Every year, the turnout for Houston Texans Cheerleader auditions exceeds that of any other team in the league. With 700-1000 candidates in the running each year, aspiring cheerleaders realize they have to GET NOTICED. There are tons of photos online and there seems to be no end to the creativity in costume color, style, and accessories. Here are a few places where you can see photos from the first couple of rounds of auditions:
Here are some of the more memorable outfits that stood out in the crowd. Some in a good way, others not so much.
Vikings.com: Vikings fans – here is your chance to be heard! We want to know who YOU think should be “drafted” for the 2011 Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders! Vote now!
The MVC will be in training camp all week, putting on an amazing show at SEVEN for their swimsuit competition on April 17th and then a final show at the Mall of America on April 20th…..and in the meantime, we will be tallying your votes to help us determine who will make the team for 2011!
Click here to check out a few photos of the Sacramento Kings Dancers in action.
Spurs Silver Dancers choreographer Raquel Torres Garcia is living a dancer’s dream.
“I still pinch myself saying, I can’t believe I have this job,” she says.
Now 36 and a mother of three children under the age of 5, she is proud to have accomplished that rare feat of making dancing her career. In the 16 years since she first tried out and made the Silver Dancers, she has only been away from the Silver Dancers for three. She has been their choreographer since 2003.
In that time, Torres Garcia has traveled with the team as far as Milan, Italy, and Chihuahua, Mexico.
One of her best memories is when she shared a river barge with Tim Duncan and Antonio Daniels and their families back in 1999 during the NBA Championship Parade.
“That was pretty awesome,” she recalls. “I was the only Silver Dancer on that barge.”
Torres Garcia began dancing fairly late in her childhood, at 13 years old. As a girl in Houston, she got her first start in entertainment when Houston’s Pancho Claus Richard Reyes, also a well-known youth arts director, selected her out of 20 kids across the city for his Teatro Bilingüe de Houston.
Since then, she has had an impressive résumé, including being selected to the legendary Kilgore College Rangerettes.
Today she also teaches dance technique at high schools and dance camps across the state.
The playoffs are an exciting time to be involved with the Silver Dancers.
“It definitely changes the energy for the girls. I try to instill in my dancers from the get-go to just truly enjoy these moments. Enjoy the ride,” she says.
Torres Garcia says she is glad she has memories of traveling with the team and being around celebrity players that she will always treasure.
She also promises, “the first routine they’ll do in the playoffs will bring down the house.”
Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/default/article/silver-spirit-1335188.php#ixzz1JVkBm8Ny
The 2011-12 Arizona Cardinals Cheerleaders have been selected. Congratulations, ladies!
(Click here to watch the announcement.)
The 2011 Rams Cheerleaders have been selected. Congratulations!
Colts.com
April 12 2011
The Indianapolis Colts Cheerleaders held the first 2 rounds of auditions for the 2011 squad this past Saturday. Nearly 200 talented women auditioned for the opportunity to become the next Sweetheart of the Horseshoe. 100 women will continue through the audition process with new choreography taught on Tuesdays and the chance to win over the judges on Thursdays. The finals will be held at Plainfield High School Auditorium on Wednesday, April 27 at 7:30 pm. This event will be open to the public. Tickets are $10 and are available online at http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=cheerleaders_dynamic&id=347
You can also view the cheerleader candidate profiles and vote for your favorites at http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=cheer_profiles
These three were probably not thrilled to discover they wore the same outfit to auditions. Personally, I think it’s kind of neat. They look like a dance crew.
I wonder where they got those tops? Hmm…sorta looks like The LineUp, but I didn’t think they did pink leopard…
By Jayme Lynn
Culturemap Houston
04.11.11
The first thing I noticed entering the Methodist Training Center for the Houston Texans cheerleader tryouts was the food.
But the smell of burritos, the Tres Leches staring me in the face and the lure of ice-cold Miller Lite was quickly put on the back burner as I noticed 425 of Houston’s finest women lit up in neon American Apparel dance wear complete with glitter, bedazzling and anything else you might imagine.
I’m a girl who prides myself on having no filter, not afraid of a single thing (except possibly karaoke) but I quickly realized it takes some massive ovaries to stand up in front of a hundred judges (mostly men) and show off your dance skills.
Here are a few things I learned Saturday night:
Audition Attire: Taken directly from HoustonTexans.com, girls were asked to wear “dance hot pants or briefs (no thongs) and a midriff top.” Here’s my problem with that (and I’m not a raging feminist, so hear me out) — the mostly all-male judges in the audience can’t help but deem a girl appropriate for the team without taking her body into consideration. I understand all NFL cheerleaders have an image to adhere to, but some of the girls who were maybe five pounds overweight or not as toned as they could be are getting points deducted four months before the season even starts.
I’ve seen firsthand how hard these girls train and there’s no way they won’t be in tip-top shape come game day no matter what they look like now.
Beer Goggles: Tryouts were presented by Miller Lite, so naturally there was drinking involved. Judges, who were mostly season ticket holders, were given two sheets of paper with numbers listed on the left with a corresponding space to fill in the score. I noticed the score sheet of one of the guys next to me.
The first page looked like this:
B-, C+, D, D, F, Hell NO
The second page (after plenty of Miller Lite):
A-, A+++, A+ (she did the worm, that was AWESOME), A (hot boots)
You get the picture. I’m not sure how weighted the scores were comparatively, but I noticed many “judges” getting up for more beer, to take bathroom breaks and occasionally to try and get a number. So what happens to the girls they weren’t able to score while they were hitting on another girl? Or when they took a call from their jealous girlfriend outside?
The DJ: For the first 45 minutes the women were arm length apart, stretching and learning the routine. They were then lined up in groups to head out in front of the judges and perform the routine.
Admittedly, I cannot dance. At all. But I must confess the two things that add or take away from my skills: the amount of alcohol and the music playing. Dancers usually count the beats and move according to the music but the cheerleader competitors were at the discretion of the DJ. He played anything from hard rock, rap, Top 40, the Cha Cha Slide, and even some salsa-inspired music.
The girls on deck may have been warming up to the likes of Britney Spears, only to immediately have the tempo changed as they started their routine.
Competitors were encouraged to add their own panache the last 10 seconds of the routine with ad-lib dancing varying greatly. I saw a few Jersey Turnpikes, but overall was impressed with the tumbling, inspiration and passion, and of course the one chick doing The Worm.
Mid-flip, one of the contestants lost her weave on the 20-yard line and didn’t miss a beat. Whether that was her personal flair she added to the routine or just a crazed mishap, it certainly got her some attention!
Veterans vs. Rookies: One thing most judges didn’t know is that veterans from last year’s squad were required to try out — they weren’t given free passes. It definitely reminded me of a scene from Bring It On as the groups of five lined up side-by-side battling for the judge’s attention.
As with anything, you tend to stare at the awkward train wrecks or the girls with the most talent. In the case where veterans were paired next to girls with raw dance talent, the newbies easily went unnoticed. The veterans have had a full year of training with NFL choreographers on how to capture the attention of football fans (simply men in general) while the others were hung out to dry looking like background dancers.
Not all the veterans will make the squad. There are about five to six returning cheerleaders each year that don’t make the cut.
Vanessa, a third-year veteran on the squad (and a fifth-year tryout veteran) said returning to tryouts brings more pressure. “We have more to lose,” she said. “The organization is always looking for something completely different and you may or may not have that.”
Vanessa said this year was different because there were more girls trying out which made her step her game up. “If I’m going to make it, I’d rather beat hundreds of girls than just five.” Vanessa is one of the 273 girls who made it past the first round.
Another veteran gave some insight into her game plan explaining, “Even after two years on the squad, I still get nervous. When I get out there, I find the girl that looks most like me and stand right in front of her.”
The Power Of Two: The Michelle and Rachel effect. If you thought going up against veterans seemed unfair and daunting, try going up against the leggy blonde bombshell twins, Michelle and Rachel Lewis. Veteran Michelle (#337) is vying for a spot again and she brought her look-a-like twin sister Rachel to try out with her. Both girls made it past rounds one and two.
The Houston Texans Cheerleaders have consistently been recognized as one of the best squads in the NFL. They are the defending NFL Dance Champions and were tabbed the best looking cheerleading squad in the league by BleacherReport.com in 2009.
I’m sure I speak for most Texans when I say bring on the 2011 Texans Cheerleaders! And of course, a winning team.
Rachel Lewis and Michelle Lewis.
by Senior Airman Joel Mease
501st Combat Support Wing Public Affairs
501csw
4/4/2011 – RAF CROUGHTON, United Kingdom — A top-performing comedian from New York and the Seattle Seahawk cheerleaders entertained Airmen and their families here April 2.
Comedian Bryan Ricci and the Seattle Sea Gals teamed up for a variety show during the day. The cheerleaders also hosted a cheer clinic during the day.
“This is my second (Armed Forces Entertainment) tour in the U.K., and it’s just been a blast to entertain our troops and their families,” Mr. Ricci said. “It’s really been so much fun I don’t want to go home.”
Even though Croughton is a small community, the performers were ecstatic to entertain them.
“Because it was a smaller base our cheerleaders were able to do one-on-one training at our cheerleading clinic,” said Sherri Thompson, Seattle Sea Gals director. “It was wonderful for our cheerleaders to perform for the troops and families, whether it was a small or large crowd.”
Mr. Ricci said it truly is a privilege to be teamed with the Sea Gals by AFE to host their show and perform at U.K. bases.
“We would do anything for the troops,” Mr. Ricci said. “It’s really a win-win for us and you to perform here.”
Besides the pleasure of entertaining servicemembers across Europe, the hospitality they have received was also noted by the group.
“Every base we have been to either in Germany or the U.K, the people who hosted us have been the most friendly and great staff,” Ms. Thompson said.
The next scheduled Armed Forces Entertainment performance is Magician Rob Lake April 9 at 6 p.m. in the RAF Croughton Community Center.
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