Date: Sunday, April 1, 2012
Location: Winter Park – 9520 Viking Dr. Eden Prairie, MN 55344
Time: Call time is 9 am.. Plan for a long day!
Fee: $25 registration fee

– Here is your chance to be considered for the team! GO FOR IT!

– Please review all of the questions in the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section of this site for detailed information about tryouts. Auditions are closed to the public! Arrive dressed in form-fitting clothing and prepared to dance. Bring a resume, photo, application (available at the door) and application fee. You will also want to pack a lunch/snack, water bottle and layers to keep warm between rounds of auditions.

[Complete Vikings Cheerleader Audition Info]

The Washington Capitals Red Rockers are a high-energy spirit squad that interacts with the crowd to ensure that all Caps fans have the ultimate game experience. They were nice enough to share a few photos with us.

[Red Rockers at the Capitals Website]

Are you a current, former or prospective professional dancer or cheerleader? Does your team need freshchoreography? Would you like to meet others in the industry or hear about audition opportunities?

Then get ready for the Dallas Pro Dance Convention in Plano, TX on Saturday, March 24, 2012!

AGENDA
** Learn choreography from elite alumni and directors
** Representing the NFL, NBA, AFL, MLS, and MLB
** Get tips from the pros on fitness, nutrition, makeup, attire and more
** Network with other performers from Texas (and beyond!)
** Receive giveaways from sponsors including attire and cosmetics

COSTS
** Morning (9:00am-12:00pm): $45 Register Now!
** Afternoon (1:00pm-4:00pm): $45 Register Now!
** Full day (9:00am-4:00pm): $79 Register Now!
** Discount: 15% off early bird registration before March 14, 2012!
** Groups: Receive one free admission with the enrollment of two full day admissions
** Refund Policy: In the event of cancellation, all fees will be refunded in full as well as discount to attend future Going Pro event. If attendee withdraws, 75% of registration fees may be refunded through 3 days prior to the event. Registrations are not refundable within 48 hours prior to the event start time.
** Event Tank Top: $26.50, available in sizes Small, Medium, Large. May purchase online to reserve your size, available in limited sizes at the event.

CHOREOGRAPHERS
Our choreographers are top alumni and directors of dance and cheer teams in the NFL, NBA, AFL, MLB and other sports leagues. They will teach 4 sidelines and 2 routines in length of 45-60 seconds, representing all major sports leagues. Read choreographer bios and view photos here!

**Ashley Worrell-Mitchell- Former NBA dancer: Dallas and San Antonio. Former NFL cheerleader: Kansas City. Former AFL dancer: Kansas City. Author of Half-time Highlights: A Guide to Dancing in the NBA/NFL.
**Maya Hayes- Former NFL cheerleader: Dallas. Owner/Artistic Director of StarFire Productions.

** More Amazing Choreographers announced soon!

LOCATION

KJ Dance Studio
4017 Preston Road
Suite #546 (southwest corner next to Weirs)
Plano, TX 75093

[Dallas Pro Dance Convention]

By Gavin Glicksman
The Sun

If you think being a cheerleader simply involves shaking your pompoms, you better think again.

Bronia Gosling, captain of the The Crystals dance group, is keen to set the record straight and prove there’s more to her squad than just good looks.

In fact, Bronia admits that supporting Crystal Palace and winning over the initially sceptical Selhurst Park faithful has required a lot more than just some fancy footwork.

The 27-year-old told SunSport: “People shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, especially because we do work really hard.

“We don’t just dance on the pitch and then that’s it, we put in the effort behind the scenes.

“We’re getting more support now from the fans and have definitely turned the corner in that respect.

“There’s always going to be people that don’t like you, because obviously a lot of fans there go just for the football and that’s all they think they should see.

“But we’re there to enhance the match-day atmosphere and it’s really good for the kids too.

“We want to give them a positive outlook and show it’s not a bad thing to be out on the pitch dancing just because you’ve got a little outfit on!

“I want someone to look at us and say, ‘I want to be like The Crystals because they’re really good dancers’, rather than simply seeing us as pretty girls on the pitch.

“We work really hard and are definitely winning people round.”

While most Eagles fans are happy to see The Crystals supporting their club, some blamed the girls for last season’s slump in form.

But Bronia insists her dance troupe are far from a distraction for Dougie Freedman’s Championship side.

She added: “Everyone’s got their own opinion, but I don’t think we put the players off at all — we don’t go anywhere near them.

“They’re there to their job and we’re there to do ours. They’re professional, we’re professional, and we’re there simply there to entertain the crowd and give the atmosphere at Selhurst a boost.

“They weren’t saying nice stuff about about us last season, but it did boost our profile. No press is bad press and all that!”

With an appearance on Soccer AM already under their belt, it’s fair to say The Crystals’ reputation is growing by the day.

And Bronia is keen to ensure the girls stay in the headlines for all the right reasons — even it means unleashing an Alex Ferguson-style kick up the backside from time to time.

The professional dancer said: “I’m normally doing something for The Crystals every day, whether it be choreographing a new routine, sorting out the girls for events, organising routines or checking up on everyone. I’m a bit like the mother hen really!

“I wouldn’t say I’m the Fergie of The Crystals though — I’m just checking the girls are OK rather than cracking the whip.

“But with that said, I would give them the hairdryer treatment if need be! All of the girls are very professional though and know they’re at the match to work hard and put on a good show.

“A few things have changed since I’ve become captain in respect of the girls know that if they don’t put the effort in, they won’t dance on the pitch.

“It’s boosted everyone and made them work harder because they don’t want to end up not dancing.”

On the pitch, Crystal Palace’s fortunes remain mixed.

But having struggled for so long with financial problems, the Londoners are on a stable footing and came close to booking a place in the Carling Cup final last month.

Penalty shootout heartache saw the Eagles dumped out in the semi-finals by Cardiff — and left Bronia and Co thinking about what could have been.

She added: “We were hoping to dance at Wembley, the wheels were definitely in motion.

“Whether it would have happened or not we’ll never know, but it would have been amazing.”

As for the rest of the season, like most Palace fans, Bronia will be happy to see Freedman’s men consolidate their position as a stable Championship side.

The Crystals skipper said: “We started the season really well and shot out of the starting blocks.

“There’s been a slow period but considering the financial problems the club previously had, we’re doing really well.

“We’ve got a chance of finishing in mid-table, if not a bit higher, and I think we just need a bit of luck to go our way really.

“Dougie’s doing a brilliant job as manager. Everyone was thinking we’d get slaughtered at West Ham the other week but we held them to a goalless draw.

“Considering the Hammers have been doing so well, coming away from there with a point was brilliant.”

When it comes to the supporters she entertains at every home match, Bronia cannot speak highly enough of their dedication.

She added: “We’ve got great fans and we definitely wouldn’t be where we are without them.

“We get slumps where attendances drop off, but we’ve got a pretty big fanbase.

“With the recession, football’s obviously become a luxury for people, but we know how much the fans support the club — win or lose.”

[Palace Crystals]

Aloha High School teacher and former Blazers dancer says Aloha High crowd was better than any Blazers game

By Casey Parks
The Oregonian

For about 10 years, Aloha High School health teacher Marlene Kanehailua pulled double-duty as a dancer for the Portland Trailblazers. In 2000, her worlds collided when the Blazer Dancers performed at the first Aloha High School Jam the Gym. In her “Aloha Story,” she talks about how much better the Aloha crowd was than a typical basketball fan crowd.

“The crowd went crazy,” she said. “For me, it was like wow.”

Listen to Marlene’s story or download the mp3 here.

By Christy Hunter
The Exponent

Tamara Ammons-Jones speaks with her body.

Not that she won’t sit down for an hour to laugh with a stranger, but for the Purdue alumna and Indianapolis Pacers cheerleader, dance is expression. Dance is everything.

Sometimes it expresses the pain she can’t release with words. A dancer since the age of 5, Ammons-Jones found solace in performing during one of the most difficult times in her life – the death of classmate and close friend, Morgan Guice, during her senior year at Purdue.

When Guice was killed by a drunk driver, Ammons-Jones was on the Purdue Dance Team, having quit the year before as student coordinator for the Jahari Dance Troupe at the Black Cultural Center. However, she never forgot, and still hasn’t, her “second home” at the BCC.

She especially remembers her mentor and former supervisor, the Troupe’s artist-in-resident, Kevin Iega Jeff. Iega Jeff worked closely with Ammons-Jones during her seven semesters as the Troupe’s student coordinator, where she held dance class at least once a week.

By speaking with Iega Jeff, he was able to translate Ammon-Jones’ grief over Guice into a dance.

“When she expressed the emotion behind what she was feeling,” he said, “she knew she needed to use dance as a way to honor her friend, as a way to speak to the community of the BCC, the Purdue campus and all students who knew the young lady, and to heal herself.”

Ammons-Jones agreed.

“One thing Kevin always said is that (dance) is our way of expressing ourselves. Different people have different ways of expressing themselves, but for dancers that’s how we communicate.”

In 2007, she performed the silent tribute to Guice as a guest during the Jahari Dance Troupe’s spring performance. Renee Thomas, director of the BCC and another mentor of hers, remembered it as a “beautiful, flawless performance.”

These days, that history can’t be seen when you look at the bright-eyed young woman who dances for thousands, a gold and navy “Pacers” logo splashed across her chest. She looks strong and confident, but she doesn’t attribute her ease to experience. This is her fourth consecutive season with the Pacemates, but Ammons-Jones was no more nervous her first day than she looks now.

She doesn’t say it to be cocky, but she just doesn’t get nervous.

“I know myself. I know if I get nervous I’m gonna mess up. I try not to think about it. I do what I know how to do best, which is dance.”

Ammons-Jones uses that confidence to fight for her spot on the team every year, which is never guaranteed. She doesn’t let the lack of stability get to her though, or the fact that she misses the Troupe’s modern dance style “all the time.” In fact, she considers herself blessed.

Comparing Pacemates with Iega Jeff’s “meaningful” style, she sees a big difference between the two forms.

“With Pacemates, it’s literally about performing to the audience, to the crowd, trying to get their attention, trying to draw them in, all smiley faces. We’re performers,” she said. “Whereas with Jahari, it’s not very flashy. It’s very meaningful. I’m almost certain if you went to a performance, it’s gonna tell a story.”

Ammons-Jones wouldn’t pick a favorite style, though.

“There’s many different aspects of dance,” she said. “Pacemates just happens to be another form of dance. There’s nothing wrong with either. I love both.”

Iega Jeff wishes she could have further explored what he calls her gift to be a “born mover.” But he couldn’t be more proud of the former student he connected with on an “intuitive” level.

Looking ahead, Ammons-Jones thinks this will be her last year on the Pacemates and she’s not really sure where she’ll be heading from here.

One thing is certain though: her body is not done dancing.

“Kevin opened my eyes to realize (dance) was more than just a hobby,” she said. “Dance was something that needed to be a part of my life. To this day if someone were to ask me, ‘10 years from now what will you be doing?’ I’d say I’d be dancing.”

[Tamara at IndianaPacemates.com]

During the month of February 2012, nearly 200 cheerleaders and dancers submitted photos and applications. Today, fan voting opens at www.facebook.com/akdgowildwear. Voters may vote one time per candidate between Monday, March 5 at 9:00am CST and Friday, March 9 at 12:00pm CST.

Voting alone determines the 60 Semi-Finalists. These ladies will be evaluated by a panel of celebrity judges including Fred Gaudelli, Producer of “Sunday Night Football” and Super Bowls XLIII, XL, XXXVII and XLI; Glenn Daniels, Casting Director in film, TV, and theater, launching Lisa Kudrow, Woody Harrelson and Ethan Hawke, and a Miss Universe Pageant Judge; and Shelly Bomb, Creative Director of Anti-Gravity Urban Sports Theater, having appeared on the Oscars, MTV, BET Awards, Olympics, NFL, NBA and Broadway.

Later in March, Angela King Designs will announce 20 Finalists, a National Top Ten and a Grand Prize Winner. All contestants receive prizes during each round. The 2012 Sports Model Search Winner will become an AKD Brand Ambassador and The Face of AKD’s Go Wild! Wear 2012 campaigns. She will be flown to the AKD Headquarters in Texas for a photo shoot with the current Go Wild! Wear Models, all expenses paid. She will receive a $500.00 AKD gift certificate and an official AKD Sports Model Search Winner jewelry piece. The Winner’s dance or cheer team will receive an AKD workout outfit.

Cast your vote here.

Auditions for The Philadelphia Fight Vixens Dance Team will be held on April 15th at 9am sharp at The Valley Forge Casino 1160 First Avenue King of Prussia, PA 19406 in the Franklin & Adams Room of the Independence ballroom. Do not be late to this audition as registration starts promptly at 9am and the audition process begins immediately! Please be ready to dance in a 2 piece outfit and dance shoes. (Dress to impress) For more information please email all inquiries to heathergrasso@fightrugby.com COME AND AND SEE WHAT EVERYONE IS FIGHTING ABOUT IN PHILADELPHIA!!!! ($25 Registration fee)

[Vixens Dance Team]

[Complete Dynamo Girl Audition Info]

Over 150 young dancers turned out for the Philadelphia Wings Junior Angels Dance Clinic and a chance to dance on the floor of the Wells Fargo Center before the Bandits-Wings game on February 12th.

[Wings Angels Gallery]