YOU MUST ATTEND AUDITIONS ON ONE OF THE PRELIMINARY DATES (LISTED BELOW) TO BE CONSIDERED. YOU CAN ONLY AUDITION ON ONE OF THESE THREE PRELIMINARY AUDITION DAYS TO QUALIFY FOR THE FINALS
* Preliminary Auditions – Closed to the public
* The first 30 minutes of the tryout will be for registration, walk-ins are welcome!
Dates:
Wednesday January 16 from 6-10pm
Saturday January 19 from 12pm-5pm
Sunday January 20 from 9am-2pm
Location – Club One Fitness in Shadyside
6325 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh
Fee – FREE
Attire – See below
Registration – The first 30 minutes will be for registration
Finals:
Location – Jergels Rhythm Grille
103 Slade Lane, Warrendale
Date – Friday, January 25, 2013
Time – 5 – 7 p.m.
Description – The final round of auditions will include performing two routines learned during preliminary auditions in front a panel of judges and POWER fans. New members of the 2013 SPARKS Dance Team will be announced at the end of Finals. All SPARKS will be required to stay for a photo shoot immediately following the final audition.
Requirements
On Tryout Day
• Must be 18 years of age. Valid ID is required
• Must submit a non-returnable individual photo (headshot preferred) at least 5×7 in size
• Must submit a non-returnable resume including professional and dance experience
• Being a SPARKS dancer is a commitment, so you must have an accommodating schedule and be able to attend all home games, appearances, practices and workouts
• Must have reliable means of transportation
• Must have some form of dance training
Attire
• Preliminary Audition– Half top or sports bra and shorts, form-fitting shorts or skirt, of any color or style
• Finals – Attire will be discussed after the completion of preliminary auditions.
• Footwear – Any sneakers or dance shoes of your choice
• Appearance – Hair and makeup should be sophisticated and glamorous. You are encouraged to bring touchup makeup and hair products. This is a professional audition, it is important to maintain a game day appearance! The SPARKS perform with their hair down and make-up is always performance ready!
* Visible tattoos should be covered with makeup and body piercings should be removed
[Sparks Dance Team Registration]
Congratulations to the ladies who made it through a long day of open call auditions and earned a spot at Philadelphia Soulmates Bootcamp. After bootcamp and interviews, finalists will compete for a spot on the 2013 squad on Tuesday, January 29th at Parx Casino.
From KVDR.com:
Week after week Tara Battiato brings her enthusiasm to the sidelines at Sports Authority Field. She’s a Colorado native who’s been a Broncos Cheerleader for four seasons.
“I was born and raised in Colorado, I’ve been dancing my entire life. I started when I was two,” she said.
This year for the first time, Battiato has been chosen to dance at the Pro Bowl game.
“We get nominated from our teammates and coaches and it’s just such a huge honor and this year I get to go to Hawaii and I’m just so thrilled,” she said.
She’s especially excited to show her Broncos pride to all the other teams.
“Everybody’s in love with our chaps, when we go all the other women want to try them on, and since it’s so warm, we wear our skirts the first half and our chaps the second,” she said.
With the Broncos amazing season, she said cheering has been more exciting than ever.
“The energy throughout the city and at Sports Authority Field…you can’t even describe it, you just have to feel it.”
And if the Broncos go all the way to the Super Bowl, Tara could make an appearance at two huge games on back-to-back Sundays.
“I don’t know if I’ll make it to both because I’ll die of excitement, probably my heart will explode with joy!”
From the Buffalo Pro Cheer Blog:
Sunday’s game against the Jets was about a lot more than the 28-9 win, the first win over the Jets after 6 straight losses to the AFC East rivals. It was also the end of an era for the Jills. After a career that lasted longer than any other has in NFL Cheerleader history, 13-year vet Omarlla B is hanging up her pom-poms. She joined the Jills in 2000 alongside longtime squadmate Eileen, who only retired 2 years ago, and current Jills coordinator Nichole and has grown a lot as a person, as a woman, and as a cheerleader in those 13 years with literally hundreds of experiences under her belt. She’s made friends with squadmates, won respect and made friends with cheerleaders around the league, including during the 2006 NFL Cheerleader Playoffs, and appreciated the fans, including a shout out to the loyal readers on the Buffalo Pro Cheer Blog 3 years ago on her 10th anniversary. But the biggest thing she’s done is set a strong example to everyone she meets on how to treat people with professionalism, class, and sincerity.
Read the rest here.
Vanessa earned undergraduate degree, with honors, in Dance Performance from Arizona State. Soon after, she finished her graduate program with a Master’s in Business Management from University of Phoenix.
A Tampa Bay Lightning Girl at the P-R-O Convention
By Tom Rohrer
ThurstonTalk.com
Sea Gal Allie is one of four Thurston County area performers on the squad.
Amongst the chaos at one of the loudest athletic venues in the world, three highly skilled and scrutinized teams must execute despite the constant distractions around them.
While two of those teams compete against each other for a higher score, the other provides consistent entertainment for the attentive fans throughout the contest and has over time, acquired a similar sized fan base to the organization they represent.
One of the most popular and talented professional dance squads in the Pacific Northwest, the Sea Gals are the official cheerleading team for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League.
Along with performing before, during and after every Seahawks home game at CenturyLink Field, the Sea Gals make appearances at events across the state and abroad while performing countless hours of community service throughout the year.
A graduate of Tumwater High School, Bianca is in her second season performing with the Sea Gals.
Four of the 32 Sea Gals hail from the Thurston County area and are graduates of local high schools. Sea Gal Stephanie is a graduate of Timberline High School, and her three years on the squad makes her the longest tenured of the Thurston County quad. The 2012 season marked the second year for Sea Gal Karissa, while fellow Tumwater alumni Bianca and Allie are rookies on the squad.
Being a member of the Sea Gals remains a surreal and exciting experience for the Thurston County women.
“Every day I think to myself how cool it is that I have this opportunity and how exciting of a ride it’s been,” said Stephanie. “It’s a privilege and it combines so many fun, exciting and rewarding things into one great experience.”
“When I first made the team, it was like a dream, just a crazy experience,” Karissa said. “But I still have that feeling, that excitement. You cannot replace it.”
In order to make the squad, the performers must make it through an annual tryout each May. The highly competitive tryouts have multiple rounds that feature complex routines, performances and a question answer section for new applicants. However, the Thurston County Sea Gals were able to maintain their cool amongst the pressure and fulfill their well-earned goal.
“I was the very last number called when they announced the team after finals, so up until that point, I thought I hadn’t made it,” said Bianca. “But then I heard it and that was so amazing and just a lot of excitement went through me.”
“It’s a long process when first trying out. When you show up for open call, I didn’t know anyone, and went alone. I liked it better that way,” Stephanie said. “I told myself I was doing something for me, a goal that I had set. I showed up nervous but confident.
The Sea Gals perfect at least 40 routines for each Seahawks home game at CenturyLink Field in Seattle.
“Driving up to finals, I was so nervous,” Stephanie continued. ”Then something clicked – the performer in me stepped on stage and with 100,000 people viewing online, I was still very comfortable when it was time to perform. I walked away thinking I did the best I could’ve done. I had to look down at a number when they called me. Paused, looked down, grabbed the Sea Gals’ poms and just had look of shock on my face.”
While the women accomplished the task of making the team, they entered into a demanding position, one that requires countless rehearsal hours and the ability to perform on the drop of the hat.
“The week of game day is intense,” Stephanie said. “We have over 40 routines and go through every song, routine, situation. (We) have to know what we’re doing if the team is winning, if we’re losing, or winning big. We have to catch on to the music at first beat. I play the 40 songs over and over at work, and then I can practice in my head my cues and jump on it.”
All that preparation and practice comes in handy when the squad performs in front of the CenturyLink Field fans, considered to be the loudest in the NFL. The energy from this raucous crowd fuels the Sea Gals.
“Honestly, the noise helps me,” Bianca said. “When it’s so loud in there and the crowd is pumped up, I feed off their energy. I feel like I could dance forever because I have so much adrenaline.”
“It’s like taking ten shots of cappuccino,” Stephanie said of performing at CenturyLink Field. “The energy is crazy. I can see how we have such a high home field advantage. It’s ten times louder on the field then in the stands. When you look and see everyone going crazy, there’s nothing else like it and it’s so amazing to experience. (The fans) are doing their part so you want to do yours.”
One of four Sea Gals from Olympia, Karissa also coaches the Tumwater High School dance team and has led them to a national competition.
The Sea Gals help others off the field as well. As a member of the Sea Gals “Show Squad,” Stephanie has traveled on a military morale tour, visiting deployed military personnel in Germany, United Kingdom, Kosovo, Bahrain, Djibouti, Somalia and France. “Talking to soldiers, hearing their stories, and just being around them was like nothing I’ve ever done before,” Stephanie said. “It was such a rewarding experience and something I’ll never forget.”
Both Karissa and Bianca have had opportunities of their own. “Visiting the University of Washington Medical Center and Children’s Hospital was my most memorable promotion,” Karissa said. “It was an all-day affair, and it was awesome to see the kids and put a smile on their faces.”
“Our Sea Gals auction was a great experience,” Bianca said. “We received donations from different organizations and auctioned them off for money. Then, we all got assigned a mom or child and bought Christmas presents for them. It’s just a great feeling to give back and help others.”
Along with their Sea Gals obligations, the four squad members maintain a busy and rewarding personal schedule. Stephanie received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington in 2011, while Bianca and Allie are both students at universities in the state.
Karissa helps coach the very dance team she used to be a member of at Tumwater High School. She has led the Tumwater dance team to nationals, which will be held in Florida in late January. “It’s really awesome and super rewarding to help them,” Karissa said. “I was there once and it’s cool to mentor them.”
That hasn’t been the only mentoring provided by Karissa. Bianca says having Karissa and Allie on the squad helped her acclimate to the Sea Gals lifestyle. “I joined (the Tumwater High) dance team as sophomore and Allie and Karissa were officers,” Bianca said. “It’s crazy that we were together in high school and now. That’s been really nice. They’ve been really helpful to me and it’s fun to continue to perform with them.”
For women entertaining the idea of one day performing with the Sea Gals, the squad members say go for it.
“I encourage everyone, no matter where you live, that you can make it happen,” Karissa said. “Everyone assumes you have to live in or be from Seattle. We’re not and we did it.”
“There are not many professions that allow you to do what you love and help others while you do it,” Stephanie said. “It’s an honor and I feel fortunate enough to represent my community in a positive way.”
This is Michelle’s third year as a St. Louis Rams Cheerleader and her first as a captain. Michelle is part of a beautiful, talented professional squad that participated in over 850 hours of community service in 2011. Michelle has entertained internationally with the Rams in Hong Kong and Mexico City. She also represented the Rams during the 2012 International Series in London and has entertained through a goodwill tour at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico, NM in addition to the multiple appearances she makes for the St. Louis community each year. Michelle recently graduated from University of Missouri- St. Louis with a Bachelor of Science in marketing. She is looking forward to her first experience at Pro Bowl.
Hundreds of patrons were in attendance at the Esplanade Mall on Saturday afternoon for the New Orleans VooDoo Doll Finals. The franchise is very pleased to announce that 17 young ladies have been selected to represent the franchise for the 2013 season as VooDoo Dolls.
“I’ve always heard that in these auditions they already know who they want before Finals, that was so not the case, it literally went down to the wire from day 1 up to Finals and was no easy task,” said VooDoo Doll Director Jasmine Martijn. “However, I narrowed it down to the best of the best across the board.”
All 17 ladies selected as 2013 VooDoo Dolls are from Louisiana. Of the 17 selected, 8 are veterans, having danced for the team last year or in years prior.
“I’m ecstatic with the Dolls I have selected, and I know they will rock,” said Martijn. “I can’t wait for us to work in preparing for the upcoming 2013 season.”
The 2013 VooDoo Doll Dance Team is listed below:
Alisia Senegal – Lafayette, LA
Ayesha Callaway– New Orleans, LA
Bre Eley– New Orleans, LA
Brittanie Williams- Marrero, LA
Brittany Warden– Kenner, LA
Brooke Meyer- River Ridge, LA
Danielle Linn– Luling, LA
Domonique Ovide -Harvey, LA
Holly Denmark– Gretna, LA
Jaime Clark– Harvey, LA
Jennifer Frost– Slidell, LA
Keina (Nani) Duncan- New Orleans, LA
Lon’Rai Joshua -New Orleans, LA
Lynn Kleinberger– New Orleans
Megan Cortez– Luling, LA
Mindi Matherne– Des Allemands, LA
Shelley Theresa – Metairie, LA
Brittney Harper – Destrehan, LA
Casting for Dancers & Pro/Semi-Pro Cheerleaders and Dancers! National Audition being held in Dallas, TX this Sunday.
All-Star group will make appearances at events for the Super Bowl in New Orleans and NBA All-Star Game in Houston.
DATE: Sunday, January 13, 2013
TIME: 10am (registration begins at 9am)
LOCATION: Prestige Dance and Performing Arts Center
405 Highway 121, Suite D-120
Lewisville, TX 75067
ATTIRE: All dancers must wear a cropped top.
However, you may pair that with hot shorts, dance pants or sweat pants. Jazz shoes, tennis shoes, dance sneakers or hip-hop kicks. Full performance hair and make-up required.
Upcoming performances and appearances:
NFL Super Bowl and NBA All-Star Game 2013.
Ladies with previous experience as a professional or semi-pro dancer are encouraged to apply.
Please send resume, bio, head shot and full body shot to –
dolls@thesidelinegroup.com
If you have any questions please forward to the email above.
www.thesidelinegroup.com/dolls
*Dancers must be available to travel, and can expect a photo shoot and rehearsal immediately after the auditions.
