ESPN’s annual event “ESPN The Weekend” was this week. Dance teams from the Bucs and the Dolphins both appeared on stage to entertain the sports fans in attendance.

Click here for photos of the Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders’ performance

Exclusive Interview: Sarah Mitchell (The Dance Scene)
Popstar.com

There’s nothing Sarah Mitchell loves more than performing. As a first-rate dancer, she has appeared in mega-hit films such as Burlesque, Music and Lyrics, and Did You Hear About The Morgans. Now, she’s set to appear in a Brand New reality series on E! titled The Dance Scene. The show, which is a Ryan Seacrest Production, will focus on the day-to- day life of dancers as they work with a famous Pop superstar’s illustrious choreographer.

Sarah has also begun an acting career, and hopes to parlay her talent into larger roles. She is devoted to her craft and believes in giving back. During her tenure as a cheerleader for the Knicks, she worked with young dancers throughout the New York area and now plans to renew her efforts in Los Angeles.

We recently sat down with the gifted, yet unassuming Sarah Mitchell to discuss her new projects and to find out a bit more about her journey. During our exclusive interview, she took five and told us about working with the “crazy talented” Christina Aguilera, her highly coveted Super Bowl ring (yes, she has one!), and a most unusual job which landed her in somewhat of a pickle.

Tell us about the new show, The Dance Scene which will be airing on E! starting this April.

Basically, it’s kind of like The Hills meets the dance world. It’s based on Laurieann Gibson who is Lady Gaga’s choreographer, and we’re kind of intertwined in her world a little bit. Basically she’s so busy that she needs to bring more people into her company. It shows us a day in the life of Laurieann and just being a dancer in general. It should be really good. I’m really excited to see how it all turns out. It’s going to premier April 10th on E!.

You have appeared as a dancer in several films. What’s been your favorite experience so far?

Burlesque was probably my favorite experience, just because we danced so much and we were so involved. Basically dance was a big part of that movie. With The Other Two movies, it was like we worked so hard and you really only saw a little bit, which is so crazy to me. Even with Burlesque we did so much, and you still only see a little bit of the dancing. But I think that process for me was great, and I think for any girl it would be fun. {laughs}. I’m sitting there with Cher and Christina Aguilera and all these crazy stars who are extremely talented. The music, the dancing, everything about it was just awesome. It was tough at times, I’m not gonna lie. There was days where I was like “This is hard,” but it was all definitely worth it.

Who have you enjoyed working with the most thus far?

I would say probably Christina because I worked with her outside of Burlesque. I worked with her a little before, and I was on her Bionic Tour (Actually we only did the promo tour. We didn’t really go out on a full tour). But working with her, being on stage with her was just – it’s powerful. It’s extremely motivating and she’s so talented that it’s almost like it’s not real {laughs}. Even when she’s just playing around and not even singing, it’s just amazing. She’s crazy talented.

What do you consider to be your ultimate goal or achievement? In other words, what will happen that makes you say “I’ve made it,” or has it happened already and you continue to redefine your goals?

Yea, I kind of do redefine my goals, and I’ve had a few of those moments where it’s like “Wow!” When I was younger, I really do remember when I had those little goals, one at a time, and I would reach them. I remember being on stage with Christina in London doing Lady Marmalade thinking, “Oh my gosh this is amazing, I’ve finally made it! I’m a dancer!” And Burlesque was something that I had my heart set on. I was like, “I’m doing this movie.” I had to audition about five times but I was like “I’m doing this, one way or another !” I think as a dancer, those have been a few “Whoa” moments for me.

Now, I think my ultimate goal is just kind of transitioning, and making this into a full career. I’ve also been working really hard on acting and training really hard, and I would love to be able to star in a movie musical as an actor and a dancer – just expand on all of this in general. I’m open to new things, and I’m just open to whatever new comes my way. As long as it’s creative and interests me, I’m totally down for it.

What does dancing do for you that nothing else does?

I found the perfect way to describe that. I remember reading in an article somewhere that Beyonce has her alter-egos when she’s off stage and when she’s on stage, and I feel like I’m a completely different person when I’m on stage. I’m more confident and I just feel more like a woman when I’m on stage, and it gives me that fire. There’s nothing I like more than performing, and it seems to be dancing because I’ve trained and worked so hard at it, and I feel really confident when I dance. I really can’t describe The Feeling it gives me. I just love it. But it’s kind of like an alter-ego,you know? When I do get on stage I’m like a different person.

Tell us about your Super Bowl ring.

{Laughs} I was still living in Massachusetts and I was looking for some sort of audition, so I auditioned for the Patriots [cheerleaders] and I made it. I remember they were having a really bad season and doing appearances was kind of bad because people were like “Patriots suck!” {laughs}. I remember being so Young And naive and saying “I want to go to the Super Bowl!” {laughs}. We actually did go to the Super Bowl that year which was crazy, and they ended up winning. That year was the only year that they actually allowed cheerleaders to get the rings, because I think it caused a few issues in terms of who would get them and who wouldn’t. But they won the Super Bowl I think two times after that, so I picked the right year, for sure.

So yea, I have a Super Bowl ring which is really random, but I do. {laughs}

You have also been involved in teaching arts to children. You were doing some things in New York and now you’re working on setting something up out there in L.A. Can you tell us what you do and why it is so important to you?

Yes. When I was with the Knicks, there was an organization called Garden of Dreams that we worked with, and for four years when I was on the Knicks, not all of the girls, but some of us would teach kids in Harlem and in The Bronx. I didn’t realize it until later, but a lot of those kids were from shelters and in foster homes, and I just saw them in school. I didn’t know better, and when I found that out, it was like ripping my heart out. They were just sweet, talented kids – and talk about passionate. Those kids were extremely passionate. I just remember being in school in art class and gym. I actually hated gym, and if it would have been a dance class, it would have been much better. But I think kids need that. Growing up, it was the only thing I loved. It was the only thing I really did have. When I remember finding out that you really could be a dancer, I was like, “I’m gonna be a dancer.” I knew I was going to be a dancer, and I didn’t care what anybody said. I just think it would be great to have that option as kid to be exposed to it and expand their knowledge of it. I don’t think many of these kids even realize that they could be a dancer or do something creative. It’s not offered to them and I just think it should be. I’m really looking for some way to get involved here in L.A. with that.

Name Three Things that you would like people to know about you, and share with us something about you that is funny.

I’m definitely a little dorky. Maybe corny. I like to think I’m funny, but I’m not really. {laughs} We’ll just say I’m funny.

Oh, I have a good one. For one of my first jobs, I worked in a pickle barrel selling pickles, which is just so funny {laughs}. It was an actual large pickle barrel that I sat in and I sold pickles. Just the fact that I did that was funny.

[You heard it here first, folks!]

Name one thing you don’t have yet, but really want.

Probably an acting role. A large acting role. I’ve had some smaller roles, but I’d like a bigger one.

What advice would you give to aspiring dancers?

If it’s something you really love to do, do your work. Train as much as you can. Anything that’s in your control, whether it’s staying healthy, keeping in shape, keeping up on who you need to be working with and what agencies are out there. Take care of what you can take care of. Thinking back, I had so many large let-downs with jobs and every day I questioned “Is this something I should be doing?” Then I thought, “You know what? If I’m not doing this, there’s nothing else I really want to do, and I know I want to be happy.” Getting knocked down sucks, and there’s a lot of rejection but it’s just something that you’ve got to deal with. If you want it bad enough, you just have to keep pushing and eventually it’ll happen.

You can see Sarah on The Dance Scene beginning June 10th at 10:30/9:30c on E!

This week Sports Illustrated features the Kings Crew on the ice. Click here to see the photos.

By Matt Vensel
Baltimore Sun
March 7, 2011

I only do hard-hitting journalism here at Baltimore Sports Blitz, and I have a smashing special report from Ravens cheerleader tryouts on Sunday.

Remember the cheerleader who wore a hot dog costume at M&T Bank Stadium last fall while her teammates celebrated Halloween by dressing as sexy cowgirls and nurses and things like that?

Well, the readers of my old blog certainly do. Brian Krista, the images editor at b, snapped a photo of a Ravens cheerleader dressed as a sausage in October. It became a photo caption challenge sensation, and the post was picked up by SI.com’s Hot Clicks after I sent out a shameless plug via email.

We all wondered how this poor girl got stuck with the hot dog costume, and given the opportunity to interview Ravens cheerleaders at the Merritt Downtown Athletic Club on Sunday, I went after the answers you all demanded.

I asked Jaime A., a six-year veteran, for the inside scoop on Stephanie P., who didn’t try out for the team this year (Jaime said it was because of a long commute from out of state, but I don’t know if I’m buying it).

“There was bad publicity on that apparently, that it was the worst Halloween costume ever,” Jaime said.

I stopped her and pointed out that my post was the genesis.

“Oh, was that you?” Jaime said with a laugh. “No, she was the biggest champ ever. We love Stephanie. The funny story with that is that at camp, we do — not hazing — but funny, little skits and stuff to make the rookies more comfortable. So my friend Andrea and I decided to make Stephanie sing the Oscar Meyer wiener song in front of the whole team.

“And she did the best job of it at the end. She did the whole skit and yelled, ‘Go meat!’ So we were like Stephanie would be perfect for the hot dog costume. And she was like, ‘I’ll do it! I’ll do it!'”

I pointed out that in the photo, Stephanie looked totally miserable.
“I know! Her face was …” she said, stopping to make a sad face. “But Stephanie was totally awesome. She was a trooper.”

So for those who were wondering, here you go. It’s not the most exciting story, but at least we now have clarity.

By Andrew Poole
The Spectator
3/6/11

For at least one Hornell native, the 2010-2011 Buffalo Bills season was a success, even as the team floundered yet again.

Hornell high graduate “Jill” spent this past season as a cheerleader for the Bills, and will try out once again this spring for the upcoming season.
(Editor’s note: Cheerleaders aren’t allowed to provide their last names for interviews. The newspaper agreed not to use her name)

Jill, a 2006 Hornell grad, started cheering at a young age when a coach saw her tumbling after a soccer game.

“I never had an interest in it when I was younger. She saw me tumbling after a soccer game, and she said she wanted me to try. She trained me from scratch,” said Jill.

Jill cheered for basketball from 8th grade through graduation, and cheered for the Rochester Rhinos while an undergrad at Nazareth.

As graduation approached in March 2010, she took the plunge and tried out for the Bills.

“Once I graduated, I decided I had more time while going to grad school, and I wanted to go further with it. My coaches in high school always encouraged me to go further,” she said.

The tryouts, usually a month long, are a rigorous series of dance performances. This year will feature a new twist, as candidates must pass a swimsuit modeling round in preparation for the cheerleaders’ calendar.

While dancing and modeling are integral to the tryouts, cheerleaders are also quizzed on their Bills knowledge. Growing up in football-rich Hornell came in handy, she said.

“You need to be able to talk to fans and know what you’re talking about,” she said. “It’s mostly current information, but you need to know the Bills went to four super bowls, and who Jim Kelly is.

“You need to be able to say who you think the team needs to draft. Last year, we drafted a noseguard, and I had to know they wanted to revamp their defense.”

The commitment extends beyond game performances and memorizing team history. Cheerleaders perform throughout the year, whether for medical benefits or team calendars. Most of all, though, cheerleaders go overseas to meet and support the American military.

“I just got back from the Middle East a couple weeks ago. We visited Saudi Arabia and Kuwait,” she said. “Not many people get to go to a troop base and the countries we were. We performed, but we got to be a part of their everyday life as well.”

These off-season commitments will likely continue, said Jill, regardless of whether the labor lockout looming over the league cancels next season.

“I’m sure there will be plenty of appearances where we’re called on. Charities don’t stop because football doesn’t exist,” she said.

One full season in the NFL hasn’t satisfied Jill’s thirst for cheerleading. She’s planning on trying out again this April, and is thinking that a five-year career on the team sounds good.

“I do miss some things about competitive cheerleading. We don’t do as many stunts, and I don’t get to tumble as much,” she said. “But you can’t ask for better than a professional choreographer teaching you and an NFL field to perform on.”

 

Erin wants to work in the fashion industry
This is the eleventh post of a weekly LA Times series that helps you get to know the Laker Girls
Mark Medina
LA Times Lakers Blog
March 5, 2011
Laker Girl name: Erin

Hometown: Bridgewater, NJ

Area of Residence: Downtown – Los Angeles, CA

High School: Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising

What prompted you to want to become a Laker Girl? I saw the Laker Girls at my very first Laker game vs. the Spurs a few years ago and I knew instantly I wanted to be in that position. I was inspired by their routines, uniforms and smiles they possessed.

What do you think stood out to the judging panel, about you, regarding your audition? Probably how I dance on my toes! I am, and have always been, criticized about not putting my heels on the ground when I dance! I feel my ballet background makes it very difficult for me to change my style. (but, I try!)

What do you think makes a good Laker Girl?Confidence and motivation to do your job well. Our schedule is always changing, as well as our uniforms, routines and places to be at! So, it is crucial to be organized. If you can accomplish that, not to mention, maintain a smile and positive attitude – you’re on your way to being a good Laker Girl!

What is your dance experience? It seems I tried everything! I took classes in jazz, modern, lyrical, tap, even some salsa and merengue classes but focused on ballet. I’ve performed in The Nutcracker 6 times and trained at the Briansky School of Ballet in Saratoga Springs, New York. I was also part of the Towson University Dance Team during their 8th consecutive national championship title.

Favorite dance routine, while being a Laker Girl? Right now, Higher Ground is my favorite routine! The song is classic rock and it’s fun to rock out to – and that’s how I feel when we’re performing it.

Favorite uniform? Our purple “ruffle” uniform!! It is very girly, fun and flattering!

Favorite Lakers Player? Lamar Odom! He seems to have a positive attitude and since I have been on the team, I have watched him grow as a player and teammate. It’s been a pleasure to watch a great player in the making.

Favorite Laker Girl memory so far? Our trip to London and Barcelona was an experience I will never forget! While in Barcelona, me and my teammates/ best friends dipped our feet into the Mediterranean Sea…. I will forever remember that moment.

What do you like most about being involved, as a Laker Girl, at local charity/community events? I love participating in events that make a difference in people’s lives. To be able to say I was a part of these events is an honor. I feel our community is very thankful we, the Laker Girls, are at these events and that is very self gratifying.

What would you say is your beauty secret? A great facial cleanser/moisturizer and hair treatment!

What diet/workout tips do you have? Try making activities fun by getting a workout through playing sports with friends……it is a great way to not feel that your workout is a chore. I think people enjoy “working out” when they are doing something they love or feeling relieved from the crazy, Los Angeles on-the-go mentality.

What are your hobbies? I love riding my bike and cooking delicious homemade meals when I have the time!

Career aspirations? I aspire to be a buyer in the fashion industry, particularly in shoes and accessories!

Click here to check out the Luvabulls on center court.