New England Patriots Cheerleaders Auditions
For complete audition information, visit http://www.patriots.com/cheerleaders.
Preliminary Auditions for the New England Patriots Cheerleaders were held on Sunday, April 30, 2006 at the Dana Farber Field House (at Gillette Stadium) in Foxborough, MA. The Field House is affectionately referred to as "The Bubble." Since this blog is about Dance auditions, you may be confused as to why a cheerleading audition is included here. The Patriots Cheerleader audition is a nearly 100% dance-based audition. The style of dance may be more drill team/cheerleading team in nature, but it is still primarily a dance audition.
I arrived at Gillette Stadium quite early in the morning. We were instructed to wear an aerobic outfit and sneakers, and to bring warmups, a good lunch, a photo ID, an optional photo/resume, and the $15 registration fee.
You must be over 18 years of age to audition for the Patriots Cheerleaders.
This is a good time to note that it is usually a good rule of thumb NEVER to pay to audition in dance. If you have to pay to audition, you are usually being scammed or will not get your money's worth. However, the Patriots are a reputable organization. I do not know why they charge an audition fee, but I chose to pay it and everyone must make their own decision.
Attire
There were a variety of dress styles at the audition. We were instructed to wear an aerobics outfit and to dress in a "glamourous" fashion rather than "sporty."
I'm still not 100% sure about what was meant by "aerobics outfit." Some girls were wearing aerobic-style bottoms (basically, black or decorated bikini bottoms) with tan tights underneath them and colorful, sports-bra style tops. Some girls had very flashy attire, while others did not. Some were wearing shorts, or long pants.
The most important thing is to wear clothing that you feel comfortable in and clothing that will compliment your shape.
Most everyone wore their hair down. The Patriots Cheerleaders usually dance with their hair down, and I think that it adds a little extra pizzazz to a movement that allows the movement to be seen "in the 300s"... a tuck or head roll is accentuated and becomes sharper when you have to toss your hair. Straight or neatly curled were the hair styles of choice.
Facilities
The Dana Farber Fieldhouse contains an indoor astro-turf field. You WILL be dancing on astroturf! I danced in dance sneakers and was perfectly comfortable. Other girls were wearing regular sneakers and also coped fine.
There are adequate restroom facilities at the fieldhouse. However, it does get chilly when you're not dancing!
The Audition
All auditioners (approximately 250-300 ladies) were brought onto the astroturf field at the same time for a warmup and to learn the first audition routine. Tracy Sormanti, the cheerleader director and choreographer, conducted the warmup and taught the first audition routine from atop a platform using a microphone.
The first combination was very easy. There were no kicks, jumps, or turns. It was simply team-style dance, and was very basic. Emphasis was placed on using spotting when pivoting from front to back, accurate use of rise and fall (plie and releve) and making movement clean + big. The routines were taught at a fairly slow pace, and we were given several chances to try the dance with the music. It was easy to become overtired!
We performed the routines 4 people at a time (in numerical order) for the eight judges. Numbers 1-8 performed the routine again after all the other contestants had danced.
While the judges tabulated the scores and prepared for the first cut, we were given a brief lunch break and then returned to the field to learn the second audition routine. The second audition routine was more complicated than the first. It was still a team-style dance - without jumps, kicks, or turns - but it repeated twice and was much more winding than the first dance. Again, it was taught slowly and we were given several chances to try it with music.
Then, the judges returned and the first cut was announced. After the first cut was finished, we were given 5 more minutes to practice the routine. Then the remaining dancers lined up once more and performed the routine, four at a time, for the judges. The first eight dancers performed for a second time after the other contestants had danced.
Once more, the judges left to tabulate while we learned the third dance. The third dance was a bit more urban in nature, but it was still basic and was taught slowly. The second cut was made, and the remaining dancers performed high kicks and the third combination before final cuts for the day were made.
Dancers that made it through all three cuts were asked to return the following weekend for an interview, swimsuit modeling, and further auditioning. Approximately 50-75 dancers were asked to return the following week.
Preliminary Auditions for the New England Patriots Cheerleaders were held on Sunday, April 30, 2006 at the Dana Farber Field House (at Gillette Stadium) in Foxborough, MA. The Field House is affectionately referred to as "The Bubble." Since this blog is about Dance auditions, you may be confused as to why a cheerleading audition is included here. The Patriots Cheerleader audition is a nearly 100% dance-based audition. The style of dance may be more drill team/cheerleading team in nature, but it is still primarily a dance audition.
I arrived at Gillette Stadium quite early in the morning. We were instructed to wear an aerobic outfit and sneakers, and to bring warmups, a good lunch, a photo ID, an optional photo/resume, and the $15 registration fee.
You must be over 18 years of age to audition for the Patriots Cheerleaders.
This is a good time to note that it is usually a good rule of thumb NEVER to pay to audition in dance. If you have to pay to audition, you are usually being scammed or will not get your money's worth. However, the Patriots are a reputable organization. I do not know why they charge an audition fee, but I chose to pay it and everyone must make their own decision.
Attire
There were a variety of dress styles at the audition. We were instructed to wear an aerobics outfit and to dress in a "glamourous" fashion rather than "sporty."
I'm still not 100% sure about what was meant by "aerobics outfit." Some girls were wearing aerobic-style bottoms (basically, black or decorated bikini bottoms) with tan tights underneath them and colorful, sports-bra style tops. Some girls had very flashy attire, while others did not. Some were wearing shorts, or long pants.
The most important thing is to wear clothing that you feel comfortable in and clothing that will compliment your shape.
Most everyone wore their hair down. The Patriots Cheerleaders usually dance with their hair down, and I think that it adds a little extra pizzazz to a movement that allows the movement to be seen "in the 300s"... a tuck or head roll is accentuated and becomes sharper when you have to toss your hair. Straight or neatly curled were the hair styles of choice.
Facilities
The Dana Farber Fieldhouse contains an indoor astro-turf field. You WILL be dancing on astroturf! I danced in dance sneakers and was perfectly comfortable. Other girls were wearing regular sneakers and also coped fine.
There are adequate restroom facilities at the fieldhouse. However, it does get chilly when you're not dancing!
The Audition
All auditioners (approximately 250-300 ladies) were brought onto the astroturf field at the same time for a warmup and to learn the first audition routine. Tracy Sormanti, the cheerleader director and choreographer, conducted the warmup and taught the first audition routine from atop a platform using a microphone.
The first combination was very easy. There were no kicks, jumps, or turns. It was simply team-style dance, and was very basic. Emphasis was placed on using spotting when pivoting from front to back, accurate use of rise and fall (plie and releve) and making movement clean + big. The routines were taught at a fairly slow pace, and we were given several chances to try the dance with the music. It was easy to become overtired!
We performed the routines 4 people at a time (in numerical order) for the eight judges. Numbers 1-8 performed the routine again after all the other contestants had danced.
While the judges tabulated the scores and prepared for the first cut, we were given a brief lunch break and then returned to the field to learn the second audition routine. The second audition routine was more complicated than the first. It was still a team-style dance - without jumps, kicks, or turns - but it repeated twice and was much more winding than the first dance. Again, it was taught slowly and we were given several chances to try it with music.
Then, the judges returned and the first cut was announced. After the first cut was finished, we were given 5 more minutes to practice the routine. Then the remaining dancers lined up once more and performed the routine, four at a time, for the judges. The first eight dancers performed for a second time after the other contestants had danced.
Once more, the judges left to tabulate while we learned the third dance. The third dance was a bit more urban in nature, but it was still basic and was taught slowly. The second cut was made, and the remaining dancers performed high kicks and the third combination before final cuts for the day were made.
Dancers that made it through all three cuts were asked to return the following weekend for an interview, swimsuit modeling, and further auditioning. Approximately 50-75 dancers were asked to return the following week.
posted by Evie @ 9:46 AM
1 Comments:
At 11:36 AM,
Evie said…
Hi tekiegirl -
I did very well dance-wise, but was also cut. You have to remember that these types of auditions, especially, rely heavily on typecasting.
The Patriots casting judges are looking for girls who are the correct height and body type to fit into the line of current cheerleaders, and for girls who will photograph well for their swimsuit calendar. Dance ability and performance are only two of the factors that go into choosing a patriots cheerleader.
Don't be discouraged! Try, try again!
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