The Hawks have chosen 28 ladies (was the team always this huge?) for their 2014 dance team. Congratulations ladies!
Click here for the video announcement. (I recommend watching this on mute. The music really stays with you.)
Click here for video from the finalist mixer
Click here for photos from the entire audition process
The first auditions of the 2014-15 NBA season are over and the Hornets have chosen their dance team.
Click here for individidual photos of the ladies on the team
Click here for photos of all of the finalists
Click here for photos from the team selection
For those who missed it, the Charlotte Bobcats have been rebranded as the Charlotte Hornets. It’s a full-circle kind of thing. The original Charlotte Hornets joined the NBA in 1988 and relocated to New Orleans in 2002. Two years later, Charlotte got a new expansion team, which was called the Bobcats. When the New Orleans Hornets rebranded as the Pelicans last year, Charlotte applied to the league to reclaim the Hornets name. Now there’s a lot of “bringing the Hornets back” hype going on in Charlotte. So. Last year the Lady Cats. This year the Honeybees. And now you’re all caught up.
Anywho…auditions started last night at 10pm. The event was open to the public and looks like the were trying to create a whole vibe. That’s easier to do at 10pm than 10am! Click here for photos from the event and click here for video.
Click here to view the gallery!
by TRACEY COMPTON
Renton Reporter
June 6, 2014
For Hazen High School senior Errin Williams, getting on the school’s drill team was the event she was most looking forward to in high school. Now, she’s surpassed her dream and has been selected for a spot on the Seattle Seahawks’ Sea Gal squad.
“It’s been a dream for me to kind of get out there and do something different,” she said. “And I think that this opportunity was the best way to do that.”
Williams competed against 200 other contestants and veterans from the 2013 Sea Gal team at auditions April 28 to May 4. She was one of only about two dozen women chosen for the squad.
“Errin is an excellent dancer and has great poise and projection, which helped her stand out during the audition process,” said Sherri Thompson, Sea Gals’ director.
Williams reportedly also used her athleticism, knowledge of choreography and passion to win over the judges.
Being on Hazen’s drill team prepared her somewhat for auditions, although, Williams said she’s always been a dancer and drill is slightly different from a cheer squad.
“I love dancing and I wanted to continue in some way,” she said. “Drill isn’t really dance; it’s a little different. So I wanted to challenge myself and do drill and see how far that could get me.”
Williams was a lieutenant on Hazen’s drill squad her junior year and a captain her senior year. Participating on her high school drill team has kept her fit physically and mentally prepared for other challenges like this opportunity, she said.
To prepare for auditions, she said she turned on different types of music to see what she could do with it.
“Auditions were hectic,” Williams said. “They were fun; they were crazy; they were exciting. There was a lot of waiting to get called back.”
The thought of taking to the field and experiencing all of the Seahawks’ screaming fans is what motivated Williams to tryout for the squad this year. Although football is her favorite sport to watch, she said, she’s not the go-to person when it comes to football-specific questions, but she understands the basics pretty well. She’s excited about meeting new people on the squad and the team’s players.
As a Sea Gal, she will attend the squad’s many community and fan appearances, participate in parades and marketing shoots for the team.
“I am excited, but I’m nervous, but I think it will be fun,” she said. “I think it will be a great experience.”
Williams will attend Bellevue College in the fall as a full-time student, with plans to pursue a transfer degree to Washington State University to study organizational communication.
Longtime area dance instructor Shirley Van (front center) will be honored at a tribute in Green Bay Saturday. Her body of work includes nine years working with Packers cheerleaders. / Submitted photo
Longtime Green Bay dance instructor Van to be honored at tribute
By Nathan Phelps
Green Bay Press Gazette
June 4, 2014
Thousands of people, including Green Bay Packers cheerleaders, have learned dance from veteran instructor Shirley Van for decades.
Now the 86-year-old is being honored for her work in the community. Her dance studio, Shirley Van’s Dance Studio, was founded in the 1950s and operates a location in Allouez and has plans to reopen a location on West Mason Street in Green Bay this summer.
“She’s one of those humble servants, not one who always needs a pat on the back for what she does or a standing ovation,” said Corrie Campbell, the business development manager for Shirley Van’s Studios. “It’s nice to be able to pay homage to her and at least give back a little bit to her for what she has done in the community.”
Among her local ties is a nine-year stint as a one of the founding choreographers and instructors with the Green Bay Packers cheerleaders in the 1970s and 1980s.
“She really kind of stepped it up a notch in terms of dance … and established a routine with them,” Campbell said. “She also had players in her classes at one time.”
Shirley Van and her husband, Frank Volm Jr., at a Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame display honoring her work with the Green Bay Packers cheerleaders in the 1970s and 1980s. Sumbitted photo
Van’s body of work includes the formation 40 years ago of the People’s Ballet Company, now the Dance Company, which puts on two major productions annually.
A graduate of St. Norbert College, Van spent six years as an instructor of dance and movement at the college and 16 years as the choreographer for St. Norbert College Music Theatre productions. She also worked with area schools, choreographing dozens of productions.
Van, who learned dance in Chicago, New York and California, considered a career as a professional dancer, but opted to teach.
“It is much more important to pass dance on to others and share what I know than to entertain,” Van said in a 1981 interview with the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
Van is also a co-founder of the Green Bay Chapter of Adventures in Movement in 1970, a program aimed at teaching dance to people with disabilities. That program is expected to be reintroduced at the revamped Green Bay studio later this year.
“She brought dance back here. She studied with some of the greatest masters in jazz dance and traditional ballet,” said Campbell, a former student. “When she brought that back here, it really raised the level of dance in the community.”
Van’s studio is a non-competitive studio and focuses on dance company productions.
“Many of our students have gone on to dance professionally, or semi-professionally, and if they haven’t … (students) have a great ability to carry themselves well in public and in public speaking,” Campbell said.
Van, who still teaches in the studio, is passing the torch and legacy of the business to many of her students.
“It’s a good time, but it’s a bittersweet time, too,” Campbell said. “She’s done so much for our community.”
PRESENTED BY PARX CASINO®
OPEN CALL AUDITIONS TAKE PLACE AT THE WELLS FARGO CENTER ON WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18
AND IN NEW YORK ON WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25
TEAM LAUNCHES “BEHIND THE SCENES: THE MAKING OF THE SIXERS DREAM TEAM” WEB VIDEO SERIES
TO GIVE FANS EXCLUSIVE ACCESS TO VIEW THE AUDITION PROCESS
PHILADELPHIA, PA – JUNE 2, 2014 – The Philadelphia 76ers today announced audition details for the 2014-15 Sixers Dream Team, presented by Parx Casino®, which includes auditions in both Philadelphia and New York City. For the first time, the Sixers will also take fans behind the scenes and through the audition process in an exclusive web series titled “Behind the Scenes: Making the Sixers Dream Team,” which launched today on SIXERS.COM (VIEW THE FIRST EPISODE HERE).
The team will host an open call audition in Philadelphia on Wednesday, June 18 at the Wells Fargo Center (3601 S. Broad St., Philadelphia, PA 19148) at 6:00 p.m. (media encouraged to attend between 6:45 and 7:30 p.m.). Walk-ups are welcome, but pre-registration is strongly encouraged.
The team will also host an audition in New York City on Wednesday, June 25 at Broadway Dance Center (322 W. 45th St., 3rd floor, New York, NY 10036) at 8:00 a.m. (Dancers in the Philadelphia region are encouraged to try out at the June 18 audition at the Wells Fargo Center.)
Individuals interested in trying out for the Sixers Dream Team must be at least 18 years of age by June 1, 2014 and should have prior experience in dance. They must also fill out the application form linked here and pay a $20 audition fee.
Dancers are also encouraged to register for the Sixers Dream Team Pre-Audition Workshop, which takes place on Saturday, June 7 at Touch of Class Dance Studio (483 Park Way, Broomall, PA 19008) from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Attendees will learn the choreography for the first round of auditions and get inside tips from current members of the team. (Registration info linked here.)
The Sixers Dream Team, presented by Parx Casino®, is entering its 18th season as an integral part of the Sixers’ game night entertainment, performing multiple times and visiting fans at every home game. Off the court, the careers, educational accomplishments and community involvement of the Sixers Dream Team will empower young girls in the Philadelphia region to pursue their goals, while also inspiring them to be beautiful inside and out.
For more information, visit SIXERS.COM.
This time, the veterans are in the running, and the prize is the cover of Dallas Cowboys Star Magazine. The swimsuit issue, of course. The competition has been narrowed down to 14 cheerleaders and 16 cover options. Click here to cast your vote for the winner!
Abby
Angela
Ashley
Brittney
Emma
Jenna
Jennifer A.
Jordan
Katy
Kelsey
Kinzie
Nicole
Samantha
Sydney
Bios and individual profile photos of the 2014 San Jose SaberCats dance team are now online. Click here to learn more about the ladies on this year’s team!
