Boston Herald
September 14, 2015

Ever since she finished her stint on “Dancing with the Stars,” Medford homegal Maria Menounos has had the Boogie Fever — and the only cure was to make another TV show about dancing!

“After I left ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ where I was dancing on a daily basis, I really missed it. It was hard to detach,” Maria told the Track. “And I said to (partner) Keven (Undergaro), ‘We need to come up with something for everyone, because there’s no dance shows for everyday people.’ ”

While she was thinking those big thoughts, Maria and “DWTS” pro-turned-judge Julianne Hough had caused a social media sensation with a series of “Dance Wars” via YouTube. The videos went viral and other celebrities, including Kate Hudson and Kristi Yamaguchi, jumped onboard. And thus “Dance Battle America” was born.

“It’s not something where you have to have actual skill,” Menounos said. “I had no business challenging The Hough to a dance off. I just wanted to dance. I love to dance, good or bad.”

The special, which will air tomorrow night after “DWTS,” will have eight dance teams battling it out for the Dance Battle Trophy. The dancers, who were recruited via social media, will go through a week of dance boot camp, training with top choreographers, to create a routine for their chosen song. After four rounds, a winner will be chosen.

One of the teams, The Retired Cheerleaders, stars four former New England Patriots cheerleaders, who will do a routine to Katy Perry’s “Firework.”

“They’re very competitive and have a taste for winning after cheering in several Super Bowls for the Patriots,” the show’s publicity says. “The competition is their ‘comeback,’ so to speak.”

The special will be hosted by Alfonso Ribeiro (“America’s Funniest Home Videos,” “Unwrapped 2.0”) and singer Jordin Sparks.

Menounos, arguably the ­hardest working gal in show biz with her E! Network gig, producing, acting and wrestling projects, said after the special airs she has another big project lined up: She might finally be ready to be a mom.

“We’re kinda working on it,” said Maria, who has been with her partner, Undergaro, for 17 years. “We’re both onboard. We’re ready. I’m 37 and I’m glad we waited but it’s time to make something happen. I hope it’s not too late!”

File Under: Battle Ready.

WCAX
September 10, 2015

FOXBORO, Mass. –

If you’re at Gillette Stadium this year, keep your eye out for one particular cheerleader from the Green Mountains. Bridget Martin is a stowe native and former Ms. Vermont Teen. She’s currently a UVM student and a rookie on the Patriots cheerleadering squad this season. She is a promotional cheerleader, meaning Bridget’s role with the team includes charity events, modeling and even hitting the field at Gillette.

“Well, as a little girl it’s always a fantasy watching football and seeing all the beautiful cheerleaders out there with their pom poms and uniforms so definitely never thought of myself as fulfilling this, but I’m so proud and I’m glad to represent Vermont as well,” Martin says. “The fans have been incredible. I’ve never seen such great people with so much excitement and energy and it makes me more excited.”

Martin still has two years left at UVM, so she has to balance cheerleading in Foxborough with maintaining a high GPA in Burlington.

“I’m a major in public communications,” Martin says. “It’s definitely difficult. I commute here every other week for games and then we list our availability for promotional appearances, so that allows me to balance my class schedule. Being a Patriot cheerleader only allows you a four year limit, so in four years I’ll be off the team and hopefully just getting a job or possibly getting my masters.”

Fox 11 News
September 14, 2015

GREEN BAY —

The Packers don’t have official cheerleaders but they once did…

Dozens of former Packers cheerleaders met up at Lambeau Saturday afternoon, nearly 30 years after the official squad was discontinued.

The group stood on the steps of the Oneida Nation gate for a photo opp — before heading to the official reunion.

The team talked about their fond memories of cheering on the Pack — and some say this gathering was long overdue.

“We’ve never had a reunion before and it’s about time. I don’t know why we didn’t think of this sooner. But it’s been 30 years since the Packers have had professional cheerleaders so here we are,” said Barb Sauvey, Packers Cheerleader ’83-85.

“I was one of very few NFL professional male cheerleaders,” Todd Vanden Heuvel Packers Cheerleader ’82-83. “I really did enjoy that time. I met a bunch of beautiful lovely ladies and I was able to stay connected with some over the last 30 years and because of today, I’m able to reconnect with a lot of other ones.”

They say social media has played a huge role in keeping them connected.

Currently — cheerleaders from St. Norbert College and UWGB are the unofficial cheerleaders of the Packers.

Individual head shots and uniform photos have been posted on DallasCowboys.com and bios are in progress. Click here to learn more about this year’s team.

By Myriah Towner
NBC DFW
September 10, 2015

From examining cases to delicate surgeries in the operating room, it’s hard to picture pediatric urologist Dr. Nicol Bush as a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader.

“With that really big screen TV at the new stadium, I’m really glad that I’m not wearing that uniform anymore!” Bush joked.

She cheered for the Dallas Cowboys during their dynasty years of the 1990s, including the Superbowl XXX win.

As a member of the squad, she toured around the world and appeared in magazines and photo-shoots.

“I loved being on the cheerleading squad. I thought it was amazing get to be able to go out and bring excitement to our troops that were overseas, to see some of the girls and just know that you were their idol for those few moments in time,” she said.

The Nimitz High School graduate, however, had higher aspirations.

She joined the squad at age 18 while she studied as a biochemistry major.

After two years with the team, she decided to pursue her medical goals full-time.

She completed years of medical school and residency and is now one of the few female pediatric urologists in the nation, and she believes skills she learned as a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader have helped her as a surgeon.

“When you think about any sort of performance at the level of a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader, we practice for something over and over and over until it was perfect. So when I go into operating room, it’s the exact same thing,” she said.

As a surgeon, Bush most often treats children born with a penile birth defect called hypospadias.

She has traveled around the world to operate on children in need and has just launched a charity called Operation Happenis to raise awareness about the birth defect, which affects one in 200 boys throughout the world.

She said at one point, she contemplated revealing her former job as a cheerleader to prospective employers.

“That thought went through my head, ‘Should I hide my past?’ But at the end of the day, I thought, ‘No, it’s a huge part of who I am, a big part of my background, it shaped where I am today,'” she said.

Bush is also busy as a mother of four, including three daughters and one son.

“One of my twins wants to be a cheerleader, a doctor and rock star! I can help her with the cheeleadering and the doctoring, but the rock star? She is totally on her own,” joked Bush.

Photos from the last week of preseason 2015 on Sports Illustrated. Click here to go there now.

A. Pawlowski
TODAY
September 3, 2014

The inventor of the newest baby accessory might just have one of the more interesting resumes around.

Meet Marcie Miller: engineer, new mom and former professional cheerleader for the Arizona Cardinals.

Her creation, the Intel Smart Clip, is designed to warn parents if they’ve left their baby behind in a car — the latest effort to prevent hot car deaths among children.

Miller, who lives in Chandler, Arizona, where temperatures reached 111 degrees this summer, has heard the stories all too often. So far this year, 15 children in the U.S. have died of heat stroke in cars, according to KidsAndCars.org.

More than half of kids who die are simply left behind by a caregiver who has forgotten they are in the backseat.

Miller’s invention is designed to never let that happen. Ask her if her family life inspires her work, and she’s quick to reply.

“Oh, 100 percent, yes,” Miller, 34, told TODAY Parents. “Having a daughter over this past year, having heard these things happen, it just kind of hit home a little bit closer.”

Marcie Miller straps her daughter Brooklyn into a car seat.

Miller grew up in Arizona excelling in math, science and athletics. As she worked on her electrical engineering degree at Arizona State University, she joined the school’s cheerleading squad.

At 23, Miller started working for Intel, a job that she loved but one that also made her miss the camaraderie of women and performing in front of crowds. So in 2007, she decided to try out as a cheerleader for an NFL team and joined the Arizona Cardinals.

Marcie Miller spent four years cheerleading for the Arizona Cardinals while also working at Intel.

She got to go to the Super Bowl, travel around the world on USO tours and perform at the Pro Bowl — all while also working as an engineer for the tech giant.

“It didn’t feel like two different lives at all. It was just my life; it was things I was passionate about,” Miller said. “It gave me a nice balance between my work friends in a more male-dominated industry and then just a group of really passionate, hard-working women.”

Miller’s career as a professional cheerleader ended in 2010. She gave birth to her daughter Brooklyn 16 months ago and she has a second child on the way.

Marcie Miller with her family.

Last fall, Intel asked her to look into ways to prevent child deaths in hot cars. Miller and her colleagues came up with a prototype for the Smart Clip, a gadget filled with sensors that parents can slide onto the strap of their baby’s car seat.

The clip communicates with an app on the parent’s smartphone, sounding an alarm if it senses the baby is still strapped in while the parent is walking away.

Marcie Miller, left, and her colleagues at Intel work on the design of the Smart Clip.

“You often hear a lot of people who are really judgmental right away when they hear about something like this happening, like ‘How could a parent do that? I would never do that,'” Miller said.

“Unfortunately, every year — especially growing up in Arizona — you hear of these tragedies because it gets so hot, so quickly.”

Miller asked friends who had recently had babies to act as a focus group and was pleased with the feedback. The device will be available for sale this holiday season for under $50, Intel said.

For parents who wish to encourage their daughters’ interest in science and math, Miller urged them to expose the girls to those fields early on: Try a robotics, engineering or science camp, she advised.

“Help inspire that passion and help that passion grow as they get older,” Miller said, noting that’s how she plans to introduce her daughter to STEM fields. “Just to give her some exposure and realize she can do it.”

by Cheryl Callon
Theater Jones
September 2, 2015

For decades, the group associated with Dallas Cowboys entertainment was the famed cheerleaders. Lately, though, a new troupe has made a name for itself at AT&T Stadium and garnered quite a bit of attention, even if they’re still somewhat unknown in certain circles. The Dallas Cowboys Rhythm & Blue is a co-ed hip-hop dance team and drumline dedicated to engaging fans when the Boys in Blue have home field advantage, and they’re the only team of its kind in the NFL.

The dancers, directed by Jenny Durbin Smith, hope to reach a new set of audiences with their appearance as guest dancers for the Second Annual Dallas DanceFest. I had a chance to catch them in rehearsal, and I was impressed with the group on a number of levels.

Every single member looked as if they could do an informal performance right then. Ladies donned black leggings, a black team shirt, and boasted classy hairstyles and professional makeup. Gentlemen wore black track pants and brand new white shirts with the Cowboys’ silver star and stripe.

Of course, the snazzy get-ups could’ve been because I was crashing the party, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Durbin Smith required it every week. She runs a tight ship, but she’s no dictator. Rehearsal is relaxed but disciplined, and the dancers seem to thrive in that balanced, supportive environment.

After a short conditioning warm-up led by Sammi Paradice (one of four captains), the group got to work on the piece for DanceFest. It looked like something you’d see from an elite hip-hop crew performing on television or at an international competition, with complex arm movements, frequent formation changes, and of course, fierce energy. Some sections have a stepping vibe to them, a few dancers insert robotic moves, and other segments resemble something more akin to cheerleading choreography. But there’s no bubbly buoyancy or high-powered spirit fingers. The performers maintain a level of grit combined with infectious energy that will get people on their feet.

Durbin Smith, a veteran choreographer for commercial dance and sports team squads, has a keen understanding of dynamics and variety. Her eye for precision, synchronization, and visual effect likely contributed a great deal to her success in the field. The dancers seemed to pick up and retain the choreography quite easily (a prerequisite skills for the job), so the rehearsal was spent refining the details.

Another remarkable feat was the level of consistency the dancers exhibited throughout. They came to every phrase with explosive energy, even though the same eight-count may have been drilled 20 times. But what was even more extraordinary was the amount of support the 12 ladies and three men displayed. When one member nailed a part after struggling with it, the rest of the group eagerly applauded the success. When the energy began to wane, one or two would take it upon themselves to rev it back up.

Durbin Smith demonstrates that encouragement herself. Even though she’s stern and commands attention, she knows how to correct in such a way to bring out the best in her dancers.

As enjoyable as it was to watch them rehearse, the most gratifying part of the evening was chatting with the dancers and director. Every single member welcomed me with a smile and a warm greeting, and they were eager to brag on each other and on the team as a whole.

TheaterJones: Why was Rhythm and Blue created?

Jenny Durbin Smith: In 2009 when Cowboys Stadium [now AT&T Stadium] opened, we had the challenge of entertaining more fans. What else from a gameday entertainment aspect could we bring? So we brainstormed and developed Rhythm and Blue, with the drumline and the dancers.

What is unique about the team?

Christen Ancona (Captain): The biggest thing that unique about us is that we’re focused on hip-hop, which is something different for the sports world, especially the NFL, where teams are cheerleading-based or have more traditional [drill team] style of dance. We’re so excited to be a part of the DDF, and being able to represent this genre means a lot to us.

Ariana Thompson (Captain): One of the unique things about us is family, the bond that we have here. We don’t really fight, we don’t get into arguments, we all get along here. It’s really awesome to be dancing for a team that I love. We’re a mixed group of people with different backgrounds, but we come together as one big family.

What kind of dancer do you look for at auditions?

Jenny Durbin Smith: First and foremost, I look for people who can be positive brand ambassadors for the organization. Would they represent the Cowboys name well, can they speak to our fans, can they communicate and engage and make the connection with our fans? Second, I look at dancing ability and of course, image. Also, we are blessed with really strong dancers, so you have to be able to keep up with the dancers already in uniform.

What is your favorite thing about dancing for Rhythm and Blue?

Melody Woodard: My favorite thing is getting to do something I love with some of my best friends. Dancing at the stadium is amazing, we have such great fans. It’s an exciting and different environment than dancing on the stage, which is what I grew up with.

Brittany Robinson: Performing for the best fans in the nation! It’s amazing, there’s no other feeling like it.

Marcus Sophus: I was drawn to the team because it is eye opening and guys are allowed to dance professionally in this arena. Most guys get turned down by pro teams because it’s all female, so this is going to open a lot of doors.

What are the team’s plans for the future?

Jenny Durbin Smith: We perform one production a year with the drumline around Christmas time, but it’s our goal to do more together this year. Also, we are trying to incorporate more breakdancing and acrobatic skills, so that’s been a huge focus for us in rehearsals lately. They’re doing things that many of them have never done, so everyone is going and being pushed. We set our goals and outlined what we want to achieve this year, and they’re amazing because they go all in.

Click here to check out the gallery!