It’s not even summer yet, but it’s not too early to be thinking about NHL Auditions!
A very long weekend at the Verizon Center. After all the leaps, sexy walks, dirty dancing, hip hop moves, kicklines, pom routines, bikini photos shoots and four rounds of cuts the 2010-11 Washington Wizard Girls were selected.
Click photo to enlarge
The ten vets and ten rookies have a just a day to rest their sore and aching bodies. Their first practice is Tuesday night.
You can see photos and video from the auditions at the Wizards Website.
My photos are coming. I have a lot. It’s going to be Wizard Girls week here on the blog.
Nicole Bonniwell has a full-time career in college admissions, and serves with the Air National Guard, but can’t step away from her passion for dance.
By Katy Zillmer
Oakdale & Lake Elmo Review
For Nicole Bonniwell, dancing is a release.
After working a long day at her job in admissions at Rasmussen College, Nicole has been able to use that release for the past several months.
Not in the privacy of her own home or at a dance studio lesson, but as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves Dance Team.
Nicole, an Oakdale native and 2003 Tartan High School, just finished her rookie season with the team this week.
“I never thought about joining a dance team,” she says.
Nicole, 25, recently earned a communications degree from the University of Minnesota.
She started dancing at age 4 at Larkin Dance Studio in Maplewood. After honing her dance skills in everything from ballet to hip hop at Larkin and with the Tartan High School dance team, Nicole says she was at a crossroads.
“I know that she was really torn when she had to make the decision to pursue dancing or to go to college,” says Nicole’s mother, Mary.
Mary says she and her husband Joseph sacrificed to ensure their children – four in all – could have a support system and the ability to pursue their goals. Nicole is the oldest in the Bonniwell family, followed by Jacob, 23, who is in the Air National Guard, Riley, 16, who attends North High School, and Madison, 13, who is a student at Transfiguration Catholic School and takes classes at Larkin.
After thinking about a long-term professional dancing career versus the opportunities she could have by going to college, Nicole says she decided to pursue her degree.
Nicole joined the Air National Guard her senior year at Tartan to secure funding for her future education.
“My dad was in (the military) for 22 years and he influenced me to look down that road,” Nicole says.
She is now in her seventh year as an air field manager with the Air National Guard and spends one weekend a month and two weekends per year training, in addition to working at Rasmussen College.
But, dancing never faded as one of Nicole’s dreams.
“A dancer is always a dancer. When I was working full time at the Guard and going to school, there would be times where I would work late and there was nobody there and I would dance down the hall in my military uniform … it’s just a way of releasing; it’s a passion.”
Dancing her heart out
Mary Bonniwell says Nicole just “took off” with dancing once she enrolled at Larkin Dance Studio. “She loved it.”
After studying all genres at Larkin, Nicole excelled in ballet and solo performances.
Tartan teacher Sara Paul remembers Nicole was well known for her dancing abilities and achievements.
“Nicole was a top student and stood out as a person that was a high achiever, in and out of school, and was very intentional about how she used her time to fit all the pieces of her life together,” Paul says, adding that her own daughter, who was 5 at the time, saw Nicole as her role model.
Nicole did take a break from dancing when she started college and continued her work with the Air National Guard, but soon recognized she needed that release in her life.
In 2006, she tried out to be a Minnesota Vikings cheerleader.
“(During) the audition process, I just danced my heart out,” Nicole recalls. “When you get away from something for so long you forget how much you miss it.
“(It) probably was good for me to have that break and … realize how important this is to me.”
She earned a spot on squad and stayed for three seasons until she graduated from the ‘U’ last May.
She says her dance experiences had entered a whole new realm of performing for crowds at professional football games. “I think they build up that first game,” Nicole says, since there are months between the audition process and the season opener. “Running through that tunnel that first time is just exhilarating.”
After she left the Vikings, Nicole focused on her career at Rasmussen College, but it wasn’t long before another dance opportunity came up – the Minnesota Timberwolves Dance Team.
“I just thought it would be fun to get into a new organization that’s starting to rebuild and grow,” Nicole says.
After auditions last July, she was one of 13 selected out of 130 women. “It was pretty competitive which makes you more appreciative and proud that you were able to get a spot on the team.”
‘Happy medium’
While Nicole chose not to pursue a full-time dance career, she says her experiences with the Vikings and Timberwolves have been a “happy medium” with her other responsibilities.
During the Timberwolves’ season, the dance team only performs at home games. Off the court, the women represent the team at public functions and charity events.
“You’re definitely committed to being out in the community and being recognized as an ambassador for the Timberwolves,” Nicole says. “We’ve gotten to do some amazing stuff. I’ve gone to the Special Olympics here and you just feel appreciated and people are happy to see you. It’s always a good feeling to be a positive person in the community.”
At Timberwolves’ games, Nicole’s family comes to support her as much as they can.
“It’s a blast; it’s really fun. We’re so distracting because we’re always waving,” her mother says.
Mary admits she did worry about her over-achieving daughter taking on so many responsibilities, but she says Nicole always seems to be able to handle everything at once.
“I think she has the potential pretty much to do whatever she wants. She has a lot of ideas, and she’s always thinking about something,” Mary says. “I know that the day she stops dancing, she’s going to be really sad, but I think she’ll find another avenue. I think that (with) the discipline from the dancing and the discipline from the military … she has wonderful tools to be successful at what she wants to accomplish.”
Ambition for lifeTryouts for next season’s Timberwolves dance team are in July.
Nicole says her philosophy is to live year by year when it comes to deciding if the team will be a part of her future plans.
“I am definitely ambitious; I like being involved. I just feel like you kind of have to take opportunities as they come and embrace them.”
For the summer, Nicole’s favorite season, she says she plans to spend time with her family on their boat, and take up a new hobby, perhaps yoga.
Nicole celebrated her 25th birthday a few days before the Timberwolves’ last home game, April 14.
Her mother says, “I think she is an amazing young woman. I admire how she just sticks to everything she does. When the going gets tough, she doesn’t get down. I love that determination that she has.”
Lots of stuff in the latest edition of On The Flipside including a trip to San Diego for a beach photo shoot with Sweethearts for Soldiers. These former Sideline Distractions of the NFL and NBA with a military mission, give us a sneak peek behind the scenes as they shoot photos for their annual calendar!
By Scott Morgan
The North Shore Times
After more than a decade of performing in front of thousands of sports fans, cheerleader Erin Boon has decided to call it a day.
The 28-year-old has been a regular at Blues Super 14 matches since making the SkyCity cheer team 10 years ago, including several years as captain.
Erin also turned out as part of the Warriors cheer squad last season.
She says a love of dancing since childhood made the adjustment to cheerleading a natural one.
“I wanted to keep on dancing and it was a bonus to get paid a bit for it,” she says.
“Performing on the field you get a new-found confidence and it’s really fun.”
Making plenty of friends over the years is another benefit of being in the team for so long.
Erin says the stereotype of cheerleaders being attractive but having no brains couldn’t be further from the truth.
“One of the girls in the team has just become a doctor and there are teachers in the team.
“There are always going to be stereotypes like in the movie Bring It On.”
The Mt Roskill resident says there is a big difference performing in front of rugby crowds compared with league matches.
“They’re totally different environments. In rugby there’s more rock, while in league it’s more hip hop.”
A stint with the Chicago Bulls cheerleaders, the Luvabulls, was also a possibility after spending six months living in the United States with her partner.
“It was really fun. There were hundreds and hundreds of girls and I got through to the part where they picked 30 girls to go to a selection camp,” she says.
“I didn’t quite make it further, but it was such a good experience.
“You see how much higher expectations are in American cheer teams.
“They come around touching up your hair, telling you that you should wear makeup or put on or lose weight.”
While she’ll miss the thrill of performing in front of huge crowds, Erin says it’s time to concentrate on her career and wedding early next year.
“I’d like to know what life is like not being a cheerleader and not have to go to rehearsal most nights of the week,” she says.
SkyCity cheerleaders creative director Claire Baxter says Erin will be hard to replace.
“Erin gives massive commitment and dedication to whatever she does.”
Watch how they cheer in New Zealand.
[Auckland Blues SkyCities Cheerleaders]
On Sunday, June 13th, Las Vegas fans are invited to join celebrity judges Lisa Remillard, ABC Action News Anchor, Napoleon McCallum, former Los Angeles Raider and NCAA Hall of Fame member, and Locomotives Head Coach Jim Fassel, along with host Chet Buchanan from the KLUC Morning Zoo show at Blue Martini as the newest and hottest dance team in Las Vegas is selected, THE LOCO-MOTION.
Blue Martini will be offering Happy Hour Specials all day with 1/2 price specials on food and drinks. All ages are welcome to attend and all fans in attendance with have the chance to win Locos season tickets and other great prizes.
Locos season seats are on sale for as low as $60 for all 4 exciting home games!
Doors open at 1pm, with the dance finals beginning at 2pm.
Blue Martini Lounge
6593 Las Vegas Blvd. South
702 949 2583
See more photos from the preliminary auditions here.
Amber Lancaster of Tacoma stars as Jenny Swanson in the new MTV situation comedy “The Hard Times of RJ Berger.” Lancaster, 29, is a former Pierce College student and Seattle Seahawks Cheerleader with a long string of credits as a magazine and TV model. The MTV role, in which she plays a high schooler who is the dream girl of a nerdy classmate, is her first big break as an actress.
[Seattle Post-Intelligencer Gallery of Amber Lancaster]
Shan Stavropoulos, the Director of the UFL Omaha Nighthawks Cheerleaders, started dancing when she was 4 years old in Walnut Creek, California prior to moving to Omaha, NE. She then became a member of her high school’s cheer team, and dance team. Shan accumulated several dance team awards with her Ralston Ram High School Pom Squad and was named NDA All-American, voted a NDA Superstar and was recruited to teach summer dance camps as a NDA Instructor.
She was also selected to perform in the Aloha Bowl in Hawaii. Shan then moved on to become part of the UNK Dance Team, where she was one of the main choreographers. She has judged many tryouts and competitions along the way, as well as choreographed for various events, schools and programs such as the UNO Dance Team, Nebraska All-Star Tigers, Skutt Dance Team, Marian Cheer Team, KWAA Panthers (just to name a few).
Recently, she was the Director of Tryouts for the NebraskaWesleyan University Dance Team, and a hip hop instructor for Kitty Lee Dance Studio. Currently, Shan is the Coach and Choreographer for the UDA National Champion Millard West Dance Team, where she has coached and choreographed for the past 7 years. She has accumulated 18 Best Choreography Awards, 10 Best Costume Awards, 4 UDA Coaches Leadership Awards, as well as the team placing in the top 10 at UDA Nationals since 2003.
2424 South 156th Circle, Omaha, NE 68130
Watch a video of Shan discussion the tryouts here.
[Omaha Nighthawks Cheerleaders Auditions]
Kansas City Chiefs Belinda, Miss Maple Leaf, is making her fourth appearance on the Miss Kansas stage. Belinda is a Kansas State University grad and former feature twirler for the KSU marching band. On Wednesday night in the talent portion of the pageant, she combined twirling, dance and acrobatics in an energetic routine to “Proud Mary.”
Good luck, Belinda!
