The new bios and uniform photos of this year’s crew of Eagles Cheerleaders is now online. Click here to learn more about the ladies on the team.

BY JOHN ROSZKOWSKI
The Mundelein Review
July 16, 2012

LIBERTYVILLE — Dancing comes naturally to Corina Harwood.

While growing up in Libertyville, she learned different types of dance including ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop and pointe at the Dance Academy of Libertyville and Dancenter North. She joined the cheerleading team while at Oak Grove School and later was on the pom pons team for three years at Libertyville High School.

“I danced all through my childhood and then in high school and was on my college dance team,” she said.

But after graduating from college she was diagnosed with leukemia in 2009. Because the leukemia was in her bone marrow, Harwood had to undergo an aggressive program of oral chemotherapy, and her dancing was put temporarily on hold.

After undergoing several months of treatment, Harwood started feeling better and her cancer went into remission. She began thinking about getting back into dance again after seeing a YouTube video of the Adrenaline Rush Dancers for the Chicago Rush arena football team. “They were so impressive I just wanted to try out,” he said.

Harwood tried out and was chosen to be a member of the 16-women Adrenalin Rush Dance team last year and was again selected this year’s team. She plans to be on the dance team again next year.

‘Elite team’

“We don’t just do cheerleading,” Harwood said. “We’re expected to have a high level of technique. A lot of girls return year after year because they enjoy it so much. We’re a pretty elite team.”

Harwood said joining the dance team for the Chicago Rush fulfills a childhood dream of dancing for a professional sports team.

“It’s something I always wanted to do since I was very, very young,” she said. “I think I’ve always really enjoyed being part of a team. It’s not just the dance. I have a great relationship with the other girls, the staff, the fans, the front office and the players. It’s like a big family.”

Harwood believes her instructors at the Dance Academy of Libertyville and Dancenter North and being on the dance teams in middle school and high school teams prepared her for being on the Adrenaline Rush Dancers.

“Without them, I wouldn’t have been as competitive as I now,” she said. “I think I had excellent training and experience that allowed me to make this team,”

Originally from England, Harwood’s family moved to the United States when she was just four years old. The family moved to Libertyville in 1998 and she spent her middle school and high school years before attending college in Louisiana. She currently lives in Winnetka and is working toward a doctoral degree in psychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Her parents, Sue and Graham Harwood, still live in Libertyville.

The Sea Gals have released a few pages from their 2012-13 calendar, including the cover. I’ve never seen a hard copy of the Sea Gals calendar, so I could be wrong about this, but I think this is the first full-on location swimsuit shoot this team has ever done. Or at least the first one they’ve done in a long while. This team definitely appears to be wading a little farther into the “sexy” pool this year. Click here for a few more shots from the calendar.

Visit PhiladelphiaEagles.com at 8pm (EST, I assume) tonight to watch the live unveiling of the team’s 2012-13 swimsuit calendar. Don’t forget!

New uniform photos have been posted on the Seattle Seahawks website. Click here to see this year’s team of Sea Gals.

Jessica N.

Welcome to the open call auditions for the 2012 Lob City Dancers! Er…I mean the Clippers Spirit! These auditions are always one of the highlights of my year, and this year was no exception. The 2011-12 NBA season was the best one Clippers fans have seen in years, and I was interested to see if all the excitement about the team would carry over into the dance team auditions.

In a word: Yep.

More than 260 dancers lined up on Saturday morning to audition for the Clippers Spirit. It was the biggest turnout in years. (Certainly the biggest I’ve seen since I began covering these auditions 6 years ago.) There were some familiar faces from other auditions, but also lots of new faces I’d never seen before, including some alumni of other NBA teams like the Rockets and the Mavs.

The auditions took place at Redondo Union High school for the second year in a row. I arrived about 30 minutes early on Saturday. The parking lot was almost full, so I knew there was going to be a good turnout. There’s always a sense of excitement that comes from seeing all the girls lined up outside, excited for a chance to be part of the Clippers family. When I got there, my first order of business was to hunker down with instruction manual for my new camera. (My old camera gave up the ghost a week earlier.) I hadn’t had much time to familiarize myself with all the bells and whistles on the new camera, so that was priority number one. Unfortunately that meant I didn’t have time to mix and mingle beforehand. I usually try to take some shots of all the girls before the audition starts, but hey, sacrifices must be made.

The auditions started promptly at 9 am. Spirit Director Audrea Harris was calm and in control as always. She runs a tight ship, Audrea does. She’s one of those people who plans things meticulously, which is a definite plus when trying to organize so many people at one time.

Last year, the prospect of a league lockout cast a bit of a pall over the event. The girls knew that even if they made the team, they might never have the chance to perform during a game. Thankfully there were no worries about that this time around. There was a lot of energy and excitement in the air.

The auditions followed the usual format. The dancers were expected to learn and perform three different combinations, with the judges making a cut after each one. The choreographers change from year to year. This time, John Peters choreographed the first two dances.

Most of the dancers know John, either by reputation or personal experience. There’s always a little sigh of relief when they see him at an audition. His choreography is terrific, his teaching style is fun, and it’s just a great experience all around. If not for the whole “judging” thing, it would be a real party.

The first dance was the technique portion of the auditions. It’s pretty standard stuff: a few high kicks (excuse me…battements, ahem), a couple pirouettes, and a leap or two. It’s the biggest cut of the day. Typically more than half of the women in the room are eliminated after this first round. It can be brutal. This year, the music for the combination was a remix of Michael Jackson’s “Wanna Be Startin Something.”

Of course, the first thing John did was tell the girls that this may be L.A. but it isn’t Mtv, ok? Please, no sexy faces, no grabbing yourself, no throwing extra jiggle into the choreography. Video hos need not apply. (That’s not exactly what he said, but I know it’s what he meant.)

After learning the combination, the dancers performed it for the judges in groups of three. It took almost an hour for everyone to take a turn. I know this because I accidentally left my video camera running the whole time. Sure was glad I brought those extra batteries!

After the last group of three finished, the judges disappeared into another room to decide who was still in it, and who was going home. I don’t know what went on in that room, but it took them almost an hour and a half to make up their minds.

Meanwhile, last year’s veterans arrived. They’d been shamelessly spying on the first round from windows overlooking the gym. I know they don’t try to be intimidating, but when they come striding in together, dressed in their matching red and white warmups, with perfect hair and makeup, it makes everyone else a little nervous about their chances.

You can’t not notice when they enter the room. It was even scarier for some, considering how many members of last year’s team were back to fight for their spots. There are 16 dancers on the team. And this year, ten of the veterans are trying to keep their jobs: Katrina, Anasheh, Jacy, Brittany, Jessie, Shannon, Becca, Kellie, Sarah, and Michelle.

I have a theory that the more returning veterans there are, the less likely it is that all of them will make the team again.This isn’t based on fact or even experience, but it seems logical to me. It’s bumming me out a little. If I had to vote a few veterans off the island, I don’t know who I’d choose. I don’t want to lose any of them.

Speaking of veterans, there was a big crew of Spirit alumni on hand to help demonstrate the choreography: Bianca (2010-12), Rhea (2009-12), Justene (2010-11), Recee (2008-11), Lynae (2005-09), and Jessie (2008-10).

I had a little chat with Bianca before the auditions started. She was really really bummed about retiring but her job wouldn’t allow it anymore. She said one of her friends had called her up and laughed “Prepare to be replaced.”

Way to be supportive.

And I talked with Justene who only got to be on the team for a year before her agent but the kibosh on it. When your agent calls you for an audition, you have to go. You can’t be all “oh no, I have rehearsal.” Not if you want to make a career as an entertainer. Even though Justene was a year removed from the team, I think being at auditions again made her really miss the whole thing.

I’ve decided I’m going to stop giving dancers a hard time about retiring. Turns out they already feel awful enough. It’s got to be so hard knowing that no matter how much time, energy, sweat, and tears you put into the job, you can and will be replaced. Easily.

When the judges returned, they cut the number of dancers down to 110. By now, it was just before noon. When the dust settled, John called everyone to order and started teaching the second combination. This one was a fun jazz routine.

John is known for his “Peterisms.” I don’t know what other people call their moves, but John’s always have interesting – yet accurately descriptive – names. The ones that immediately come to mind are the “bunny,” the “Donald Trump,” the “monster truck,” the helicopter, and “butter the bread.” There was something about “putting the cigarette out,” and something else about sinking into the opening pose “like you have to pee.” The man sounds a little nutty, but the choreography stays with you.

Rehearsing…

Once again, the dancers lined up and performed for the judges in groups of three. When it was over, the judges went off to deliberate, promising they wouldn’t be gone as long as last time. So this time, it wasn’t 90 minutes. It was 60. And I bet it was more difficult than the first cut.

Waiting sucks.

Part of me wants to know what the judges are talking about. The other part of me really doesn’t. I know quite a few of the dancers and I don’t have it in me to be impartial. I’d be in there lobbying for all my girls, and I would get mad if anyone said anything bad about them.

Waiting also has an interesting effect on the dancers. This is usually the time when the veterans start acting up. I don’t know if they’re coming off the adrenaline from the first round or what, but they start to bounce off the walls a little.

Of course, they sobered right up when the judges returned and cut the group down from 110 to 53. Another 50-something hearts broken. But none of them belonging to the vets.

I seriously hate the entertainment industry. If you want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or an astronaut, you apply yourself to learning the necessary skills, and then you go out and do the job. But the entertainment industry – ugh. You can be the most accomplished dancer, you can be drop dead gorgeous, you can have more pizzazz than anyone in the room, and still you might not get the job. It’s irritating, is what it is.

Times like this I’m glad that I went to school, got my degrees, and wound up with a regular job. Anyone tells me I’m not cute enough for my job, and I can sue them for like ten million dollars.

But I digress…

Round 3 was the hip hop round. Hip hop has the power to make or break a lot of girls in this competition. Unlike the previous rounds, it’s not about technique. In a way it’s harder. It’s about being clean, keeping up, and having a little swagger. The swagger can’t be taught. You either have it or you don’t. This is the round when a lot of “pretty” dancers with incredible technique get sent home.

Hip hop choreographer Loretta Alvillar took over for this round.

She does a lot of choreography for the team during the season. I was out of the room when Loretta first started teaching, and when I came back, my jaw dropped. Holy shizzle, these girls were in trouble. For one thing, it was freaking FAST. (If it doesn’t seem fast to you, try learning the first couple of 8 counts. You’ll see what I mean.) For another thing, it seemed like way more choreography than could possibly fit into a 30 second routine. It was one of those dances where if you blank out for even half a second, you are SO screwed.

I watched the smiles fade. Some of the dancers got that “eye of the tiger” look. Others looked like they wanted to cry. I knew it was real serious when they started putting their hair up. You’re never never supposed to do that. No pony tails, no half up, half down. It’s one of the things that separates the pros from collegiate teams. But in this case, the dancers collectively said “screw it.” They were hot, they were sweaty, time was short, and the routine was kicking their butts. They were not about to put up with sweaty hair smacking them in the face. It’s kind of like on Springer when the two idiots fighting over the baby daddy kick off their shoes and take off their earrings. That’s how you know it’s ON.

I went over and asked the DJ if the music was as fast as Loretta was teaching it. He just laughed. That was not a good sign. When they ran through the dance with music for the first time, it was like “oh HELL no.” All of the dancers were looking worried. Even the girls helping to teach the dance were messing up.

At one point, Audrea, who is a far crueller person than I ever imagined, freely admitted that she’d asked Loretta to “challenge” the dancers. Make it difficult. Make it fast. Let’s see if they’ll rise to the occasion.

I don’t use “wack” in my every day vocabulary, but in my opinion, that is WACK.

Loretta’s teaching style is to break the choreography into bite-sized chunks. Sometimes just four or five counts at a time. Then she has the girls do each chunk over and over, faster each time, until they’re up to the speed of the music. And just when they start to feel good about it, she adds the feet. So now your two hands and two feet are going in four different directions. It’s like trying to pat your head and rub your belly at the same time, but a million times worse.

I sidled over to John and asked him, when a Director has a choreographer to do a routine for auditions, is it or is it not true that in addition to the style and length of the dance, they also specify how much pain to inflict on the dancers? He wouldn’t admit it, but I know I’m right.

Meanwhile, Audrea was just beaming. That’s because the dancers were picking it up. They were doing it. Not just the veterans, but all of the dancers. I don’t know how. I wanted to shout “No, girls, NO! Don’t you understand that if you pull it off this year, it’ll be even worse next year? For the love of pete, hold back a little.”

To me, it was all a blur. I just watched the video again, and it’s still a blur. I don’t remember one thing of this dance. I don’t know how it starts, how it ends, or what the song is about. All I know is it goes “tick tick tick tick tock.”

All too soon, it was time to perform the dance for the judges. Time to blot your face, wring out your hair, and put on some lipstick. Time to gather your energy and put on your game face. Time to make it look easy. Not just easy – FUN.

Good luck with that.

When all the girls were lined up again, Marianne got on the mike and told everyone that by the way, before each group of three dances, they need to come up and stand in front of the judges so the panel can get a good look at them. Nobody wanted to do that. At this point in the day, nobody felt cute anymore. “Cute” went out the window hours ago.

But they did it. They lined up, and three by three danced their hearts out. And they did make it look like fun.

Marianne had to coax more than a few reluctant dancers closer to the judges table. She kept saying “Come closer. We know your hair is wet. Don’t worry about it.” You could tell they didn’t want to. You could tell some of them were thinking “Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever felt less attractive in my whole life.” You could tell they just really wanted a shower. And maybe a nap.

Because there were only 53 girls and the dance was only 30 seconds long, round 3 was quick. And you know what? Once you step back and take a look at it, this is a really cool dance. Dare I say “kickass?” I went over and shook Loretta’s hand.

At 4:30, the judges went off to caucus and the dancers, looking tired as hell, put up their hair, tugged on their sweats, and sagged to the floor. I’ve never seen such droopy dancers.

In the end, the judges cut 53 down to 27. (All of the veterans are still in it, thank goodness.) I kind of felt like everyone who’d managed to survive the ordeal should make it to finals, but that’s probably why I don’t get a vote.

They have Sunday to recover, then interviews on Monday and Tuesday. Finals are on Wednesday. They’ll have to perform both the jazz and hip hop routines, probably several times, and they’ll have to do solos. It’s like an intensely condensed and sped-up version of the open call, with the entire 8 hour day boiled down to approximately 90 minutes.

I hope everyone is eating their Wheaties. It’s not nearly over yet.

By MICHELLE MERLIN
The Litchfield News
July 13, 2012

LITCHFIELD — Litchfield High School graduate Michaela Stanley has been dancing since she was just two years old.

Stanley learned ballet and performed at recitals, and she can perform a plethora of styles, from jazz to ballet to tap, lyrical, acrobatics, tumbling, hip-hop and any combination.

All her years of practice paid off last week when Stanley was hired as one of 12 new Washington Wizards Girls. She will be one of 20 women who perform during the NBA games and other events.

Although she hasn’t performed during a game yet, Stanley hopes she enjoys dancing for the Wizards as much as she enjoyed dancing for her college team at St. John’s University.

“Just to have the excitement of the crowd rooting for a team is really cool,” said Stanley. “It’s a cool atmosphere to be in and to have all those eyes watching you. You’re part of the team because you represent the team.”

“Most of the fans like you and it’s a fun atmosphere that I didn’t want to give up.”

Stanley, who graduated from LHS in 2007, has been trying out for other professional teams in the NBA and NFL for a year. She beat out between 125 and 150 girls for a spot on the Washington Wizards Girls.

“Her dance talent is impeccable. She definitely stood out at auditions,” said Derric Whitfield, the Wizard Girls manager.

In addition to her dance skills, Whitfield said the judges were awed by Stanley’s outgoing personality and easy ability to engage with others. They were also excited about her tumbling skills, he said.

Stanley’s training as a dancer began at Deborah’s Dance Workshop in Torrington. She continued through high school and college. Now that she’s on the team, Stanley says her greatest challenge is becoming part of the group.

“We have to be able to dance like the girls already on the team and look like girls on the team,” said Stanley. “We’re not 20 individual dancers, we’re just one team.”

Fans can catch Stanley dancing with the Wizards in early November.

Reach Michelle Merlin by email at mmerlin@registercitizen.com, on Twitter @michellejmerlin or by phone at 860-489-3121, ext. 324.

Ken Rodriguez
San Antonio Spurs
July 15, 2012

The most remarkable dance was the one that kept her hopping 18 hours. The one that unfolded at 6 a.m., skipped across the city, spun through college classrooms and clinicals, rehearsals and running trails, through an evening performance at the AT&T Center and ended, finally, at home, after midnight.

This is how full-time nursing student and part-time Silver Dancer Janelle Brownstein spent game-day during the Spurs postseason: climbing out of bed, going to class, studying, rehearsing, exercising, dancing and and falling back into bed.

“Then I’d get up at 6,” Janelle says, “and start all over again.”

Did I mention she’s married? Janelle’s husband, Mike Brownstein, is a recently retired minor-league baseball player, who’s pursuing a career in coaching.

So how does she balance dancing, studying and family life? Focus, drive and an ability to multi-task. While jogging in May, Janelle would listen to music for her Silver Dancers performance on headphones and visualize each move in her routine. During break from dance rehearsal at the AT&T Center, she would open a book and study, sometimes while doing stomach crunches.

“I’d be killing two or three birds with one stone,” she says.

Yes, the long days can be hard on the body. But Janelle says she’s driven to excel at everything she does, and when she completes her schooling, a vision will be within her grasp. Nursing. “I wanted to go into physical therapy,” she says .”But I switched to nursing last fall.”

Janelle earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise science from the University of New Mexico, where she graduated summa cum laude. In December, she was accepted into the Accelerated Nursing Program at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio and began classes in May.

“It’s very intense,” she says. “I’m in class about 40 hours a week. During the playoffs, I’d be at school from 8 to 5 and then go straight to the arena. It’s been challenging but it’s been a wonderful experience dancing with the Spurs and pursuing my dream of nursing.”

Her energy and work ethic impress those who know her. “What an inspiration on and off the court,” says Gretchen Luistro, Game Operations and Special Events Manager for Spurs Sports & Entertainment. “From being a full-time student pursuing a second undergraduate degree, attending all Silver Dancers team practices, performing at all Spurs home games, participating in local Silver Dancers community appearances and staying in top physical shape, Janelle achieves all this because she is a passionate, committed, driven and focused individual.”

At the behest of her mother, Janelle started Mexican Folkloric dance at 4-years-old in Albuquerque, N.M. She went on to train in ballet, pointe, jazz, hip-hop, lyrical and flamenco.

“I grew up in a dancing studio until my freshman year of high school,” she says. “We won the national dance championships at Disney World. After that, I took a little break and did cheerleading for the rest of high school.”

In her early teens, Janelle helped care for her maternal grandmother who needed assistance while recovering from surgery. Janelle cooked and cleaned the house. She folded laundry. She felt something stir. “That was a turning point for me,” Janelle says. “I wanted to go into the medical field. The only question was what part of the medical field.”

At the University of New Mexico, Janelle studied exercise science and nutrition. She joined the Chaparral dance team and danced for the Albuquerque Thunderbirds of the NBA’s Development League. In college, Janelle met Mike Brownstein, a star New Mexico shortstop who was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers. They married during mid-terms of her final semester.

After becoming the first in her family to graduate from college, Janelle flew to San Antonio to audition for the Silver Dancers. She reached the final round but didn’t make the team. She succeeded after a second audition.

The competition is fierce. Janelle attended Prep Classes where she was coached and tutored by Silver Dancers choreographer Raquel Garcia. Prep Classes for aspiring Silver Dancers will be held July 18, 23, 25 and Aug. 1. Auditions are Saturday Aug. 4.

The Silver Dancers begin their 21st season this fall and Janelle can hardly wait for auditions this August. If she makes the team, she will use her earnings to help pay for books and school.

“It’s so rewarding,” she says. “Dancing and performing have been my passion since I was 4. Being on the court for this organization is a dream come true. I’m dancing for the best team in the NBA with the best fans and look out and see almost 19,000 people in the crowd. I literally get chills when they announce the players and people are screaming and I’m performing. It’s an absolutely unforgettable experience.”

Palmyra native Alicia Parks was picked from a pool of 400 women to be an Eagles cheerleader this fall.
By PAT HUGGINS
Staff Writer
LDNews.com
07/14/2012

The last time Alicia Parks attended a Philadelphia Eagles game, she wasn’t particularly well-received by the crowd.

Understandable, given that Parks, then a college student at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, was in the stands cheering for the Birds in the home stadium of the Carolina Panthers.

But the next time the Palmyra native makes her way to an Eagles game, the reception figures to be quite a bit more enthusiastic. And not just because she’ll be in the Eagles fan-friendly confines of Lincoln Financial Field.

A few months back, Parks realized a lifelong goal of combining her passion for dance and performing with a love of football when she was named to Philadelphia’s cheerleading squad for the 2012 season.

Parks, who graduated from Lancaster Catholic High School in 2007 after attending school in Palmyra from kindergarten through middle school, officially became one of eight new members of the 38-woman squad back in late April after a lengthy selection process that began in mid-March and included close to 400 hopefuls.

“It was the most exciting opportunity that’s ever presented itself to me,” Parks, currently a graduate student at Villanova University, said of her now successful quest to cheer for the Birds. “I’ve been a dancer my whole life, and I saw it as an opportunity to keep dance in my life and keep performing while still being able to attain my goal of having a Master’s degree.

“But I never expected, out of the almost 400 girls that showed up for the original audition, to be one of the eight that made it. It was just such an exciting experience.”

So exciting, in fact, that the Parks household was briefly thrown into disarray when Alicia learned she was officially a Philadelphia Eagles cheerleader.

“When my Mom and I called in to find out (if she made the team), we started screaming so loudly when we heard (her name) that my dad and dog came running,” Parks said with a chuckle. “They thought something was wrong. We had to call back to make sure we heard it correctly.”

Parks, whose brother, Chris, was a standout soccer player at Palmyra, still experiences some disbelief at her hard-earned good fortune from time to time, but that should all dissipate come Aug. 9, when she makes her first appearance with the squad at the Linc during the Eagles’ first preseason clash with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“Sometimes I try to think about it, and honestly it’s overwhelming to me at this point,” she said. “Just the thought of walking onto the field in such a huge stadium. We are actually practicing on the field in a couple weeks, so I think maybe that’ll help my nerves. But it’s definitely going to be an eye-opening, once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

And undoubtedly the high point of a performing career that began with dance lessons at the age of 3 at One Broadway Dance Center in Hershey and continued at Lancaster Catholic, where her dance instructor was a former Eagles cheerleader.

“She always talked about how she had a fantastic experience, how she made great friends through it, and how she would do it on the side and still pursue her career,” Parks said of her then-mentor.

Parks is following in those footsteps in more way than one, as she pursues her master’s degree in history with an eye toward a teaching career.

But for now, there is still time to indulge her dual passions of performing and football.

“I love football, love watching football,” she said. “I think it’s so much fun.”

Not quite as fun as dance, though.

“It was such a release of energy for me,” Parks said of dancing. “It always made me happy to be dancing. It was just always so much fun. I never wanted to take it out of my life.”

Well, they say when you join a professional sports entertainment dance team, you are exposed to all sorts of situations you would never have experienced otherwise. Well, this is one of them. The 2012 New England Patriots Cheerleaders recently flew down to Jamaica to shoot their swimsuit calendar. But before they left, they did a shoot for Jet Blue, the airline flying them to paradise.

I know what you’re thinking. Big deal, right?
Well check this out.

I don’t know how they got up there, but who wouldn’t want to walk around on the wing of a giant flying sardine can? (Assuming the plane is safely on the ground.) For most of us, the only chance we’ll ever have do some wing walking if the plane we’re on crashes. And if that happens you’ll probably be more like “OH MY GOD I survived a plan crash” rather than “Hey MaryLou, check me out! I’m walking on the wing – hahahaha!”

I’m just saying.