OT I Have To Ask Those Of You W/ Nfl/nba Dance Experience: Am I Wrong?

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Official OWECheer

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Jan 16, 2014
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The following is a conversation I had with an angry viewer under one of my videos



Her: You just called dance teams "superficial' and no dance teams ever choose their girls based only off of looks. thats just not true at all and I think you should educate your self more on why a lot of dance teams have the "skinny' "sexy" persona besides saying what others say about cheerlearders. That was highly offensive. we work out just as hard, we put on makeup we do our hair etc etc. I really think you should just rephrase this whole video.

Me: I am not talking about studio dance teams. Yes, Dance favors girls with long, slender necks, legs and arms because they create beautiful lines, but the NFL and NBA pick their dancers based partially upon looks.

Her: I was talking about nfl/nba dance teams as well. Not all of them are based only off of looks. That's not true at all. I'm currently a professional dancer and you can be as sexy as you want to be but if the technique is not there you wont' be getting accepted. Especially for a team like DCC. In all due respect, I don't think you should speak on things you know nothing about.

Even if it is sometimes looks, that doesn't take away from how prestigious we are.

Me: Yes, they are very difficult dance teams to make. However I am sick of people tying their image to that of cheerleading, tainting it's nonsexual nature. Too many people believe that NBA and NFL dancers are cheerleaders and claim that what those dancers do (which has been sexualized for marketing purposes) is the same as what real cheerleaders do when it is not.

I am also well aware that selection is based partially off of dance ability (of course it has to be, or else what would be the point of picking the dancer, no matter how beautiful she is?).

Her: Dancers don't get chosen based off their sexuality. Even in the professional world (classically speaking) companies like dancers who have long arms and legs, short torso, round heads etc. It has nothing to do with the sexuality. That same criteria applies for the NFL/NBA teams. Has nothing to do with sexuality.

dancers have a lot prove. Keeping the respect in cheerleading, anyone can be a cheerleader if they have the passion for it. In dance, every day you're making a point, you can get cut from a team or a company from not having certain requirements that you cannot physically change like having two low of an arch for pointe shoes, or gaining weight when you're on your period and so forth. ANYONE can be a cheerleader because you have that independent side. Anyone can progress in cheerleading if they have the drive for it and anyone can be good enough for cheerleading if they have the passion for it. Its not like that with dance. I'm tired of cheerleaders thinking that dance is easier and its not . if you want to start a movement where only real cheerleaders should be in the NFL and NBA then do so! cause I'm tired of getting called a cheerleader when I'm not

Point is, you shouldn't make the assumption that dance team members get chosen based off of their sexuality and that's not true at all.

Honestly, we could all get along better as dancers and cheerleaders if people like you would stop thinking that dance is easier then cheer and vise versa. we each have our difficulties. neither sport or art is chosen based off sexuality

Me: I NEVER said that dance was easier. It isn't, by ANY means. I know that becoming a good dancer requires 1000s of hours of hard practice, and tons of strength and flexibility. I think you're completely misinterpreting me. I have immense respect for dance.

Her: Its the way you're saying it. Using the argument that dancers get chosen based of their sexuality is what upset me and what made me come to the conclusion that you think dance is easier then cheer. No NFL/NBA coach, or team member will tell you they get chosen based off their sexuality.

Me: And I never mentioned sexuality... it's sexual attractiveness and dance ability (as well as how well one fits in visually with the rest of the group, i.e. in height) that determines whether or not a girl makes it. Not their sexual orientation.

Her: sexual attractiveness has something to with sexuality. i didn't mean that by sexual orientation. As said earlier, i'm a professional dancer and have been for going on four years. Both experience in NFL and a classical company. I met all the requirements for my local NFL team and still didn't make it. So it has nothing to do with sexual attractiveness. I have the big voluminous hair, and the general body requirement and I was technically trained. It has nothing to do with that.

Me: Like I said, the teams are hard to make and no one is guaranteed a spot. Sometimes you have everything but just aren't the right fit.

Her: Which is why you shouldn't say that dancers get chosen based of the sexual appearance. If I would have said about that cheerleading I would have gotten jumped down my throat by multiple people. You do get judge in dance based off your appearance but not your sexual appearance. Its how well you fit in with the rest of the team members. not how sexy you look.

Me: My view is contrary to that, but we'll agree to disagree.

So my question is, do looks factor into the selection of NFL/NBA dancers? Based on what I know of it I say yes, but I wanted to hear from those of you that have done NBA/NFL dance.
 
I'm going with "yes" and "no," maybe.

I knew a girl with LOADS of dance training who didn't make DCC. She wasn't what they were "looking for." Thereby proving that appearance, in her case, mattered more. Also knew a girl who had the complete "look," little to no dance training, but didn't make Redskins Cheerleading.
 
You have to have both to make it in the industry. I believe the weighting depends on the organization. There's also a definite difference between most NFL teams and NBA teams. It seems that NBA teams are less focused on one specific look, while NFL teams want you to fit a specific mold.

I've seen many very talented friends not make teams because they didn't have "the look." I've also watched many less talented girls make teams because of their appearance.
 
Looks matter. In my opinion you have to have the skill set to make the team, from that point on they are going to choose based off of looks. Just for example there are 20 spots on a team, 50 girls tried out, 30 have the skill set, from that 30 they will choose the top 20 based off of looks.
 
I think that both of you have good points. I think that for dance, you have to have a certain amount of talent and looks. I would argue the same for cheer. I know that not everyone feels this way but in my experience they tend to put the prettier, thinner people as point flyers. They also have talent and I feel like a lot of them deserve it, but I have heard other people complain that they only got the position "because they were pretty." I think that both areas definitely try to find the certain look that they want.
 
I think that both of you have good points. I think that for dance, you have to have a certain amount of talent and looks. I would argue the same for cheer. I know that not everyone feels this way but in my experience they tend to put the prettier, thinner people as point flyers. They also have talent and I feel like a lot of them deserve it, but I have heard other people complain that they only got the position "because they were pretty." I think that both areas definitely try to find the certain look that they want.
Is this true? I've never really noticed this. Maybe people might say it about famous level 5 teams (whose flyers are famous for being good, and of course looks help you get noticed). Kind of like how Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympian of all time, and yet Ryan Lochte got the reality show because he is attractive. However, he is also an Olympian, so....

@retiredl5cheer What was your tryout experience like?
 
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I'm CFL experience, but yes, on my team, looks counted. Our coach would approach 18 year olds with the right look and find out if they had dance experience. 2 were given a "private tryout" and added to the team the week after real tryouts. I also have worked with people with amazing skill who didn't have the right look who were cut right away. So, I'm going with both matter
 
Is this true? I've never really noticed this. Maybe people might say it about famous level 5 teams (whose flyers are famous for being good, and of course looks help). Kind of like how Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympian of all time, and yet Ryan Lochte got the reality show because he is attractive. However, he is also an Olympian, so....

@retiredl5cheer What was your tryout experience like?
Oh boy. Well, I was cut in the final round my first year (one of the last three girls cut), and two rounds earlier my second year. I will say that the girls that beat me out my first year were IMO prettier and more talented. My second year, maybe not so much. However, I understand that looks are 75% of what's important on game day. Face it...beauty and sex sell, and the average viewer is a middle aged man. I truly believe I just wasn't good enough at my makeup and I was a little too thin. If I'd been more in line with the "mold" that they look for, my skills would have been sufficient. In my case, I found that looks outweighed talent.
 
I don't think anyone can deny looks being a part of NFL dance teams. That's a given. Two of my best friends tried out for a team last year. Both with about equal experience and technique. Both GORGEOUS girls. One about 5'5 or 5'6 with a longer figure. I would compare her body to something you would see in a swim suit catalog. Second girl is about 5'2, six pack for days, bigger on the bottom than up top. I would compare her body to an Olympic gymnast or power tumbler (but a little taller). Both were on the same college team and excelled.

Both tried out for an NFL team together. First girl made it, second girl didn't. In fact, first girl make it all the way to training camp with DCC as a rookie (HUGE) and second girl has been cut from three different NFL teams. Because, while her body is amazing and I would trade in a heartbeat, it's not what they are looking for. I feel for her, especially watching her best friend excel and make teams when she knows they are equal in talent.

Looking playing a factor in no way means talent doesn't. Of course you have to have crazy skills to make the team. They are just looking for the complete package.
 
this is a reality that many do not want to accept because it makes dance/cheerleading seem superficial. The same thing happens with college cheerleading. As someone mentioned above if you have 50 girls trying out for 20 spots, the initial 50 will be seclected if they have the looks the team/company is looking for. they they will select the top 35-40 girls based on talent and the final 20 will be the prettiest, or the ones that most fit the visual they are looking for. And this process does not make dance/cheerleading superficial, it simply supports their audience. College and professional sporting events are usually televisied therefore it is in their best interest to the dancers/cheerleaders fit a TV looking image....
 
this is a reality that many do not want to accept because it makes dance/cheerleading seem superficial. The same thing happens with college cheerleading. As someone mentioned above if you have 50 girls trying out for 20 spots, the initial 50 will be seclected if they have the looks the team/company is looking for. they they will select the top 35-40 girls based on talent and the final 20 will be the prettiest, or the ones that most fit the visual they are looking for. And this process does not make dance/cheerleading superficial, it simply supports their audience. College and professional sporting events are usually televisied therefore it is in their best interest to the dancers/cheerleaders fit a TV looking image....
Problem is, outsiders hear ONE thing about makeup of hair and they jump to conclusions. Like I said, most of them will see appearance factoring in as a bad thing, but then when they see a cheerleader or dancer that is overweight (and very skilled) or has crooked teeth, they mock and ridicule her. It's unrealistic to compare dancers and cheerleaders to other athletes, because most other athletes play, whereas dancers and cheerleaders perform. Hence why smiling is such a big thing in cheer. It's about performance. Facial expression impacts the quality of a cheerleader or dancer's performance. The same is not true for a basketball or softball player.
 
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I have seen very good cheerleaders not make the college team here because of how they looked. Girls with less experience and skills were picked over them. What's sad is that they didn't even get a chance to show their skills because they were cut before that part even happened. The first cut is motions. And before you jump all over me and say "well maybe they didn't have good motions." I have watched some of these girls since I was little and know that that is not even close to being true. They were very good game day cheerleaders in high school. It's sad but college cheerleading is based partly on looks as well.


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I have seen very good cheerleaders not make the college team here because of how they looked. Girls with less experience and skills were picked over them. What's sad is that they didn't even get a chance to show their skills because they were cut before that part even happened. The first cut is motions. And before you jump all over me and say "well maybe they didn't have good motions." I have watched some of these girls since I was little and know that that is not even close to being true. They were very good game day cheerleaders in high school. It's sad but college cheerleading is based partly on looks as well.


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SMH. It's because of the marketing department.
 
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