the clock back as many as 25 years.

A quarter-century of entertainment by the BlazerDancers was celebrated with a reunion that brought hugs, smiles and a few tears from the participants.

“It was an absolute blast,” says Caitlin Tinney, 28, a member of Portland’s dance squad from 2007-11. “It was so much fun to see everybody and be back on the floor again. Walking in the doors (to the arena), it felt like no time had passed at all. Makes you want to be back here.”

Michelle Burch, a former BlazerDancer and the club’s performance teams manager since 2008, says about half of her email list of 116 showed up for the first reunion of the group in four years.

“I’m biased,” says Burch, who danced with the troupe from 1992-98, “but I thought it was fabulous. It was an amazing turnout, and I loved the results.”

They rehearsed for 3 1/2 hours Tuesday night, spent game night together and celebrated afterward at a reception in the Sphere room at the Rose Garden.

The former BlazerDancers made it look easy, though it wasn’t.

“The routines were hard,” says Dee Dee Anderson, one of seven original BlazerDancers who performed. “I teach a fitness class, which involves plyometrics and circuit training. I have a lot of athletes in my class.

“I was telling the dancers, (the routines) were tougher than any class I teach. It’s like you’re sprinting, but you use your whole body for a minute and a half straight. Very difficult to do.”

Also, Anderson says, “Everybody was nervous. I heard a lot of ladies saying, ‘Now, why are we doing this again?’ Because it was fun.

“We hadn’t seen everybody in a long time,” says Sara Post Anderson, no relation to Dee Dee but a BlazerDancer from 1996-2000. “We told funny stories, and then we danced, and that was even better.”

‘They’re like sisters’

Women flew in from as far as Atlanta, Denver and San Francisco to be a part of the reunion.

“The best part was seeing everyone again,” says Post Anderson, 36. “Coming back together to relive the dream.”

The experience, says Ione Chaco, “was both exhausting and exciting. It was amazing to be on the court with all those wonderful ladies.

“They’re like sisters, seriously,” says Chaco, 28, a mainstay on the dance corps from 2002-09. “Feeling that energy and excitement, feeling like a BlazerDancer again … I completely forgot what that felt like. I can hardly describe it. It’s that numbness in your body — it’s just overwhelming.”

Tinney felt it, too.

“There’s nothing like being out there,” she says. “It’s like the best minute and a half you could ever describe.

“It’s so funny. We were talking after we danced and people were like, ‘How did it go for you?’ I’m like, ‘I don’t really remember what happened out there.’ You just go out. It’s a surge of energy and excitement like I have never experienced anywhere else.”

Post Anderson says the entire squad “from my rookie year” participated.

“It’s such a good group of girls,” she says. “We just laughed the whole time.

“There was a lot of hooting and hollering while we were dancing. We were so impressed with how everyone looked again. Everyone was excited for each other. We left feeling good.”

90-second routines

Anderson, who served as coach of the BlazerDancers from 1989-2008, says her initial inclination was to be there just to watch.

“It brings me a lot of joy to watch the dancers perform,” she says. “That was one of the biggest rushes for me as a coach. So it was hard for me to make a decision.

“But Melissa York told me Tara Dynes was dancing. The three of us auditioned together back in 1988. We would practice in my backyard, living room and garage, and we made the team together. They convinced me I should dance, and I’m glad I did. It was really special.”

As a result of her late decision, Anderson said she was playing catch-up when given the material with which to dance.

“I had to spend the weekend cramming,” she says. “To be honest, the dancing was not really enjoyable. A 50-year-old should not be rolling on the ground.

“But it was great to be out there with everyone. To put together a show together so fast with that many dancers is not easy, but it came off really well.”

The best part, the women agreed, was the re-lived camaraderie.

“The highlight of the night for me was to hang out with all those ladies who are so talented on the inside and out,” Burch says. “It was so nice to bring everybody together. The 90-second routines they performed were incredible to watch, with the number of people and how professional everybody was. They’re great dancers.”

“The best part,” Tinney offers, “was reuniting with old friends and being able to renew those relationships. It’s a lifelong friendship, and you can tell. When people come together after not seeing each other for even a couple of years … it’s like no time passed.”

The women have dispersed into various walks of life, though many are still involved with dance.

Anderson is a personal trainer and dance coach who performs with the rock group Flexor T. Chaco is a singer/dancer with the Patrick Lamb band who teaches dance at Hockinson (Wash.) High. Post Anderson owns a Portland dance studio and coaches the Junior BlazerDancers, of whom her daughter is a member.

Tinney? The dark-haired lass runs a dog-walking business in Northwest Portland.

Canines deserve to enjoy a little rhythm, too, just like the former BlazerDancers in marking an important anniversary at the Rose Garden.

[BlazerDancers on Facebook]

Casey strikes a pose at last night’s Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders semi-finals

Former Titans Cheerleader Jennifer (2003-07), an engineer with Nissan wants high school girls to follow artistic and scientific dreams.

By Craig Peters
TitansOnline.com

Former Tennessee Titans Cheerleader Jennifer Hill, a process control engineer manager with Nissan Motor Company, is working to drive passion in youth.

Jennifer recently became a spokesperson for Nissan’s new initiative that aims to maintain interest that some high school girls have in science and math and boost those interests in others.

“I need more women to come and join me in this industry,” Jennifer said in a video about the initiative that was produced by Nissan.

Jennifer wants the young ladies to realize they can have artistic and scientific dreams. She cheered for five seasons (2003-07), serving as a captain for two years and was selected to represent Titans Cheerleaders at the 2008 Pro Bowl.

In addition to her career at Nissan, Jennifer has maintained her artistic interests by helping with choreography during the season and as an assistant on game days.

“I’m so lucky to have had Jen remain such an active member of our department,” Titans director of cheerleading Stacie Kinder said. “She makes all of us better!”

Additionally, Jennifer is an officer with the Titans Alumni Association and was a nominee in The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Man & Woman of the Year campaign in 2010 when she raised more than $20,000.

Watch a video of this story here.

By Gina Joseph
Macomb Daily

Detroit Pride cheerleaders have been invited to perform during Sony Max TV’s international broadcast of the 2013 Pepsi Indian Premiere League Cricket Championship, April 3-May 26.

Yes, cricket.

“When I first got the call I was kind of surprised, too,” said Andrea Wolmowski.

As director of operations for Woodward Entertainment Group, she has worked with promoters on a variety of projects — from high-level productions for casinos and theaters to corporate events, but never has she been asked to partake in a show for a cricket match.

It’s a bug, after all.

To some that might be true, but to the gentleman who called her, saying the Indian entertainment company that he represented was interested in having her cheerleaders appear on Sony Max TV’s “Extraa Innings T20,” cricket is life.

What does that mean for Detroit Pride cheerleaders?

How about a free trip to India?

Not to mention a hotel room overlooking the Taj Mahal.

“They’re paying for everything,” said Wolmowski, whose Detroit-based company represents more than 100 cheerleaders, dancers, models and actors including the Motor City Kitties and Cleveland Spirit Cheerleaders. The NFL sanctioned Miami Dolphins’ cheerleaders performed during the cricket tournament last year, but so far, India’s entertainment industry remains untapped.

“We see this as a tremendous opportunity for Michigan-based entertainers,” said Jonathan Kruger of Warren, Woodward Entertainment’s production designer and creative director. Kruger, who has created props and sets for TV and film productions and will be traveling with the cheerleaders to India, said there are a ton of very talented individuals in the Detroit area looking for work. This could open up a lot of doors, Kruger said.

“The Indian Premier League dwarfs every other sporting event on the sub-continent for the crowd it draws, the TV ratings, the cash it generates and the rewards for the players,” according to a report by the Associated Press.

“I feel excited and honored,” said Lauren Bower, Detroit Pride cheerleaders and marketing director for Be Well Lifestyle Center in Birmingham. She will admit that at first she didn’t take it too seriously — it seemed too good to be true: a two-month, all-expense-paid trip to India, plus a salary?

“The last trip I made was to Mexico in 2008,” said Bower, who was one of six cheerleaders chosen by Woodward Entertainment for the show in India. Also traveling with her will be Kruger and Katlyn MacDonald, a senior at Eastern Michigan University.

“I think this is going to be unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before,” she said. “As far as performing, the culture and — the food I’m a little scared. I follow a pretty strict diet here, so it’s going to be interesting. I do like spicy food though.”

Cricket anyone?

The 2013 Pepsi Indian Premier League (IPL) Cricket Championship runs April 3-May 26. Two-years ago, it became the first sporting event to be viewed live on YouTube.

A member of the ROAR of Jacksonville

Angela King Designs is proud to announce the 2013 AKD Sports Model Search Winner is Alexa Kobylarz of New Orleans, Louisiana!

Originally from the Jersey Shore, Alexa is a captain of the New Orleans Hornets “Honeybees” Dance Team. At the age of 21, she will soon complete her bachelor’s degree in marketing from Tulane University. Recently she was cast as a featured role in a Spike Lee film and danced onstage with Beyoncé during the Super Bowl halftime show.

AKD Founder and President Angela King-Twitero remarked about the 2013 contestants, “I am impressed beyond words. The strength of talent and intelligence, in combination with beauty, is rather amazing. The cheerleading world needs to take notice! This industry is made of high achievers! Thank you all for being role models and caring about the legacy you are creating.”