By Jay Betslill
DFW.com

Nobody knows the Dallas Mavericks Dancers better than Mallory Mills, who was a dancer for seven years and has been the group’s director for the past two. So we asked Mills to answer these burning questions.

Director Mallory Mills preps some of the Mavs Dancers before a performance.

1. What are the three most important qualities you look for in a Mavs dancer? How important are looks?

The three most important qualities I look for in a Dallas Mavericks Dancer is No. 1, of course, their dancing. No. 2 is how they carry themselves as young ladies, and No. 3 is how well they get along with the returning veterans and their fellow candidates.

Looks are important, but we are looking for all different types of girls to please the crowd. This is a professional dance team and at the end of the day we are looking for the best fit for our image, which does include appearance, dance and how they act. We are looking for the whole package.

2. How many times a week does the team practice and perform?

We practice Monday through Wednesday every week, depending on games. When the season starts, we can practice up to three times a week and possibly have three games that week. So our schedule is tough.

3. The routines are very rigorous. Do you have to deal with many injuries as the season wears on?

You know, we are all human, and there will be times that girls get sick, or twist something, but we have been very fortunate and have not had to deal with anything serious.

4. What compelled you to try out to be a Mavs dancers? And now, as the director, what do you think most of the women who try out are looking to gain from the experience?

What compelled me to try out for the Mavericks was the dancing part. I love to perform, and getting that opportunity almost every day was like a dream come true for me. You learn and grow a lot as the years go on. I think most of the girls trying out also have a passion for dance. They want to gain experience as a professional dancer, and once they make the team, they realize that it is a very vigorous schedule. But in the end, it is all worth it.

5. Do most of the dancers have other jobs?

The Dallas Mavericks Dancers are required to have other jobs or be enrolled in school.

6. After last year’s NBA title run, the Mavs Dancers have gained a high profile. Any friendly competition between the Mavs Dancers and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders?

No, we are two different organizations, and we are both run differently. We share a lot of the same girls as well, so it is very friendly between the two groups. We are here to represent the Dallas area the best that we can and support every team.

7. Do the dancers get to know the players much? Are they allowed to date players?

No, the dancers are not allowed to mingle with the players. We like to keep everything professional when it comes to the two groups. Of course, they say hi and will be on appearances together, but they are not allowed to date the players.

8. Much like being a professional athlete, there is only a limited amount of time someone can be a Mavs dancer. What are some of the professions former Mavs dancers have gone on to?

Lexy Hulme was on Glee and toured with the cast of Glee. She also danced in the film 500 Days of Summer. Lexy’s sister, Cerissa, is in real estate. Jennie Fan works for CBS radio in Dallas. Lindsay Shoulders is TCU’s pom director.

9. The dancers interact with the fans quite a bit, at the AAC and at public appearances. Certainly, most fans are adoring and respectful, but do you ever have to fend off marriage proposals and/or advances from delusional guys?

Not really. The fans are very respectful of the dancers and love to see them. I am sure we have had a few marriage proposals here and there from the guys, but it’s all fun and games. The girls love getting to interact with the fans any chance they get.

10. The Mavericks are fighting to make the playoffs this year, which must seem surreal after a championship season. Are most of the dancers hard-core basketball fans?

Yes, most of the girls are basketball fans. It’s important for them to follow the team and be updated about what’s going on throughout the league.

[Mavs Dancers]

Going Pro Entertainment is seeking alumni professional cheerleaders who will act as audition and team consultants in your region. Applicants should have 2 or more years of professional sports performance experience in the NBA and/or NFL. Choreography and directing experience is a plus! All positions are commission-based and flexible, requiring 2-20 hours per week with opportunity for growth.

Specific regions needed: Atlanta, Boston, Cleveland, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Phoenix, San Francisco.

To apply for these positions, please email info@goingproentertainment. Include two recent photographs, work experience, cheer/dance experience, and current location.

Going Pro Entertainment is the premier resource for professional cheerleading and dance services. Our mission is to provide consulting and business services to further the success of future, current and former professional cheerleaders, dancers and teams. Learn more about Going Pro Entertainment at www.goingproentertainment.com.

The Dark Angels, the Dance Team for the Maryland Reapers, are currently looking for ambassadors for the home games and promotional events. Ambassadors will interact with fans and work with the Game Day Operations team to ensure that our fans constantly stay entertained. In addition, Ambassadors are allowed to attend select practices with the Dark Angels; this is a great opportunity to see what practices are like, enhance dance technique, and give you an idea as to what being on the team is like.

If you are interested in becoming a Dark Angels Ambassador, please email Bea Codjoe at info@darkangelsdance.org . We look forward to hearing from you!

[Maryland Dark Angels]

Michelle is an active duty Captain in the United States Air Force. Currently (2012), she works as a Budget Officer at Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA) in San Antonio, Texas. She is also a San Antonio Silver Dancer for the 2011-2012 season, the official NBA dance team of the San Antonio Spurs. She initially began cheering professionally after she commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Air Force. Michelle was first stationed at Mountain Home AFB, ID when she auditioned and made it as an Ice Girl for the Idaho Steelheads, a professional minor league ice hockey team in Boise, Idaho, in early 2008. Afterwards, Michelle tried out for and made the Boise Burn Hotshots, Boise’s Arena Football dance team. Michelle danced for the Boise Burn during the 2008-2009 AFL season before the AFL realigned and the Boise Burn dissolved in 2010.

Michelle recently was accepted into the AF Medical Service Corps (MSC) in 2012 and will continue her active duty service as an MSC officer effective June 2012. Michelle is a 2007 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and cheered while at the Academy all four years. She is also expected to graduate with her Masters in Healthcare Administration in May 2012.

[Cheerleaders Who Served]

[Michelle on the Spurs Website]

By Nadia Fernandez Untalan
Pacific Daily News

During the 2012 NFL season, Maria Christina Manibusan DeCabooter will be on the sidelines cheering for the Arizona Cardinals — again.

Although the former Chalan Pago resident made the cheerleading team last year, she was more nervous when she tried out for the team this year.

“I think it was kind of more nerve-wracking,” the 27-year-old said via telephone from Tucson, Ariz. “The previous year you go and you give it your all. But this past year — you go through the program and you cheer at the games — you know how much there is to lose.”

Heather Karberg, the director of Cardinals Cheerleaders, said approximately 200 women tried out for the team this year. Sixteen veterans, including DeCabooter, joined the audition in round three, learned a dance routine and performed it the next day. Finalists were then chosen and asked to return for a panel interview. After that, they had practice for the next three days. Twenty-nine women were selected for the team on March 29, and DeCabooter was one of 15 veterans who again made the team.

“She not only has a great look and proved herself this year, but she improved tremendously over the year with her dance skills and her confidence,” Karberg said via telephone from Tempe, Ariz.

The Cardinals cheerleaders practice from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Cardinals practice facility in Tempe. DeCabooter commutes 90 minutes to 2 hours from her home in Tucson to attend practice.

“She’s very dedicated and always comes prepared,” Karberg said. “She’s probably the most dedicated person that I’ve had as far as people who travel that distance.”

Took three tries

Prior to the 2011 season, DeCabooter tried out for the team twice and didn’t make it. She said that she felt overwhelmed the first two times that she tried out when she watched all the talented dancers. She took more advanced dance classes prior to trying out again. She focused only on what she was doing rather than the competition during her third tryout and finally made the team.

When asked what advice she would give to prospective cheerleaders, DeCabooter said, “Keep working toward your goal, have a great support system and focus on yourself.”

DeCabooter was emotional when she first cheered at the University of Phoenix Stadium on Aug. 27, 2011, when the Cardinals took on the San Diego Chargers in a preseason game. During the game, she said that she experienced a mix of huge smiles and happy tears. She still couldn’t believe that she was a Cardinals cheerleader and finally achieved her dream.

“It was (an) incredible rush to be out on the field and feel the energy from the crowd,” she said. “I remember looking around during the national anthem and still thinking I was in a dream.”

At the end of the season, DeCabooter won the cheerleading team’s Rookie of the Year award as voted by her teammates.

“I think the girls see the same thing that I see: her work ethic, her dedication, her true appreciation for the program and the position she’s in,” Karberg said.

Danced with SKIP

DeCabooter first started dancing when she was 5 years old. She joined the SKIP Entertainment Company because she looked up to her cousin, Dee Perez, who was already in SKIP. Perez said dancing and performing at a young age taught them discipline and sportsmanship. She said that seeing her cousin dance now makes her proud.

“Maria has always had the talent and skill of a great dancer, yet she finds ways to push herself to be better,” Perez said via email. “The enthusiasm she has for her team (and the Cardinals brings) her dancing to a whole other level.”

DeCabooter also traveled to a few places in the U.S. mainland to perform with SKIP, and remained with the company until middle school.

Brains and beauty

A student at St. John’s School, she left Guam after her sophomore year and graduated from Punahou School in Honolulu in 2003. She received her bachelor of arts degree in political science from Rice University in Houston in 2007. In 2010, she received her juris doctorate from the University of Arizona Rogers College of Law. She works as an advocacy specialist doing research and public policy for the Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona.

She married David DeCabooter in Hawaii last October. She proudly said that her husband is the biggest Cardinals cheerleaders’ fan and wears a shirt that says “Go Maria” to games. He also holds season tickets.

Christmas in Guam

Maria DeCabooter visits Guam every Christmas and was on island last December. She misses her parents: Joaquin and Eileen Manibusan, her family, the culture, how friendly everyone is and the beach.

“I wouldn’t be where I am today without my amazing family,” she said. “I am so lucky to have such a great support system and only wish I could see them more.”

She also encourages people to follow their dreams like she did.

“Don’t limit yourself,” she said. “Keep your dreams big. It might take a while, but if you work hard and keep at it you’ll get where you want to get.”

Kings Vision was on hand for the 11-12 Ice Crew calendar photo shoot! Check out this profile featuring the Ms. November, Alexis.