PDC Meet the Dancers: JULIA Dallas Mavericks Dancers

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Photos by Dominic Ceraldi and Velton Hayworth

JULIA is in her rookie season with the Dallas Mavericks Dancers.

She joined us at a recent Dallas Mavericks home game at American Airlines Center for PDC Meet the Dancers:

PDC: How did your love for dancing develop?

JULIA: I started dancing when I was two-years old and I actually didn’t like it very much, so my mom put me in gymnastics and I ended up being a competitive gymnast for a very long time. I actually ended up getting to be too tall, so I went back to dance and fell in love with it when I was 11 or 12. From there, you couldn’t stop me and it became my passion.

PDC: What made you go back to dancing after gymnastics?

JULIA: Sometimes it takes that one teacher that takes an interest in you and takes the time to make sure that you are getting what you need to be successful. That’s what happened to me, I had an amazing teacher named Yasmeen and she made me fall in love with dance. She would take me to conventions and I would compete. I was actually on the ballet route, but I decided that I wanted to do the more commercial-style of dancing, so my parents moved me to a school in Austin from my home in New Braunfels. In Austin, I went to Leander High School where I lived with the Anderson family (Note: Evan Anderson was a former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader) who was friends with my family.

PDC: Where did things go from your experience at Leander?

JULIA: I got offers from several schools and I was close to going to Point Park in Pittsburgh, but I started thinking to myself, ‘Why would I pay to dance somewhere for four years when I could get paid to dance right now.” At my studio, a lot of girls had done the Edge Scholarship Program. They choose 20 people every year for that, so I ended up going out to Los Angeles after I graduated high school and I auditioned for that program and I got it . So then I trained for a year with some of LA’s best choreographers. At the end of that first year, we had a big showcase and there was a book with all of our headshots and a lot of LA agencies are there going through the headshots and at the end, the tell you if they want you or not. I was selected by MSA Talent Agency and then I booked and worked in LA for about a year and a half.

PDC: What were some of the jobs you booked in LA?

JULIA: My favorite job I did was in Las Vegas, where I was a backup dancer for Earth, Wind and Fire at the Wynn Las Vegas. We got to stay at the Wynn for the entire two months we did the show. I also did music videos for Pharrell, M83 and Nick Cannon. I also did some small TV shows and then I decided that I wanted to go to college.

PDC: So you dropped all of this for college?

JULIA: I just felt like I wanted to be a kid for a second and if I was going to go to college, I wanted to go while I was young enough to experience it, not go while I was in my 30s. So I did it, I went to the University of Texas, where I was on the UT Pom Squad and ended up getting to choreograph for the pom squad. I had a blast!

PDC: How did your time on the UT Pom Squad prepare for being on a professional sports dance team like the Mavs Dancers?

JULIA: UT has the biggest football program in America, it’s so iconic and growing up near Austin it was amazing. Getting to wear the chaps, everyone loves the chaps. For example, when you are on the UT Pom Squad, the governor of Texas will ask for his picture with you. DKR holds more fans than a lot of NFL stadiums. When doing a music video, you’re literally in front of a camera crew and doing the same thing over and over again, but doing something for sports and having people who are excited with you is an incredible feeling. We also did basketball games, so our fourth quarter tags here with the Mavs are very similar to our games in Austin, so it was nice to have something be so familiar.

PDC: Talk about the Mavs Dancers audition process.

JULIA: Auditioning to be a Dallas Mavericks Dancer was extremely nerve wracking. I’ve lived in LA, been to over 100 auditions and you think you could be the perfect fit, but you just don’t know. It always comes down to so many different things and factors that are out of your control. I advanced through the auditions weekend and then there was training camp, which was four nights of intense where you literally have no idea where you stand and you really just have to do your very best and try not to over-analyze the groups they put you in. At the end of the last night, they give you an envelope and tell you to leave the building to open it. I chose to walk all the way to my car, close my door and open it. When it said that I had made it and for me to come back inside, I called my mom and we both just cried for a second before I went back inside and celebrated with my new teammates.

PDC: So you had to uproot yourself and move to Dallas?

JULIA: Luckily one of the girls needed a roommate, so when I moved up here, I was able to get a place to live and then I also had to find a job, so it has been a big transition, but I love it.

PDC: What are some of the highlights of your rookie season so far?

JULIA: We did our swimsuit calendar shoot at JadeWaters at the Hilton Anatole and it was incredible. I had never done anything like that, so it was definitely new for me, but the crew made it amazing. Everyone there like Chaz and Sequel doing our makeup and the photographers were so sweet and supportive and made me feel really comfortable.

PDC: You mentioned that you had to find a job when you moved up to the Dallas area. What do you do and how do you balance a job and your Mavs Dancers schedule?

JULIA: I actually have two jobs in addition to being a Mavs Dancer. Fortunately, both of my jobs are very flexible. I am a traffic radio anchor where I usually do mornings and some TV hosting and depending on the week and what’s going on, I can be very busy or have a little free time.

PDC: Being your rookie year, what are you most looking forward to the remainder of the season?

JULIA: Honestly, being out on the court in front of the thousands of Mavs fans. Just being out on the court, there’s really no feeling like it. It’s so exciting that it never gets old. We are constantly learning new choreography and there is always things changing on the fly and that is actually what I thrive on.

PDC: Outside of dancing, what are some of your hobbies?

JULIA: I love to do hot  yoga and I love to go shopping.

PDC: What is your favorite food?

JULIA: Cheeseburger and fries.

PDC: Do you have a favorite restaurant?

JULIA: PF Chang’s is my favorite restaurant.

PDC: What is your favorite movie?

JULIA: Favorite movie is definitely “Stepbrothers

PDC: Do you have a favorite TV show?

JULIA: I love TV! I really like “New Girl,””The Mindy Project,” “Gossip Girl,” “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation.” I like TV more than movies.

PDC: When you are finished with your dancing career, what would be your dream job?

JULIA: I would love to be a part of a lifestyle television show for a local channel, and be a part of a community where the hosts get to go all over and try out the new places and basically explore the city.

Fans can follow Julia on Twitter @DMD_Julia

For more photos and videos from the Dallas Mavericks Dancers, visit here

See pics from the Dallas Mavericks Dancers Calendar Release Party in the PHOTO GALLERY below:

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