It’s only the second episode, but the show has already started to dive into the nitty-gritty of what it takes for these Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders candidates to make the team. Namely, the art of learning routines.
Prior to training camp, all the rookies and veterans had to learn a dozen dance routines from video. It’s common practice for cheer teams to receive routines in advance so everyone can learn the choreography at her own pace, on her own time, and help make practice more efficient by being prepared. There may be one or two “signature dances” that are always performed every year, such as the DCC game day opening kickoff dance to AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck,” but the majority are new each year.
My first year cheering, I spent hours in my parents’ unfinished basement learning all the routines from my laptop propped up on a storage box. I am such a perfectionist and had to make sure I knew every move and count before performing in front of my directors. Thankfully, after being on the team for a couple of years, it became easier and, eventually, almost like second nature. Some days, I would even learn a dance from my phone while sitting in gridlock, rush-hour traffic on the way to work or practice — which was absolutely unsafe, I know, but when you work two jobs in addition to the evening/weekend cheer practices, you have to utilize whatever free time you’ve got to prepare for rehearsal. Not everyone learns choreography at the same pace, and some of my teammates who were veterans would still devote extra time each week to learn and practice new routines before rehearsal just to make sure they had it down. You have to learn what works for you. And when you’re a rookie, the only way you will succeed in your first year cheering is to manage your time wisely to make sure you are always prepared.
This week’s episode started off with a rookie-only rehearsal, where the women had to perform a variety of the new routines they’d learned in small groups for the directors, Kelli and Judy, and guest judge and former Cowboys cheerleader, Melissa Rycroft-Strickland, none of whom held back on their comments and critiques. These rehearsals are essential because the directors can get a sense of how the rookies perform alongside others, in addition to which dancers struggle to remember the choreography.
The first rookie rehearsal can be a brutal reality check. The directors expect everyone to have learned the choreography before practice, so if you make a bunch of mistakes, be ready to get called out in front of everyone about everything that was wrong or just not good enough. The directors are running a professional cheer team and expect perfection. Anything less, and they take that as you not respecting their time. During my first rookie rehearsal, our group performance had so many mistakes that our director walked out of the studio without saying a word because she was too upset to speak. Some of us thought we might get kicked off the team. Luckily, that didn’t happen, but we still spent double the amount of time at practice cleaning the routine up.
But executing the choreography to the letter is not enough. Cheerleaders are expected to perform with a level of showmanship in our moves and on our faces that makes people want to watch you dance. Even the best technical dancer will get overlooked if she has a blank expression when she performs. It takes a certain skill set to be able to dance big without making mistakes and remain entertaining at the same time. When I would perform, I always made eye contact with someone in the audience and matched my facial expressions to the style of song I was dancing to. The rookies who can adapt as performers are the ones who end up making the team.
In the second half of the episode, all of the training camp candidates were taught a dance routine onsite by guest choreographer Brittany Perry-Russell, who has choreographed for Beyoncé, Rihanna, and other A-list artists. Guest choreographers are used to working with the best dancers in the industry, so they will teach fast and expect you to learn and execute the style and moves just as quickly. Sometimes, that can be in as little as 30 minutes. It’s the perfect challenge for candidates to test their learning style and ability to adapt and perform. I always loved taking classes from guest choreographers because it gave me the opportunity to dance different styles that were sometimes out of my comfort zone. It pushed me to learn faster and be a better dancer.
Episode 2 made it evident that learning at a fast pace does not come naturally to every woman trying out, whether they’re rookies or veterans. The veterans do have an advantage because they have previous experience working with guest choreographers, but ultimately, learning and performing on the fly is a tough skill to develop — to the degree you can even develop it.
At the end of the week, Kelli and Judy had to cut four rookie candidates from training camp. Each of these women either struggled with retaining choreography or did not stand out in their performance. It was clear, though, that showmanship is a big factor in the judging. There were a few girls who did not get cut and are not the best dancers but know how to perform. The directors can work with someone on improving her dance skills or be lenient with those who do not learn quickly as long as they execute the choreography when needed. But it is difficult to teach performance showmanship. You either have it, or you don’t.
Rachel Gill is D Magazine’s Chief of Staff and a former NFL cheerleader. Read the first dispatch of her series reviewing Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team here.
