BLOG DAY 5: Sunday, February 16
Well Lakers fans, that's a wrap on the 2014 All-Star Game! I had such an amazing experience and I am so glad that I was able to be here to represent the Lakers. Today was a great finish to the week!
To kick off the game we performed on the "Bud Light Stage" which was a tent sent up to have performances before and after the game. We performed our West Dance to an energetic crowd.......that really got us going for the game.
I was very fortunate to be able to be a part of the introduction performances for the game with Pharrell Williams. He had a medley that helped introduce both the East and the West players for this production. We had wardrobe provided for us, and for the first time all weekend, the dancers all matched one another! It seemed like the crowd loved the show, because their applause was very loud. This performance was truly amazing and was the highlight of my trip!
During the first quarter, we also performed our last routine of the weekend. Each dancer wore their own teams uniform, and it was so nice to see how each team was represented, yet came together as one. Dancing on the All-Star court was definitely something I will never forget!
One thing that stood out to me the most during this trip was the amount of Lakers fans I met! Everywhere I went, I found van drivers, security guards, stage crew and many others who were Lakers fans. The Lakers definitely have such a huge fan base!
I am proud to be a part of an organization that so many people love and support so much, not only in our city, but all over the country.
The end of this weekend is truly bittersweet for me as it is hard to say goodbye to all of the great girls I have gotten to know, yet I am so excited to get back to Los Angeles and the rest of the Laker Girls! Thanks fans for reading my blog. I appreciate you sharing in this great experience with me by doing so!
I'll see you back at STAPLES Center!
~ Shelbie B.
BLOG DAY 4: Saturday, February 15
Hello again Lakers Fans!
Wow, today was amazing here in New Orleans! We had another early morning and a few members of the Pelicans Dance Team were so kind.......they brought the NBA All-Star dance team a New Orleans specialty, a King Cake!
A King Cake is a giant cinnamon roll with frosting......and I was told that it is only available during the Mardi Gras season here! It was so good and such a treat!
Myself and the rest of the West dancers had a very fun performance at the open practice for the Western Conference All-Star players. We got to see a lot of fans of our teams and I was thrilled to see so much purple and gold in the stands!
Between rehearsals, we were able to walk around the NBA Jam Session. It is a great event - which is made up of interactive zones, where people can walk around and shoot hoops, play a game of basketball, take pictures and get autographs!
The NBA All-Star Saturday Night event was held tonight. It was so much fun and now, I can say, it has been the highlight of the trip so far! The arena was packed with fans ready to watch the slam dunk contest, three point shoot out and other events/performances. We got to perform multiple times. We performed a routine that was an East/West dance collaboration on the court and another routine on the main stage. In addition, we got to dance in a "surprise" performance on stage with special guest performer - Vanilla Ice! The crowd was so excited and I loved being part of such a fun and playful routine!
Well, tomorrow is the big day! I cannot wait for the NBA All-Star Game, to represent the L.A. Lakers. There are so many Lakers fans here to show their pride and everywhere I go I hear, "Go Lakers!" It's wonderful! I love all the Lakers support.
Well, please make sure to tune into the NBA All-Star Game tomorrow!
~ Shelbie B.
BLOG DAY 3: Friday, February 14
Happy Valentine's Day Lakers Fans!
Wow, today was quite the day here at the 2014 All-Star Weekend! Exciting things are starting to happen and places are getting much more crowded! I love the energy in this city and it is only going to continue to build!
Today was another early morning here for the NBA All-Star Dance Team. However, today started out with some fun interaction on the court with fans! We attended the practice for the Rising Stars Challenge which was open to some military soldiers and their families! We got to take a break from dancing for a little while and threw out t-shirts to the fans in the stands. We also cheered on the practice!
Following that was more rehearsals. It included rehearsal time on the main court for the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, which is where we rehearsed the routines we were going to perform for the first time.
We all got ready together in a locker room, and it was so much fun to figure out which uniforms we were going to wear. It was neat to see all the other teams options! The Celebrity Game was the highlight of the day. It was such a fun experience!
We performed one routine all together at half time. The East and West conference dancers each had our own separate routines as well. All the fans were so excited to see us there, I could tell there were so many Lakers fans in the crowd!
Today was truly an amazing experience and was a great start to our performances. I am anxious to get a few more routines out on the court and stage tomorrow!
I hope you all had a great Valentine's Day filled with love. I can't wait to to tell you more about the fun-filled weekend here!
~ Shelbie B.
BLOG DAY 2: Thursday, February 13
Hello again Laker fans!
I had a very long day of rehearsals here today for the NBA All-Star game, but all the routines are coming together and I can't wait to perform them starting tomorrow! It was a day packed of traveling between the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, the Smoothie King arena and our rehearsal space.
One of the most exciting parts of the day was getting to see the stage that is now set up for the All-Star performers.
It is such an elaborate stage and completely transforms the area it is built into.......it sure is going to be a fun change to dance on a stage complete with lights and risers!
We learned one routine today that separated the Western Conference from the Eastern Conference, making for a really fun number! I have been getting to know all the girls more and it is pretty incredible to see how we all work and dance together! All the dance teams are so different, but we mesh together so well, which to me is what the All-Star game is all about!
It has been such a great experience for me to come together with other dancers so well and act as a team for this weekend. But of course, always representing the Lakers!
All the events, including the Celebrity Game, kick off the weekend tomorrow night. So I will finally get a chance to perform. Yay!
It will be nice to perform the routines we have worked so hard on.
I can't wait to get my Lakers uniforms on!
Cannot wait to tell you all about the different events tomorrow, so stay tuned!
I am sad to be missing the Lakers home game tonight at home, but am still here rooting them on.
Let's go Lakers!
~ Shelbie B.
BLOG DAY 1: Wednesday, February 12
Hello from New Orleans Lakers Fans!
I am so excited to be here representing our Lakers Organization for the 2014 NBA All-Star game!
I have already had the opportunity to meet Lakers fans that are local to Louisiana and it's so amazing to see how, no matter where you go in the country, people love the L.A. Lakers!
I started today out with an early morning flight out of Los Angeles and arrived in New Orleans to see All-Star posters everywhere! The town is buzzing with excitement for this weekend.
I got the opportunity to meet a few girls at the airport (Lisa from Portland and Kellie from the Clippers) and was taken directly to our rehearsal space for the evening. I then was able to meet all of the other girls participating this weekend's festivities, one from each team in the NBA!
It is so fun to talk to all the other dancers because we all share a common love, performing for our various NBA teams. It's so interesting to hear about dancing for different teams around the league.
We practiced and learned about three routines tonight. It was fun learning and performing together for the first time!
After rehearsal we checked into our hotel. It is a beautiful hotel right off of Bourbon Street! It is such a fun place to stay, as the street is filled with such history. Before calling it a night, we had to take a quick walk just to see the famous street and take a few pictures!
The street is already decorated with greens, purples and golds, as the town is preparing for Mardi Gras. There are so many vibrant colors!
We have a long day of rehearsals tomorrow.
I can't wait for all the events to get started!
That's all for now Lakers Fans, but I will keep you updated on all the exciting things happening here in The Big Easy for the 2014 NBA All-Star game!