The Houston Chronicle has a huge collection of photos from the season so far. Click here to check it out!
By DAVE NICHOLSON
Tampa Bay Online
10/14/2011
DOVER —
Courtney Russ says she has one of the best possible vantage points to watch the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play.
The Dover resident is in her third year as a Bucs cheerleader – so she’s never far from the action. She’s cheered the team on from the sidelines at games from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa to Wembley Stadium in London.
Cheerleading gives Russ the chance to use her passion for dancing and performing at large venues. She also likes the squad’s appearances at charitable events.
“The best part about being a Buccaneers cheerleader is having the opportunity to make a difference in our community. I don’t think people are aware of how involved we are in community events and appearances outside of performing on game day. Being a part of this squad has provided some once–in-a-lifetime experiences that I will never forget.”
Russ is pursuing a career as an event planner although her role as one of the team’s more than 30 cheerleaders keeps her busy, she said.
“We practice two-three times a week for about four hours at a local fitness club,” she said. “Throughout the week, we attend many different charitable events as well as community functions that allow us to make a difference in the Bay area and personally connect with the best fans in the NFL. And don’t forget the best part, game day!”
Russ has a bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of South Florida, where she was a member of the USF SunDolls dance team. But she calls herself a “Gator girl at heart.”
“I have been going with my dad since I could walk to the Swamp at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium,” she said.
Russ has varied interests, from wake boarding and shooting to spending time at the mall with her mom and line dance. She likes the beach and baking, and hopes to open her own events coordinating company.
She likes country music, considers herself a “girlie girl” and stays in shape with hot yoga.
Russ’ favorite quote is from the New Testament, Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me.”
The verse, she said, had guided her “through many struggles. Always trusting in the Lord has really helped me with the paths I have taken in my life.”
HoustonRockets.com has tons of photos of the Power Dancers’ annual swimsuit calendar shoot.
Kayla
Gallery 1
Featuring Kayla, Kayci, Ebony, Ashley, and Tracy
Paige
Gallery 2
Featuring Paige and Amber
Lyndsy
Gallery 3
Featuring Carrie, Jessica, Cara, Lyndsy, and Erica
Christie
Gallery 4
Featuring Alysse, Christie, and Laura
Amanda
Gallery 5
Featuring Amanda, Kristen, Yasmine, and Lauren
Ginger
Gallery 6
Featuring Rachel, Ginger, and Dani
Former Lakers Girl, DeeDee Weathers-Cox, left, dances with Lynn Stevens, as they raise their cowboy hats to Billy Ray Cyrus', "Achy Breaky Heart" during a dance therapy class at St. Joseph Hospital. (Photo Credit: Leonard Ortiz)
Now out of the spotlight, DeeDee Weathers-Cox is enjoying her most gratifying work yet: helping cancer survivors get on their feet and move.
By Greg Hardesty
OC Register
Oct. 12, 2011
ORANGE – Lakers guard Byron Scott drives to the hoop, flips the basketball to a cutting Vlade Divac and – SLAAAM DUNK! – two points for the bearded center from Yugoslavia.
It’s 1992, a lean year for the Lakers, but a fine one for DeeDee Weathers. She has one of the greatest dance jobs in the world, cheering, smiling and generally urging the team on with her fellow Laker Girls. Squint at a Lakers highlight from this era and you might catch a glimpse of young, beautiful Weathers courtside, pushing the oh-so-cool L.A. crowd to cheer louder.
Nearly 20 years later, DeeDee Weathers-Cox (she’s added a husband and a daughter over the years) is still cheering. And she’s still playing for a crowd, too, though Jack Nicholson is nowhere in sight.
Her current dance job, she says, is the most gratifying one she’s ever had.
On a recent Monday night, in Orange, Weathers-Cox stands before about a dozen middle-age to older men and women, a Frank Sinatra tune blasting from her iPod. Then, snapping her fingers, she asks: “You guys ready to be cool?”
Her students start parroting her moves, dancing and snapping their fingers to Ol’ Blue Eyes’ chestnut:
Some day when I’m awfully low
When the world is cold
I will feel a glow just thinking of you
And the way you look tonight
•••
After she had a partial mastectomy of her right breast, in 2007, Nickie Acosta, 41, of Santa Ana, couldn’t easily lift her right arm.
Like many cancer survivors, Acosta’s scars – some psychological – ran deep. She felt broken, damaged.
But eight months ago she started attending a weekly dance therapy class taught by Weathers-Cox at St. Joseph Hospital. Since then, Acosta has transformed. She smiles more; she’s happier with herself.
And, when she busts out moves in class, Acosta can raise her right hand high in the air.
“She makes everything fun,” Acosta says of her teacher.
For Weathers-Cox, students like Acosta are proof that she finally has the perfect job.
From the time she was a little girl, growing up in Lexington, Ky., one of six kids raised by a single mother, Weathers-Cox danced. Her dream was to be a star ballerina.
And, for a time, she was headed down that path. She studied with the Lexington Ballet Company, the only black dancer out of about 100 in the company. At 5 feet 8 inches, Weathers-Cox was taller than most other female dancers. She was talented, too, and dedicated. Dancing, she says now, was her ticket out of Kentucky.
After serving an apprenticeship with the Louisville Ballet Company, Weathers-Cox earned a full dance scholarship to Southern Methodist University in Dallas. In 1989, she graduated from SMU with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts.
But realizing that the road to becoming a star ballerina would be long, difficult and by no means guaranteed, Weathers-Cox settled after college into a different kind of dancing job, at the Epcot theme park at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla. She danced there for three years.
To move up as a dancer, however, Weathers-Cox had to live in either New York or Los Angeles. Preferring warmer weather, she chose L.A. And, soon after getting here, she heard about auditions to become a Laker Girl.
Problem was, she didn’t know what a “Laker Girl” was.
“I didn’t follow sports,” she says.
Landing a job as a Laker Girl isn’t easy. Hundreds try out for the 22-woman squad, and Weathers-Cox spent two weekends in auditions and interviews before getting selected.
She stayed on as a Laker Girl for 2 ½ years, from 1992 to 1994. The job was a springboard, too, helping her land several successful gigs in acting and music.
The 1992 Laker Girls. Dee Dee Weathers, top row, third from left, was a Laker Girl from 1992 to 1994.
After leaving the Lakers, Weathers-Cox spent more than four years with Earth, Wind and Fire, dancing on stages around the world with the hugely popular R&B and funk band. She also had roles in such movies as “The Wedding Planner,” “Hercules” and “Anastasia.”
None of that, she says, compares to what she’s doing now.
A physical therapy assistant at St. Joseph Hospital’s Center for Cancer Prevention and Treatment, Weathers-Cox has been teaching the dance and movement class there for about a year.
•••
Kathy Berger, director of rehabilitation services at St. Joseph Hospital, watches a recent evening dance class.
“She has such a gift,” Berger says of Weathers-Cox. “We’re so lucky to have her.”
Weathers-Cox joined the hospital in 2008 after deciding she wanted a job that would let her focus on her home life (she’s been married for 18 years and she has a daughter, 8), though she still auditions for commercials, film and television.
Physical therapy has been an interest since college. So joining St. Joe’s, in Orange, was a nice fit for the Anaheim resident. Her daughter also underwent two years of physical therapy due to be being born prematurely.
It was Weathers-Cox’s idea to launch the class. While working with a stroke patient, she noticed how well the woman responded to line dancing after the woman mentioned how much she used to enjoy it.
Weathers-Cox lobbied the hospital to offer the class to patients for free, and the weekly sessions have grown from about a half-dozen participants to, at times, more than 20. Her students range in age from 20 to 80.
“I’ve never heard of such a class offered in a hospital setting,” says Irene Marquez, a 10-year cancer survivor from Laguna Niguel.
“I’m constantly amazed at how much I get out of this.”
The dance and movement provides patients with more than diagnosis and treatment, Berger says. It’s a way for patients to stay fit for life.
Weathers-Cox puts it a different way.
“This is all about having fun,” she says, “and coming alive.”
The 49ers Cheerleaders have two new uniforms for the 2011-12 season. What do you think?
This week, the Sports Illustrated NFL Cheerleader gallery features dancers from the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots (wearing their tops from 2004), and San Francisco 49ers (in their other new uniforms). Click here to check it out!
MiamiHeat.com
10/11/2011
The Miami HEAT is searching for talented, high energy, and poised dancers to wow a group of judges to become part of the hottest dance team in professional sports, the Miami HEAT Dancers. HEAT Dancer Auditions will be held Sunday, October 30th at the American Airlines Arena. Auditions are free and open to participants 18-years or older by the audition date. Registration will be held at Gate 3 beginning at 11:00 a.m. Participants can also pre-register online at the following URL: http://heatexperience.com/heatdancerauditions. Due to the anticipated large turnout, the HEAT encourages all participants to pre-register. Additionally, candidates should allow extra time for arrival due to the Ironman Triathlon taking place around the arena on the same day. Free parking will be available in the P2 parking garage. Auditions are closed to the public—no exceptions.
All hopefuls must bring a resume and headshot and wear appropriate dance attire and non-marking footwear. All dancers must have flexible schedules for rehearsals, games, community and charitable appearances during the season.
Approximately 40 dancers from Sunday’s tryouts will be selected for a four-day boot camp, which will better assess their skills, fitness, and dance ability. Boot camp, hosted at the AmericanAirlines Arena, will be held from Monday, October 31st through Thursday, November 3rd from approximately 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. each night. HEAT Dancer Finals will be held Friday, November 4th at 7:00 p.m. at American Airlines Arena, where the 2011-12 HEAT Dancers will be announced.
The HEAT is hosting a number of pre-audition clinics offering aspiring dancers helpful hints. The clinics are comprised of choreography rehearsals, audition tips, a question and answer session and much more. Clinics cost $25.00 per session (cash or money order only) and will be hosted at the AmericanAirlines Arena on the following dates:
October 18th
Session 1: 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Session 2: 8:00 – 9:00 p.m.
October 20th
Session 1: 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Session 2: 8:00 – 9:00 p.m.
October 25th
Session 1: 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Session 2: 8:00 – 9:00 p.m.
October 27th
Session 1: 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Session 2: 8:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Free parking will be available in the P2 parking garage for those who attend the clinics.
The HEAT has hired industry veteran Brandee Evans as the new manager and choreographer of the Miami HEAT Dancers. Evans, a Memphis native, has over 15 years of professional experience. Most recently, Evans toured with pop music sensation Katy Perry, has danced alongside Pitbull, Diddy, Usher and Kerri Hilson, and has appeared on Saturday Night Live, The Today Show, The Grammy’s and The BET Awards among others.
This week’s gallery includes teams from the Texans, Vikings, Bills, 49ers, Jaguars, Panthers, Patriots, and Broncos.
Click here to go there now!
Javai, Leeann, and Sami
Washington Wizards: On Tuesday, September 27th the Wizard Girls showed off for their first photo shoot of the year. They also showed off their stamina as the shoot ended up being a marathon one running from around five in the afternoon until three in the morning! While there may have been some tired people it certainly didn’t show as the photos came out incredibly well and NBA photographer Ned Dishman was very excited about what he had in the can even after he had been shooting for around ten hours. The squad was set approximately a month and a half prior to the shoot and while for some of the girls this was second nature, others were enjoying their first ever professional photo shoot. Julia, the winner of the online vote to be the final Wizard Girl told us, “This is my first official Wizards Girl’s photo shoot…but this one is something we’ve been preparing for for a while so I’m very excited to actually have the day be here and you know, getting all dolled up, it’s a lot of fun.” For Tara, this was her first ever photo shoot and she refused to let the nerves get to her. “I was a little nervous but we have great cameramen and they are fun to work with.”
The girls posed in a myriad of outfits, props and poses as Dishman strived to get the best out of them. Holly told us a little bit about the process as it isn’t simply stepping out in front of a camera. “We’re having a great time at the photo shoot, it’s been a really long day of green screen work and you know all the behind scenes stuff with hair and makeup.” For the veterans of the team, you might think that going through this process would be toilsome but three year veteran GeNienne told us it was anything but. “It’s my third photo shoot and it gets better every single year…we feel like superstars!”
The day meant a lot more than simply getting some photos taken though. The long hours and the down time allow the team to begin to come together as a cohesive unit. Samantha told us “The photo shoot, it’s kind of where we start to bond as a team. The vets help the rookies get more comfortable in front of the camera…it’s very sisterly.” Holly also put the whole day into a little bit of perspective and summed things up on why it’s all worth it. “Looking forward to the season, love to dance and be on the court! (We) love the fans, those are our biggest supporters!”
Click here to see how some of the photos turned out!
The Georgia Force Arena Football Team will be holding open auditions for their professional cheerleading team, The Georgia Force Cheerleaders on Sunday, November 20th. This is your chance to join one of the most exciting dance teams in the league!
The Cheerleaders will perform at all nine 2012 home games. The team is seeking dynamic and talented young women who have thee drive and passion to entertain and perform for Georgia Force fans. The Force Cheerleaders also represent the Force at various community events throughout the season.
“Throughout the audition process, we will be looking for ‘The Total Package’ and not necessarily the best dancer or the most beautiful girl in Atlanta,” said Joie Ashworth, Director of the Georgia Force Cheerleaders. “A Georgia Force Cheerleader should be fun yet intelligent. She should be beautiful but have a great work ethic as a team member. The idea GFC will be able to dance and entertain the Georgia Force fans on game day, but also be able to make a positive impact on her community every day. We are looking for ambassadors that can stand side by side with our fans, team owners, and community leaders and represent the Georgia Force in the most positive light.”
Open Call Audition
[Click here for additional details]
Sunday, November 20th, 2011
Registration will open at 9:00 a.m. and will run until 10:00 a.m.
Gwinnett Convention Center – Exhibit Hall, Lower Level
6400 Sugarloaf Pkwy, Duluth GA 30097
Prep Class Info
[Click here for additional details]
Prep Class Session #1 – Monday, October 24, 2011
8:00pm – 9:30pm
LA Fitness Midtown II
Session #2 – Thursday, October 27, 2011
8:00pm – 9:30pm
Atlanta Dance Factory
Session #3 – Wednesday, November 2, 2011
8:00pm – 9:30pm
Atlanta Dance Factory
Session #4 – Saturday, November 5, 2011
2:00pm – 3:30pm
LA Fitness Midtown II
Session #5 – Saturday, November 12, 2011
2:00pm – 4:00pm
LA Fitness Midtown II
