When the Arena Football League suspended operations, many of the players chose to continue playing on other teams in other leagues. Well some of the dancers decided to keep dancing as well.
Our good friend Marla Viturello, who directed and choreographed the Philadelphia Soulmates, put together a new team. The Philadelphia All Pro Dance Team consists of dancers who would have been cheering on the Philadelphia Soul right about now.
This past weekend The Philadelphia All Pro Dance Team traveled to Reading and performed at the Reading Express game. Pro Bowl Dan was on hand to take these photos.
Lauren
Stephanie
Krysta
The dancers will be back in Reading on Saturday, May 9th.
Last year, after the Axe Maidens held their first auditions, there was only 3 weeks to prepare for their very first game. Throughout the season there was a lot to learn, no one knew what to expect and everyone just “went with the flow”. With all the uncertainty and many rainy games the very first cheerleaders for the Axemen Rugby League were a success thanks to the professionalism and hard work of all the ladies. This year there will be a few changes. Donna Windsor will no longer be Co-Captain so that she can concentrate on her many on going projects and responsibilities including her role as the President of the Professional Cheerleaders Alumni. She will be missed however she will not be forgotten. Donna will be returning to occasionally choreograph routines and help when needed.
Auditions for the 2009 team took place on March 28th where 24 ladies danced, kicked, smiled and shook their hips for a chance to be a part of the 2009 Jacksonville Axe Maidens. A panel of 8 judges including representatives from Bailey’s Powerhouse Gym, Vivid Images U.S.A. Inc. and the Axemen organization. Joining them were Donna Windsor and current Axe Maidens Director, Darlene Clancy.
Following individual introductions contestants performed a sideline “stinger”, dance routine and kickline. After all the ladies performed the finalists were announced. Finalists were then brought in one at a time for interviews in front of the judges panel.
There was a lot of talent and it was a tough decision. Last season the Axe Maidens consisted of 12 inaugural members and this season 13 were selected including the six veterans who auditioned.
“I am very excited to have the opportunity to add an additional member to our team. We have many appearances scheduled before our first game and having 13 ladies allows us to reach out to more fans not only in the community but on game day as well.” according to Darlene Clancy.
The 2009 Axe Maidens are already hard at work and wasting no time. Contracts have been signed, uniforms have been distributed and practices have commenced.
On April 5th the team met with photographer Vincent Pierce at his studio to shoot their headshots. (Vincent Pierce is an amazing photographer and the Axe Maidens are very lucky to have him. Please visit his website www.vincentpierce.com to view his work.) For many of the ladies this was their first professional photo shoot. They all came with lots of smiles & energy and the session even ended on time!
This week the Axe Maidens will be making their first team appearance at the Jacksonville Suns game followed by meet & greets at Outback Steakhouse on April 13, 20, 27 and May 4.
[Auditions Photos on Jacksonville.com]
Edward Guthmann
Special to the Chronicle
the San Francisco Chronicle
April 6, 2009
Emily Compagno isn’t your typical Raiderette. A year before she joined the Oakland Raiders’ popular cheerleading squad in April 2007, she received her law degree at the University of San Francisco and passed the California Bar exam. A criminal defense attorney with a firm south of San Francisco, she balances law with the football games, dance practices, photo shoots and charity work that come with being a Raiderette.
Compagno, 29, grew up in El Cerrito and got her bachelor’s degree at the University of Washington. She’s traveled three times to Africa, including once for a law school internship in a South African township and last year as a volunteer with orphans in Uganda, Malawi and Zambia. She lives in Alameda and would ultimately like to be a legal analyst or correspondent for a major TV network.
“People in the legal field are always surprised when they learn I’m a Raiderette. I don’t broadcast it; I don’t have my team poster in the office. And there’s equal surprise when people first know me as a Raiderette and find out I’m an attorney.
“I’d been wanting to audition for the Raiderettes for a while. The irony is that I didn’t have time when I was in law school, but as a practicing attorney I did. I’ve been dancing since I was 3, so it’s natural to want that part of my life, the love of performing, satisfied. I don’t see it as an alternative or a replacement to my career. It complements my life. It’s just being me.
“Being a Raiderette is a part-time commitment but we call it a “part-time full-time commitment.” It ends up almost taking more time than being an attorney. We hold auditions in April, and then rehearsals begin right away. We fly to Hawaii to do our calendar shoot. We have a mini-camp in May. For the first six weeks we just practice at night. Then weekend practices begin in June and last through the summer until the first preseason games in August.
“There are 36 Raiderettes this season. Everyone works ridiculously hard. We’re known for the difficulty and intensity and sharpness of our choreography. Our placement on the field and our formations are very, very precise. Like, ‘Emily, I want you to back up just an inch.’ Almost like a drill team. We have multiple routines, and they’re always being tweaked to make it fresh. Karen Kovac is our director and head choreographer, and we have guest choreographers creating new routines.
“The Raiderettes were the first NFL cheer team (1960), and our uniform has not changed since then, except for alterations in fit and cut to reflect the times. We wear black shorts that are scalloped and edged with Swarovski crystals at the bottom, and on top of the shorts a silver band with a kind of swashbuckler’s tie – ’cause we’re the Raiders. We have a white top with crystals in the center and billowy long pirate sleeves. A silver vest with crystals, white Carlos Santana boots, silver Mylar poms and our Raiderette medallion.
“A game day starts for me at 6:30 a.m. That’s when I get up. We’re expected to arrive at the stadium in “Stadium Day Face” (makeup), which is different from “Game Day Face” which includes false eyelashes and glitter. Our call time is usually 8:45 or 9 a.m., and that means we’re on the field ready for roll call in our warm-up uniform.
“Then we have a two-hour practice. We’ll practice the player intro routine – what we call “tunnels” when the players come out of the tunnel. We’ll practice the pregame show, when all 36 of us dance in the center of the field. We’ll practice our quarter-break routines, which are in the end zones.
“Then we go back to the locker room and, on a good day, we have like an hour and 10 minutes to eat lunch and totally get ready for the game. Sometime we have professional help with hair and makeup, but we’re taught to do it all ourselves. Then it’s call time for the game. We go into the parking lot in two lines and kind of snake through the crowd and wave. We’re escorted by police officers on two sides so we’re like an insulated caterpillar.
“We’ll always have a prayer before going out onto the field – holding hands and everything. Then we go into the stands and take photos with attendees. We come out on the field, do our pregame show. Do player intro. National anthem. Kickoff routine. And then rally and cheer the whole game. Hopefully we’ll win. Then we flank the tunnel when everyone exits and when the last player’s off the field, we go back to the locker room. It’s a very long, exhausting day. Then most of us usually have dinner together.
“Each NFL team has its own policy about their own players dating their own cheerleaders. And in the Raiders there is no policy against it, though it is not encouraged. Yes, there are successful relationships between players and Raiderettes. But I can’t say any more than that.
“This isn’t a lucrative position by any means. But you definitely don’t do it for the money. You do it because you love it. And you do. It’s absolutely worth it. I would do it if I made nothing.”
Raiderette auditions will be April 19 at Club One, City Center, 1200 Clay St., Oakland. For more information, go to www.raiders.com.
by Jorn Anderson, staff writer
The Golden Gate Xpress
March 1, 2009
It’s nine in the morning and Chelsea Bell is awake and getting ready for her big day.
She goes over the material; she has been studying the entire week, hoping not to mess up. Her heart beats rapidly as she quickly gets dressed, puts on makeup and rushes out the door.
No, Bell is not getting ready for a final exam or hurrying off to a job interview. She is preparing to perform as a Raiderette in front of as many as 63,000 fans at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
Bell, 21, a transfer student from Diablo Valley College, is a BECA major at SF State.
She’s been a member of the Oakland Raiders cheerleading squad, appropriately named the Raiderettes, for two years, but will be taking a year off from the squad this upcoming season.
As a Raiderette and a college student, Bell is used to performing under pressure.
Consequently, she made an interview with the [X]press look like a breeze.
[X]: How long have you been a Raiderette?
C.B.: This is my second season with “football’s fabulous females.”
[X]: What is your typical preparation like for game days?
C.B.: Game days are pretty crazy. We get in around 9 a.m. for a 1 o’clock game and we’ll practice on the field … so we’ll run a full game before the game. Then we have to go back to the locker room and get in uniform and get ready to go out for player intros.
[X]: What are your emotions like before the game?
C.B.: Definitely for my first game I was extremely nervous. Putting on that silver-and- black uniform and stepping out onto the field in front of 60,000-plus fans is pretty nerve-racking, but as you go along you start to get used to it. You never get fully used to it though, because it’s pretty crazy.
[X]: So how does one go about becoming a Raiderette?
C.B.: Well, I’ve been dancing and cheerleading my whole life. I’ve been performing since I was seven. I found out about auditions through my dance teacher and went out and auditioned and made the team on my first try, which is very fortunate.
[X]: What’s the tryout process like?
C.B.: The first tryouts are a quick preliminary round. It’s just a short interview, you know, say your name and a couple things about yourself. They make a cut from there [after the first round] and if you make it to the final round, which they will announce that night, you come back the following Sunday. [At the final round] you perform a routine that you would have previously learned. They will announce the final team that evening, so you’ll know before you leave that night.
[X]: What was your reaction when you found out you were going to be a Raiderette?
C.B.: I was in shock (laughs). It was crazy. It was unbelievable, really. My parents have been season ticket holders since they [the Oakland Raiders] moved back from LA, so I pretty much grew up going to the games and watching the Raiderettes, hoping one day I’d be out there and … it came true.
[X]: What’s the best thing about being a Raiderette?
C.B.: Oh, that’s a tough question. Honestly, there are so many things we get to do like charity work and promos. I’ve gone to Wyoming to do a promo, and I’ve gone down to LA and shot a commercial for the Super Bowl. But honestly I think my favorite part is performing on game day, absolutely.
[X]: What is it like performing in front of 60,000 people?
C.B.: It’s amazing. There are really no words to describe it. You step out on to the field and you can hardly hear yourself think (laughs). It’s pretty cool.
[X]: What’s the toughest part about being a Raiderette?
C.B.: Time management really comes into play, especially going to school full time. You really have to work that out and fit it into your schedule. We practice Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7-9:30 p.m. plus another practice on Saturday and Sundays are game days. Then on top of that you have all the other appearances we do, calendar signings, charity work, promos and all the other stuff we do. It’s a lot of work.
[X]: What type of charity work do you do?
C.B.: We work with a lot of underprivileged children around the Bay Area. We go to their schools and read to them and help them with their homework. We answer as a team to over 300 charities a year. A lot of people just think, “Oh, you’re a cheerleader. You just have your pompoms and you go out there,” but we do a lot of good work.
[X]: Who’s your favorite Raider player?
C.B.: My favorite Raider player is Steve Wiznuski. He was an offensive lineman years ago who’s retired now. I met him when I was younger and thought he was the greatest thing because he was so nice to me. He was an awesome offensive lineman too.
[X]: Have you had any embarrassing moments as a cheerleader?
C.B.: I’ve fallen performing, which is pretty embarrassing (laughs). But you just shake it off and get over it because that’s part of being a performer.
[X]: Why did you decide to come to SF State?
C.B.: I transferred from Diablo Valley College in Concord and came to SF State because of the broadcasting program. I took a few broadcasting classes at DVC and it sparked an interest. I’m still trying to decide whether I want to be a dance major though.
[X]: How do you like it so far?
C.B.: I love it. The faculty is very helpful and the campus is very beautiful. I haven’t gotten to see all of it since it’s only my second semester and I commute so I’m not really on campus that much.
[X]: What’s easier for you: Taking a final or performing in front of 60,000 screaming fans?
C.B.: I will get out in front of a million people over taking a final (laughs). I was born to perform; I’ve been doing it forever so I’m pretty used to it.
I can’t be everywhere!
While I was in Washington, DC last Saturday for the Bullettes, Wizards Dancers Alumni Reunion, Pro Bowl Dan was covering for me in Reading, PA.
Here are some of Dan’s photos of the Reading Express Smokin’ Hot Steam Team. The Philadelphia All Pro Dance Team was also at the game and those photos will be coming online shortly.
[Reading Express Smokin’ Hot Steam Team]
While the primary reason for my trip to DC on Saturday was to shoot the Bullettes, Wizards Dancers Alumni Reunion, in the 4th quarter I was able to photograph some of the 2008-09 Wizard Girls.
Washington Redskins Cheerleader Captain Jamilla gives the Dancers a standing ovation.
[Wizard Girls uniforms by The Line Up]
Good friend (and former Sonics Dancer and Sea Gal) Ali Dudek is really taking off in her music career. The singer/songwriter has been been playing quite a bit around the Texas scene.
You can see photos and watch performances here.
Saturday night at the Verizon Center 4 decades of dancers reunited and put on a halftime performance that wowed Wizards Fans.
Alumni from as far away as Colorado dusted off their dance shoes for a chance to show off their moves.
Three of my favorite people: The Wizards Girl Brain Trust. From left-to-right: Assistant Director Brianne Ritzert, Assistant Director Kelly Owens, and Director Jessica Pikulski.
Final auditions for the ROAR of the Jacksonville Jaguars include the choreography taught during the preliminary round, as well as a showcase for individual talent. New photos from finals have been posted on Jacksonville.com. Click here to see them.
Over 400 young ladies from all across the Delaware Valley converged on Lincoln Financial Field for the Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders Open Call Auditions on Saturday.
The lobby was overflowing with aspiring Eagles Cheerleaders.
You can see how packed the Club Level was. The dancers were broken into two groups of 200, as there was simply not enough room for everyone to learn the routine at once.
Janelle helps teach the choreography.
