The Scoop from Spain: Marisa

Energee! the Official Dance Team of the Milwaukee was recently in Madrid, Spain as part of the 5 United Tour.

06/18/2011

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	PHOTOGALLERY Energee! in Spain
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	Related: - Tiffany's Blog - Game Photos
	Related: - Tricia's Blog - Game Photos

The NBA hosted a 5 on 5 United tour all around the world and we were fortunate enough to be invited to the tour in Madrid, Spain! I was especially excited to be involved in the event because my family has friends who live in Spain that come visit the US every the summer and they're big basketball fans! After hearing many stories from them about their life in Spain, it was wonderful to have the opportunity to experience their culture first hand.

Although the trip was for work, we had the whole first day free. So once we recovered from our flight, we explored around the city! First, we went to Parque de Madrid. I couldn't believe how big it was. The park was absolutely beautiful! Next, we stopped for lunch at a local cafe to experience some of the traditional Spanish cuisine. After lunch, we visited Palacio de Cibeles, a former castle which is now the location of Madrid's city hall. The tower at the top of the palace offered breathtaking panoramic views of the city! We ended the day browsing some of local shops and cafes before returning to the hotel to prepare for the next two days of shows. There was even a store called “Marisa”!

The event took place in front of Estadio Santiago Bernabeu – a world famous futbol (soccer) stadium and home to Real Madrid. As we approached the stadium for our first show I was amazed by how many people there were and how excited they were to see us! Shouts of “Hola Guapas!” welcomed us wherever we went. The concept of having dancers/cheerleaders perform at professional sporting events is relatively new to Spain. We even had security guards to escort us to and from the event as well as appearances during the event because the crowd was so large. Our security guards were very nice but they were no joke! The excitement and enthusiasm of the crowd and the fact that we had security guards left us feeling like celebrities! The two days of shows consisted of us dancing, interacting with the crowd, signing autographs, posing for photographs and many mates espectaculares (great dunks). I loved every moment of it and I will never forget this incredible experience! Madrid is a beautiful city filled with friendly people and I hope to return there again one day!

Hasta luego todos!
~Marisa