Virginia Girls did you miss our first audition? Do you still want the chance to perform on the sidelines and on the field for a great football team? Do you have what it takes to dance along side the best dancers in the Commonwealth? If you think so the Fredericksburg Honey Bears want YOU to come to our 2nd chance auditions scheduled for Sunday December 11th & 18th from 2pm – 4pm. We are looking for ladies who can represent the Fredericksburg Bears in a positive way not only on the sidelines but in the community as well! We want a well rounded role model!

Audition Details:
Date: Sunday, December 11th & December 18th
Time: 2pm – 4 pm Please arrive 15 minutes early for registration
Location: D&G Expressions Dance Studio 263-109 Garrisionville Road, Stafford, VA 22554
Cost: $5 audition fee

What we are looking for:
Showmanship, Energy and personality
Professionalism and maturity
Cheer and Dance technique and style
Commitment to the organization
Physical fitness and personal appearance
Positive attitude and teamwork skills

Requirements:
Must be at least 18 years old by March 1, 2012
Must have reliable transportation
Must have a positive attitude

* Must be able to attend all practice which will be held on Sunday afternoons throughout the season.

Attire:
Black Dance Pants / Shorts
Fitted Tank / Dance top (does not have to be a cropped top)
Dance Shoes / Boots with non-marking soles
Hair & Make Up must be performance ready

Ladies who are selected for the 2012 Honey Bears will take part in community events and appearances, attend dance events such as Going Pro Entertainment Boot Camp and All Pro w/ other professional cheerleaders and dancers.

If you have any questions please email: fredericksburgbearsdance@gmail.com

We were so pleased with over 100 family and friends who joined us for the November 29 release party at Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar in Richmond, Virginia. The Lady Raiders will be appearing throughout the community to promote the calendar and the upcoming Raiders arena football season, which kicks off March 10. The ladies work very hard and love being involved in Richmond, so we are proud to showcase their beauty through this calendar! The 12-month calendars featuring all 24 Lady Raiders can also be purchased at $15.00 per calendar by contacting ladyraidersdanceteam@gmail.com.

Watch a video of the release here.

Congrats to the Finalists from the second round of Philadelphia Soulmate Auditions. The selections were made last Thursday after a week of boot camp.

The finals are next Monday night at Chickie’s & Pete’s in South Philly. While not open to the public, the plan is for the Soulmates to perform for the public during halftime of Monday Night Football. So you may want to stop by wand watch the show.

The Spokane Shock announced today that the team will hold an open try-out for its 2012 Dance Team on Saturday, January 7th at 12 PM.

The first-round of the tryouts will be held at the Spokane Shock Center, 3212 North Eden Road, with registration at 11 AM and instruction beginning at noon. After a brief orientation, Dance Team Director Maggie Kazemba will teach the applicants a routine that will be performed in front of a small panel of judges. This round will be closed to the general public.

Those who are selected to advance will be called back for an interview round that will begin on January 8th. The tryouts will conclude with a final round on January 18th.
Preregistration forms are available on spokaneshock.com. Applicants who preregister will be charged $25. Registration will also be accepted on January 7th for $35 at the door. Dancers must be at least 18 years of age by the start of the 2012 season. Previous dance experience and or cheer background is suggested but not required.
Kazemba will be in her fifth season as the Shock’s Dance Team Director and has consistently put together one of the top dance teams in the AFL.

“Each year I try to make the team better and better,” Kazemba explained. “We are looking for girls who have the whole package – not only are they good dancers, but they are excellent performers and are role models.”

[Shock Dance team Tryouts]

From WTOP.com

At the age of 30, Heidi Inthavong has done more than many have in a lifetime.

A native of Shawnee, Kan., Inthavong has been a physical therapist, personal trainer and NFL cheerleader. She has been involved in charitable work and has helped coordinate the largest cheer on record.

Inthavong has opened Get Heidi Fit and Personal Training Co. at Chic Physique on the second floor of 500 W. Patrick St. She also teaches at Elite Style Cheer on Industry Lane.

The new business will offer Zumba fitness and personal fitness classes.

“My parents pushed me to go into the medical field,” Inthavong said. “I love biology and the human body.”

She received a bachelor’s degree in exercise and sport science at the University of Kansas, where she was a cheerleader and played soccer.

She then worked as a technician in the physical therapy field for five years.

Inthavong moved into the marketing field, working for a sports and performance center, where she met many professional athletes.

Her interest in fitness led her to get a certification as a personal trainer and in group fitness through the University of Kansas and the National Academy of Sports Medicine.

A Kansas City Chiefs fan, she auditioned as a cheerleader and entertained and motivated the crowds for six years at Arrowhead Stadium and at away games.

During that time Inthavong also did USO shows for military personnel, a program supported by the NFL.

“I went to Egypt, Italy, Portugal, Germany, Austria and around the states,” she said. “We did a two-hour variety show.”

She also turned her enthusiasm to charities such as the Alzheimer’s Association, Lily’s Hope, and the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. She led a Zumbathon in October and a 5-kilometer run/walk, and on Jan. 7 plans to hold another Zumbathon to raise funds for juvenile diabetes programs.

Zumba combines Latin music and moves with exercise and fitness.

“It is exercise in disguise because it is so much fun,” Inthavong said. “You are forgetting you are getting in shape.”

People have lost weight doing Zumba regularly, she said, and four of her clients have become Zumba-certified instructors.

“What sets me apart is my background in choreography and cheerleading,” Inthavong said.

She also does boot camps — personal training workouts — as well as one-on-one personal training. Inthavong has a line of apparel called Get Heidi Fit designs.

On Nov. 12, Inthavong helped lead 1,300 cheerleaders from throughout the U.S. in the biggest cheer, entering Guinness World Records and beating China’s former record of 1,200 cheerleaders. The event was held at the Sun National Bank Arena in Trenton, N.J. The event was coordinated by the Pop Warner program, which focuses on youth football and cheerleading.

Southwest cheerleading coach Sabrina Tiller is set to appear on MTV’s MADE reality television series as a cheer/dance coach. The former Tennessee Titans Cheerleader and Memphis Grizzlies dancer filmed the show in Illinois for four months. The show will air on Saturday, December 3, 2011 at 2 p.m. on MTV.

Tiller found out about the MADE auditions through a mass email from the alumni president for the Tennessee Titans Cheerleaders. “At first I was skeptical but the next day I sent in my resume, photos, certifications and everything required to be considered. I love motivating young ladies and helping them reach their full potential through the art of cheerleading and dance. To be given the opportunity to do it on national television was something I couldn’t pass up!” said Tiller

Although applying for the position was like applying for a regular job, much more was required. After two phone interviews, Tiller was videotaped while answering the interview questions which included performing a cheer! Tiller competed against a huge number of coaches from around the world for this specific position. The long selection process included lots of paperwork and background checks. “It took so long that I thought they had forgotten about me,” said Tiller.

After all the paperwork was signed, Tiller was flown to Illinois to meet her MADE student, Alexis, whose goal was to not only audition for her high school’s hip-hop dance team, she also wanted to lose weight and gain more confidence!. “Filming was very interesting,” said Tiller, who is no stranger to the camera after numerous commercial appearances and also a role in the Memphis-based movie N-secure. “I thought, oh the cameras should be the least of my worries. Well, reality show filming is much different to say the least. Cameras were rolling all the time, catching every move including some embarrassing things I couldn’t delete!” Tiller and Alexis met for training on and off after school in the evenings, weekends and holidays. Since there was such a short amount of time to finish taping the show, Tiller took advantage of every moment. “We had good and bad rehearsals,” said Tiller. “There was a lot of sweat and tears that went into training. Many of the lessons I taught Alexis had little to do with dancing and she found out that training to be a dancer was harder than it looked!”

Tiller hopes the recognition will attract more qualified cheerleaders to her cheer program in Memphis, “I have no idea what funny, sad, and/or crazy moments will make the show but there were definitely some hit or miss moments, some even included calling everything off!” “ I hope everyone will tune in to see how close Alexis got to accomplishing her goals and I also hope my current cheerleaders are able to watch the show and be inspired to do more and take on new life challenges!”

Kevin Maloney
SpokaneShock.com

She has heard it all before: “Dance is NOT a sport,” “Anybody can do that,” “It’s not a real sport – how hard can it be?”

Former Spokane Shock Dancer and current Dallas Mavs Dancer, Chantel begs to differ.

“Whether people think so or not, dancing is a sport,” Chantel explained. “When most people think of dancing I think they picture ‘club style dancing.’ We simply learn a routine, perform it at a game, and that’s it. They don’t realize the preparation and training dancers go through behind the scenes before a performance or competition.”
As a member of the Dallas Mavs Dancers, at least 15 hours/week (not including games) are dedicated to being a part one of the NBA’s elite Dance Teams. From boot camp training days, to practice, and practice outside of practice, all of it is expected to be a part of a professional dance team that makes it “basically a part-time job,” as Chantel explained.

Armed with a Marketing Degree from Washington State University, Chantel also has a full time job working for a firm that specializes in financial planning for athletes entering the world of professional sports. While a schedule like this might be overwhelming for some, it is normal for most dance team veterans.

With 12 years of dance experience under her belt, Chantel is living the life that she once dreamed of.

“I have always wanted to dance in Dallas whether it was for the Cowboys or the Mavericks, they have always been my favorite professional teams,” Chantel explained. “I already had a friend from college living down here (in Dallas) and she really encouraged me to move down with her. I started taking (prep) classes to get a feel for the teams and decide which one I would enjoy the most.”

While it might be a life that she has dreamed of, the audition process could be a nightmare for the timid. The first round of the Mavericks’ tryout was an open call that yielded nearly 300 applicants.

“It was a great experience but it was definetly nerve-racking,” Chantel said. “You compare yourself to everyone else, but confidence is key.“

The 300 applicants were paired down with three preliminary rounds: prelims, semi-finals and finals. From there, 50 finalists were selected for a week-long training camp that included work-outs with three songs worth of choreography each night. After each piece of choreography is taught, the finalists had to perform it on the spot for Dallas’ Dance Team Director, Mallory Mills. At the end of the camp, 20 of the finalists made the team’s final roster, including only five rookies.

But, the competition doesn’t end there. Of the 20 dancers, only 10-12 actually get to perform during the games. The night before each game, girls have to “audition” for each routine that will be performed at the next game. As a two-year veteran of the Shock Dance Team, this type of competition is nothing new for Chantel.

“I know that Maggie (Kazemba, Shock Dance Team Director) really made it a point for us to come to practice knowing the routines,” Chantel said. “A lot of times she would upload routines online and it was our responsibility to learn the routines and come to practice knowing the material.”

While Chantel and the rest of her teammates have not been able to perform at a game, yet, they have still kept a busy schedule since the team was announced in July.
In addition to making regular appearances throughout the Dallas community, the Mavs Dancers were also flown to Barbados to shoot its annual calendar.

“Within less than a month of making the team, our Coach announced that we were all being flown to Barbados for a four-day photo shoot,” Chantel explained. This exotic location was chosen as a reward for helping the Mavericks win the 2011 NBA Championship. “It was hard work but it was worth it. We had to be up at 2:30-3 AM in order to be at our location site by sunrise.”

(The 12-month calendar is available for pre-sale now on mavs.com by clicking here.)

During this short time, Chantel has quickly developed a tight bond with her teammates.

“Everyone has been really helpful and all of the girls are super nice,” Chantel said. “We always try to go out and do stuff together. In the beginning, it was a little tough because there are 15 veterans with just five rookies. The rookies did stick together. Now that we have gone to Barbados and have had quite a few practices and appearances, we are starting to blend in as a team.”

For Chantel, her experience on the Shock Dance Team helped her get where she is today and helped make her dreams a reality.

“I think that dancing on the Shock team was a huge stepping stone to dance in the NBA now. Maggie is really tough on those girls. She knows what it takes to be a good dancer and a performer. Even her choreography is similar to what we do now. It’s very high-energy and she is very precise with her routines,” Chantel said. “The Shock is definetly a great stepping stone to get to the next level.”

From Sun-Sentinel.com

Ashton Landgraf even got a comment from the mayor when she stepped to the podium to tell City Council why she wanted to be on the city’s volunteer community relations board.

“Another cute young lady,” Mayor Susan Whelchel said at the Nov. 22 council meeting, as Landgraf followed fellow board candidate Elizabeth Suarez.

Landgraf, who was on the Dolphins’ squad from 2007 through this year, said her international travel experience as a cheerleader, their tie-ins with charities and her love of Boca as a native daughter moved her to apply. She’s finishing up a graduate degree in communications at Florida Atlantic University and working, she said later.

Both women were approved to fill vacancies on the board.

Former Washington Wizards Girl, Kilgore Rangerette and good friend of the blog, Nina Andrews dropped us a note to let us now how she’s doing.

You may have caught Nina on her “too short” stint on CMT’s Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Making The Team.

Nina tells us DCC Training Camp was “was a great experience, so I can only pray to get another chance now that I know what it’s like!”

Now she’s an Allen Americans Ice Angel. She was inspired to try out when she learned Stephanie DiBiase-Wheat would be the Ice Angels new Director. Stephanie choreographs the Texas A&M’s Aggie Dance Team and teaches some of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader prep classes at Valley Ranch.

Amy was also a Kilgore Rangerette and danced for two years on the two years on the SMU Pom Squad.

[Allen Americans Ice Angels]

How time flies! Teams are starting to announce their Pro Bowl Cheerleaders. We’ll start off in the NFC North and Peyton of the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders.

Peyton is a five-year veteran of the MVC and has a BA in Modern and Classical Languages (French) and BA in Elementary Education K-8 from University of Saint Thomas.

[Peyton at Vikings.com]

[Peyton Video at Vikings.com]