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 Hands up if your image of a cheerleader is busty, blonde, legs up to the ears and not a lot between them?
If I'm being honest then mine was pretty much that, until I auditioned for the Scottish Rockettes Pro-Dance Team in 2002. Let me tell you, that image has been high-kicked right out the window! So what makes the Rockettes so special, so unique, and so much fun that I've stuck around for four years and still want more…?
The squad is made up of 12 professional women from ages 18 to 33 – all with diverse backgrounds from Veterinary and Dental Nurses to Dance Teachers, Trainee Police, IT Managers and Sales. One thing in common is our passion for dance and commitment to making the squad the best it can be.
Our main priority lies with our home games at Braehead Arena where we support Scotland's only pro-basketball team – the Scottish Rocks. We're no strangers however to Celtic and Rangers FC matches, Sky Masters Football Tournaments, Harlem Globetrotters European Tours, motorbike racing and even tennis!! We can pretty much lay our poms on any sport and our dynamic high-energy routines always go down well with the crowds.
Training sessions are three nights per week, each session 3 hours long. As well as working on technique and routines, each girl on the squad has a personal gym workout tailored to their own requirement. So it is pretty hard going but certainly ensures we are at our peak fitness level. Coming from a dance background I can honestly say I've never physically worked so hard or been as flexible as I am now. Although being on the squad is a part-time job, it can sometimes feel like full-time. Home games, promotions, charity events and training sessions mean we are constantly on the go. One hundred percent commitment is mandatory, that's what keeps us Scotland's top dance squad.
Rockettes dance routines and choreography comes from the home of cheerleading, where else but America. Every year we fly to the States to participate in a professional dance seminar. In 2004 we jetted out to viva Las Vegas, 2005 Miami and this year it's Los Angeles. The week-long event is taught by the choreographers who work with the likes of Janet Jackson and Britney Spears to name but a few. The Rockettes train alongside squads like the Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins and the Orlando Magic. As well as being stunningly beautiful these girls are fantastic performers and being in amongst them inspires us to be as good as they are. I remember the first trip we made to Las Vegas. The morning after our first day at dance camp and I physically could not move from the bed. Every inch of my body ached from my neck to my big toe! I remember thinking were Janet and Britney this bad after their workouts? In stark contrast when we made the trip to Miami last year I was absolutely fine. This definitely shows to me personally how much I have advanced as well as the squad as a whole.
Participating in television shows is an added highlight of being on the squad. We've graced the screens of Tam Cowan's 'Off Side', BBC's 'Test the Nation' and 'Children in Need'. We were recently flown first class to appear on Sky Sports' 'Soccer AM' for a Christmas Eve Special. That's a lifestyle I could certainly get used to and I'm hoping all future events will be of a similar standard. In saying that, it's not all glam… I can vividly remember one of the first promotions I did – at Ayr Racecourse for the Scottish Grand National. Let's just say I thought it would be champagne, strawberries and fancy hats… not thunderstorms and lashing rain! This meant our fake tan was running off our bodies, my hair had inflated around 6 inches (think Monica from friends) and the mud was up to the knees of our white boots. Nice eh!
Being a Rockette means we are actively involved in a substantial amount of charity work – from our very own charity fashion show to charity balls – so much so we have been referred to as Mother Theresa's in white hot pants! Some of us have even abseiled off a 15-story building to raise money for a worthy cause, however let me tell you it felt more like the Empire State Building! Our main annual contribution to charity comes in the shape of our swimwear calendar. All proceeds are donated to the CHAS and Cash for Kids appeals. As well as supporting two great causes we have a fantastic fun day preparing for our photos, having hair and make-up done and pretending to be models.
No one can say being a professional cheerleader is dull, far from it. In the past four years of being on the squad I've made so many new friends and brushed shoulders with the celebrity world so often I sometimes actually feel part of it!
Likewise, no one can say we don't work hard or that we 'just shake our pom poms' – being a Rockette is the most physically demanding job I've had as a dancer. We just have an added prop – poms or cowboy hats!
Do you have what it takes to be a Scottish Rockette? Are you enthusiastic, committed and talented? Do you quite simply 'sparkle'?
If you think you have what it takes to be a Scottish Rockette, if you can give 110% commitment to an already top-performing team then we really want to see what you have. Tryouts for season 2006/2007 are being held on Sunday 4th June, 11.30am (Preliminaries) and on Sunday 11th June at 12pm (Finals). All details and an Application Form can be found here.
I’ll look forward to seeing you on the day, you'll lose nothing but gain so much.
See you soon… Kat M x
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