The Dallas Mavericks Dancers held their auditions at the American Airlines Center followed by training camp at the Verandah Club at the Hilton Anatole.
The team was officially announced at the end of the final night of training camp the final roster included five rookies.
Riley is one of the new members of the Dallas Mavericks Dancers and she joined us after making the team to discuss her journey to becoming a member of the Mavs Dancers.
See Photos of RILEY in the Slideshow Below:
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Photos by Dominic Ceraldi
PDC: Talk about your dance background.
RILEY: I’ve been dancing since I was two. I grew up studio dancing at Dance Industry in Plano. From there, I did drill team in high school and then I went to college at Texas A&M where I danced for the Aggie Dance Team. I graduated with a degree in Sports Management and I am now a second grade teacher. Then this past year, I was on the Texas Legends Dancers.
PDC: How would you describe your year on the Texas Legends Dancers.
RILEY: I loved being on the Legends. I loved the director and the girls and everything that I learned was incredible.
PDC What did Jen (Texas Legends Dancers Director Jen Contreras) do to get you prepared to make the Dallas Mavericks Dancers?
RILEY: She really pushed us and expected a lot from us. She gave us great critiques and held us to high standards throughout the season at every practice and on game days. At every practice, we would audition for each dance at the upcoming game, so going into practice, you knew that you needed to be fully prepared and practice on your own ahead of time.
PDC: What did you do to get ready for the Dallas Mavericks Dancers auditions?
RILEY: I went to the Dallas Mavericks Dancers prep classes on Monday nights and trained in the gym. As far as diet, I follow the Whole 30 program to make sure I’m eating healthy.
PDC: Leading up to the auditions at American Airlines Center, what were your emotions like?
RILEY: I tried to stay level-headed the whole time. If I get too excited, I can lose focus or if I try to distract myself then I’m not focused enough, so my whole thing throughout the process was to stay level-headed and take one day at a time.
PDC: When you’re in the empty American Airlines Center with a panel of ten judges staring back at you, is that as scary as one might think?
RILEY: Honestly, the judges don’t scare me. What scares me the most is me not doing my best, not because of the judges but because of the pressure I put on myself in that moment. Judges and audiences don’t ever scare me.
PDC: Then you advanced to training camp, what was that like?
RILEY: Training camp was so much fun but at the same time, it was mentally tough. Knowing that each day you couldn’t it get into your head and compare yourself to the other girls, you want to make sure that you just focus on yourself and what you can do.
PDC: How do you find out that you had made the Dallas Mavericks Dancers?
RILEY: The last night, we performed the dances one final time for the judges. Then we all got envelopes from Mallory with instructions not to open them until we were outside of the building. First thing I saw when I opened my envelope was “Congratulations” and it said to come back inside because I had made the team.
PDC: How did that feel?
RILEY: I was in shock. I had to double check that it was my name on the envelope. It’s really hard to describe the feeling of being in the moment when one of your biggest dreams comes true.
PDC: Being a teacher, how do you balance the time with being a Mavs Dancer?
RILEY: Both jobs are very time-demanding and this past year on the Legends, I got to learn time management with staying organized and I’m ready for this year.
The 2018-19 Dallas Mavericks Dancers are:
VETERANS: Ashley, Katelyn, Janae, Ally, Maggie, Taylor H., Tristen, Julia, Tori, Jenifer, Lisa, Janie, Alise, Sheridan, Aliyah
ROOKIES: Hanna, Hannah, Taylor N., Riley and Amanda.
For more photos and videos from the Dallas Mavericks Dancers, visit HERE
See PHOTOS from the Dallas Mavericks Dancers Team Announcement in the GALLERY below:
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