March 2012 – Melissa, behind the scenes at the ChivaGirls photo shoot
Note: the photo of Collin has been corrected. My bad!
By Josh Cohen
Orlando Magic
August 9, 2012
ORLANDO — For 13 dancers, the dream will be relived. For another seven, the dream has begun.
While it wasn’t easy for the judges, 30 finalists were narrowed to 20 on Thursday to form the 2012-13 Orlando Magic Dance Team.
And now with all the anxiety and ambiguity of auditions complete, the chosen dancers can prepare for a year they will never forget.
For the veterans, which include Kendra, Victoria, Jessica, Priya, Ashley, Shalize, Shaunte, Laine, Gizelle, Krystle, Heather, Emmy and Candace, they proved they are exceptional performers with a demonstrated talent to lead by example.
For the rookies, which include Alexa, Brittany, Elyse, Jamie, Kori, Nicole and Tiffany, they showed they have unlimited potential and a willingness to adapt to the Magic’s techniques.
We learned throughout the week that this year’s squad would be one of the most well rounded teams in franchise history. Besides each dancer’s ability to entertain, they all are extremely personable, elegant and committed to joining one of the most prestigious dance teams in all of professional sports.
The hard work doesn’t stop here, however.
Soon, routines for this upcoming NBA season will be vigorously rehearsed. And eventually, Manager Jeanine Klem-Thomas and Assistant Manager Cherie LaRosa will send out an outstanding dance team to perform at every Magic game at Amway Center.
Outside of the dance studio, there will be photo shoots, intense physical fitness sessions and plenty of time spent in the community.
If you attended final auditions on Thursday or watched all the performances as it was broadcasted live on OrlandoMagic.com, you could already sense this is going to be a very entertaining season.
Click here to check out ABC13’s extensive set of photos from this week’s final audition.
The Chosen Ones
Rockets.com
8/8/2012
HOUSTON – A new era for the Rockets Power Dancers is officially underway.
After ten days of intense, grueling training, three rounds of auditions and nerve-wracking performances, the results are in and the next generation of Rockets Power Dancers has been unveiled.
* Meet the Dancers *
With more than a thousand people on hand to watch the event Wednesday night at the House of Blues in downtown Houston, 14 lovely and talented dancers were chosen, launching the team’s inaugural season under new coach and choreographer Natalie Alvarado.
This year’s edition of RPD promises to feature a heavy dose of hip-hop style and swag and all the dancers delivered the goods Wednesday, showing off an abundance of attitude, ability and sex appeal while wowing the audience to the sonic blast of Kanye West’s “Mercy.”
The event marked the fourth consecutive year that the Rockets have held the final auditions in public, and the spectators on hand were treated to a tremendous show, bearing witness to the festivities which included top-notch performances from all the finalists, plus Clutch the Rockets Bear, Launch Crew, Little Dippers and the Space City Seniors.
Be sure to keep an eye on the soon-to-be-ravamped Rockets Power Dancers’ homepage in the weeks and months to come for more pictures, news and information on the ’12-13 team.
You are invited to watch the 30 finalists for the Orlando Magic Dancers tonight. Finals go down at 7pm at the Disney Atrium at Amway Center in Orlando (admission is free). If you can get there – go! If not, you can watch it online as the event is streamed on the Orlando Magic website.
PLUS, there’s still time to vote for your favorites. Do it now!
(Voting ends at 8pm EST)
Swampscott native opens own studio, shares passion with community
By Michelle Nigro (FYI: also a alum of the NEPC)
Wicked Local Swampscott
August 9, 2012
Swampscott —
Trying to teach 18 active kids under the age of 8 how to dance on a Saturday night may seem like a nightmare to some 24-year-olds. But for Swampscott native and former Patriots cheerleader Danielle Lannon, it’s just another day at her dream job.
Lannon, 24, is the owner of Studio 21 — a dance studio located at 21 Elm Place in Swampscott. Lannon has been dancing since she was 3 years old, and since moving on from her gig as a Patriots cheerleader — she was a member of the team from 2007 to 2009 — she’s been sharing her passion for dance with the community she grew up in.
“I just love to dance, I love performing,” Lannon said. “That’s my favorite part of dancing.”
Lannon’s mom, Susanne, is the front office manager of Studio 21 and knows just how dedicated her daughter is to the business and dance.
“That’s always been her passion: dance,” Susanne said. “Just to see her live that and fulfill that is unbelievable. It just makes me really happy that she’s doing something that she loves.”
Lannon said the chance to start her dream career fell into her lap at the age of 22, and it was simply an opportunity she couldn’t pass up. Two years ago, after Lannon had just stopped working at the dance studio she taught at during college, she had no idea what she was going to do next.
“I had a month of nothing, didn’t know what I was going to do, where I was going to go,” said Lannon.
Lannon started teaching Zumba at Burke’s Tumbling Academy, a Swampscott gym owned by Lannon’s friend Jen Burke. Lannon remembers Bruce Paradise, the landlord of the building where Burke’s gym is, asking what Lannon wanted to do for a career.
“I said, ‘Oh, I’ll probably own a dance studio, but that’s years down the road when I save up money and all that,’” Lannon said.
Lannon said Paradise told her he had an aerobic room in the back of Paradise Gym that was rarely used, and after hearing her dream of owning a studio, Paradise decided to offer it to Lannon. He walked her through the space asking, “How’s this? Does this work?”
“The next day I shook hands and started planning the studio and just started to go for it,” said Lannon.
Despite renovating, decorating and opening in just two short months, Lannon said the studio came out exactly how she had hoped. With the help of family and friends, Lannon opened Studio 21 on Nov. 29, 2010.
“It was a Monday,” Lannon pointed out, adding that it’s a day she will always fondly remember.
Susanne pointed out that her daughter is just like her father.
“They both know what they want and just go after it,” Susanne said. “If she wants something, she does it. No one is going to stop her.”
An idea comes to fruition
Today, when you walk into Studio 21, a light pink waiting room greets guests, and framed photos of Patriots cheerleaders from Lannon’s time on the team are displayed on the walls. A hot-pink bathroom and turquoise walls inside the dance studio make just about every little girl who dances at Lannon’s studio feel like a ballerina.
Opening her own business was tough at first, Lannon said. The studio only gained about 10 students during the first few months. Dance schools normally start their sessions in September, Lannon said, explaining that once a dancer joins a studio, it’s uncommon to leave midway through the year and join a different studio.
“It wasn’t the best of timing to open in November, but it was a dream, and it was an opportunity that I couldn’t really turn down,” Lannon said. “But I was definitely nervous.”
Even so, Studio 21 grew to 45 students by May of that year. And by the end of her second year in business, the studio had 79 students.
Lannon partly credits the town she grew up in with helping her business achieve its success.
“Swampscott’s been great to me,” Lannon said. “The best advertising is word of mouth. So if you’re in a community where you haven’t really established yourself yet, or don’t know anybody, it’s definitely harder.”
Maureen Locke, a Swampscott native, has sent her daughter Emma, 6, to Studio 21 since it opened in 2010. Locke said Emma is willing to try any class Lannon teaches, and Locke is happy to send her daughter to someone who is not only a teacher but also a role model, she said.
“[Danielle] is not just going through the motions,” said Locke. “Dance is in her blood. She is a wonderful role model. If you set your mind to something, you can do it.”
Lannon started making a name for herself in the community when she took over the Swampscott High School dance team in 2008. She managed to turn a team of eight girls that performed twice a year into a team of 21 that competes in dance competitions and appears throughout the community regularly.
“Now the whole town knows about the dance team,” said Lannon, “I’ve just been trying to get them out in the community and respected and appreciated by the school.”
This year, the dance team performed at nursing homes over the holiday season and held a fundraiser called Dancing with the Staff that sold out the SHS auditorium.
Lannon said that she learned many years ago just how much of an impact one person can make in a community — given her experience as a Patriots cheerleader and working with nonprofits through the Patriots organization. It was that knowledge that led her to aspire to promote dance within Swampscott.
Lannon said that she has plans of instilling the same community-minded mentality into her dance students as her studio continues to grow.
“It’s a great town,” Lannon said. “I love it here, and I love the community and everybody in it. So it seemed like a good town to establish my business in.”
Lannon joked that she feels as if she is married to the town, adding, “It’s not a bad thing, though.”
Studio 21 offers classes to ages 3 through 18, with approximately five classes held every day during the school year. Despite the fact that her student body continues to grow, Lannon is the only teacher at the studio.
Susanne said that she believes her daughter is a wonderful dance teacher, and Lannon is full of spirit, given her young age.
“I think [people] should teach when they’re young,” said Susanne. “If not, you’re not actually getting that passion and creativity from the person who’s running it.”
On top of teaching every class at her studio, Lannon holds two SHS dance team practices a week and three Zumba fitness classes at her studio.
Lannon said that even in the mornings, which are her only free times, she is always planning her dance classes, choreographing dances and even reading books about dance. But it never gets old, she said.
“Dancing is my number-one passion,” she said. “But aside from that I just love kids. I love working with kids, teaching and sharing my passion with them and getting the kids to create their own passion for dance, so it’s something we share.”
As Lannon approaches her third year of business, she still can’t believe that she’s achieved her dream. Lannon said she gets excited each day when she goes to unlock the door at her studio and sees her business sign, knowing she took a chance and came out on top.
“People ask me all the time how I’m not completely exhausted after a day,” said Lannon. “I really love going to work. It’s my dream job, and I’m living it.”
Heat Dancer veteran Taryn is hoping to make it on the team for a third season. This time around, she and her sister Lindsey are auditioning together. So far they've both made it to finals.
The Heat Dancers are known for being especially fierce, and if you didn’t know that already, you might pick up on it by watching their tryouts. Dancers auditioning for the team go the extra mile to look edgy and unique. This is the audition where you’ll find tu-tus, thigh highs, studded leather, leggings, multi-colored hair, J Lo hoops, and stacked bracelets – sometimes all of that on one person! Click here for photos from last weekend’s open call. And click the links below for video coverage.
[Finalist Bootcamp: Day 1] (Brutal, but at least they didn’t have to do it in heels this year!)
On a related note, congrats to Natalia Gonzales, the team’s new manager. Natalia was a Heat Dancer for 4 seasons (2008-12), so I reckon she knows what qualities it takes to get on this team. Since Natalia just retired from the team earlier this year, she’s in the unenviable position of having to judge some of girls who were on the team with her last year. Yowza!
…the San Antonio Spurs Silver Dancers. Geez. It hasn’t even been 24 hours since finals, and they’ve already done their first uniform photo shoot. Impressive! Click here to check out the 2012-13 team.
Melissa, Tiffany, and Courtney
As football season quickly approaches, Maysville resident Tina Rigdon prepares to begin her second year as a member of the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengal’s cheerleading squad.
Rigdon, who has been a dancer since the age of 3, was last a member of the team in 2005. Seven years later, she decided to make a comeback.
It wasn’t easy. Rigdon said she competed against about 200 other girls for a spot on the 34-member team. Rigdon trained prior to tryouts, brushing up on turns, leaps and jumps required of team members.
Though the Bengal’s season hasn’t started yet, Rigdon and other cheerleaders have been busy preparing for game-day. Summer practices are held three to four days a week. Cheerleaders are also required to make appearances and attend charity events.
“They want us to be role models,” Rigdon said.
Being a member of the team isn’t the only thing filling Rigdon’s time. She is mother to an 8-year-old son, and she works full-time as fitness director at the Limestone Family YMCA.
“I’m very grateful that I have such a supporting job,” Rigdon said. She added that working as fitness director played hand-in-hand with being a Bengals cheerleader — its a good way to stay in shape.
Rigdon said her son was one of her main reasons for returning to the team. He loves football, and will now have tickets to all of the games.
However, Rigdon remains a busy individual. Every hour of her day is scheduled — from the moment she gets out of the bed in the morning, to the time she goes to bed each night.
“It’s an adjustment, but I’m a person of structure,” Rigdon said.
Rigdon said that for the most part, the cheerleading program is very similar now to what it was seven years ago. However, she said for her personally, she is seven years older, and though she can still meet the demands of the team, she often finds herself more tired, and in need of longer recovery time.
Along with the other cheerleaders, Rigdon must fight each week for a spot in the performance. Only 24 cheerleaders take the field out of the 34 members of the team.
“You have to constantly be on your game,” she said.
Rigdon said that even with this competition, the team was really a sisterhood, all members supporting one another.
With all the hard work that comes with being a member of the team, Rigdon said there is nothing like being on the field at Paul Brown Stadium, in front of 64,000 people, as the Bengals take the field to “Welcome to the Jungle.”
“It’s a rush,” she said.
