October 18, 2010

Adventuring a While, But Glad to Be Back

Ni Hao Nets Fans!

Our weeklong journey to China has come to an end. Not only was it my first time traveling with the Nets Dancers, it was my first time out of the country! This experience is one I will never forget. Not only did I get to explore a part of the world that I never thought I’d get an opportunity to see, but I got to perform with my teammates in front of thousands of our wonderful Chinese fans.

There is so much to see and do in China, and I wanted to make sure I experienced the culture and history as much as I could in the short amount of time we were there.

One morning, Becky, Mandee and I woke up early to check out the Forbidden City in Beijing before rehearsal. The Forbidden City was originally the Chinese Imperial Palace, which once served as a home for emperors and their families as well as the ceremonial and political center of the Chinese government.

It is now the home to the Palace Museum. It consists of hundreds of buildings in traditional, ornate Chinese architecture and covers 7,800,800 square feet of land. Pictures won’t do this historical landmark justice; it is truly something you need to see to believe.

The highlight of my experience was our trip to the Great Wall. I have a personal list of things to see and do in my lifetime, and this was one of the top five. I am so grateful and appreciative to have been given such an amazing opportunity. Sharing this experience with my teammates and Nets family made this adventure so memorable. Now it’s back to reality. Hopefully now recovered from jet lag, I’ll be ready to take on the week filled with rehearsals in preparation for opening night. Hope to see you there!!!

Love,
Jen

October 16, 2010

First on the Floor in Guangzhou

Hi Nets fans, Julie here.

Hopefully you have been reading about all of the amazing things that we have been experiencing in China. It's hard to believe it's already the last night, and we are heading back to New Jersey. This was my first trip outside of the country, and I still cannot believe the incredible time we've had. Beijing was so alive, and Guangzhou was just as vibrant and interesting.

Today was our last game, and it was the first event held at the new Guangzhou International Sport and Entertainment Center. What makes that even better is that we were the first dancers to EVER perform on the court.

I cannot tell you how welcoming the fans were here. You could just feel the energy throughout the arena every time a three pointer was shot, and especially when we performed our new dance to “Hot Tottie," choreographed by Nets Dancer Melody.

We all were so ready to show Guangzhou this routine, because it really showcases our East Coast flavor and what the Nets Dancers are all about.

So now, after all is said and done, I can honestly say that I had the trip of a lifetime, filled with so many memories shared with some amazing people. After having so much fun performing in China, I cannot wait to get back to our favorite Nets fans at the Rock and show you all the hot new dances we have been working on. Can't wait to see you all opening night!

Much love,
Julie

Oh, and here's a video of the Dunking Divas in action!

October 16, 2010

Going to Guangzhou's NBA Store

Hi Nets Fans!

Today was our first full day in Guangzhou, China. It was an early start for six of us with an appearance at the only NBA Store in southern China, at the Grand View Mall. When we got there, we were greeted by excited fans. We took a tour of the store and then performed two dances for the crowd. The fans were amazing. They showed us so much love, taking pictures and video. It was a great appearance, and we had a lot of fun.

After the mall, we headed over to the brand-new Guangzhou International Sports and Entertainment Center to meet up with the other ladies for rehearsal. We got to be the first dance team to dance on the court. In addition to the Nets-Rockets game that is being held there, it will also be the site for the 2010 Asia Games.

Rehearsal went very well. We practiced the dances that we will perform at the game, including a new piece called "Hot Tottie," which is one of my favorites.

After rehearsal, it was back to the hotel to get ready for the Guangzhou Welcome Reception. The reception was very nice, with an array of foods and desserts to choose from. We took pictures with guests and got to hear some of the players speak about the game that will take place tomorrow.

All in all it was an exciting day, and now I'm back in my room packing for the game. I am so excited to perform one last time in China!

Good Night, Nets Fans!
Siobhan

PS
Check out this video of us performing at the NBA Store!

October 15, 2010

Off the Wall

Hi Nets Fans!

It's Day 4 here in China, and we are currently on a flight to Guangzhou for Game 2.

Our trip has been absolutely amazing so far. We've been working hard and rehearsing rigorously for our games, but today we were able to enjoy an exciting day of sightseeing.

We visited the Great Wall of China, and it was one of my favorite parts of the trip!

On the bus ride there, the scenery quickly changed from modern-city Beijing to the mountains of China we had to drive through to get to the Great Wall. When we arrived, we took a cable car to the top of the mountain.

The views were breathtaking! It was so unreal to see the Great Wall in person and to walk on such a huge piece of history. It was massive and wove all throughout the mountains. We hiked along it for about 2 hours, down steep stairways and winding paths.

It was so much fun to enjoy the Great Wall with my teammates. At the end of the day, we rode all the way down the mountain on toboggans!

It was amazing! Even Coach Avery and the players joined in.

Today was filled with memories I will never forget with my teammates who are like family to me. I'm so lucky and excited to be here with some of my best friends and my Nets family!

Tomorrow, we will be up early for an appearance and then rehearsal for Nets vs. Rockets: Game 2. All of my teammates are asleep right now on the plane after an exhausting, yet amazing day. See you back at the arena soon!

Xoxo,
Christina

October 14, 2010

Game On!

Hey Everyone!

We miss you all at home, but we are having a great time in China! This morning we started off the day with an intense rehearsal to make sure we were ready for our first game in Beijing. All the entertainment groups joined us, and we worked hard to prepare a great show for our fans.

Tonight, the Nets played against the Houston Rockets and put up a good fight. The Nets Dancers rocked the house with four high-energy routines. The Dunking Divas and Sly performed a dunk show and we KILLED IT!

With a total of eight different dunks, we nailed them all. Our show had everything from solo dunks, to a four-girl pass, to Sly dunking over all seven of us!

We have been drilling our dunk show in rehearsal these past couple of weeks, so we could not have been happier with the results. =)

After the game, we quickly got ready to head over to a Nets team dinner. Everyone from the Nets organization who traveled to China attended. It was a nice way to celebrate how fortunate we are to have a job that allows us to see the world. It was a great way to end the night!

It's very late, so I'm off to bed. We have an exciting day lined up for tomorrow. We're squeezing in some shopping in the morning before a trip to the Great Wall. Then it's off to Guangzhou! See you there ;)

Love Always,
Jessica

October 12, 2010

Out on the Court … with a Few Friends

Hey, Nets Fans!

It's the end of our first full day here in China. We started off our morning with a team breakfast, and then we headed off to court rehearsal at the Wukesong Arena. We arrived at the arena and met the rest of the entertainment teams who will be performing at the China Games out on the court.

After practicing and perfecting tomorrow's Nets Dancer routines, we got the opportunity to work on a collaboration with the Rockets Power Dancers and Launch Crew, and of course, mascots Sly and Clutch. All of us are really excited to work with such a nice group of ladies, and we can't wait to perform tomorrow for all the fans! Although it was a long day of practice, everything ran smoothly, and we enjoyed getting to know everyone.

When court rehearsal came to an end, we came straight back to our hotel to quickly get ready for the NBA Welcome Reception. Once we arrived, we were greeted by many fans who were excited for tomorrow's game. After speeches from both coaches, we took the opportunity to meet and take pictures with some of these fans and NBA sponsors.

Now we will wrap up our busy day by packing our bags for tomorrow's first game in Beijing against the Rockets!

We look forward to another great day in China!
—Nyvia

October 9-10, 2010

Talk About a Travel Day!

Sunday
4:45 a.m.
Wai!!! Jow sun! (Hello!!! Good morning!) It’s 4:45 in the morning and I haven’t gone to bed yet – preoccupied by the packing list and tying up loose ends with work. The Nets Dancers are meeting in two hours at the practice facility to check in for our trip to China! At the Nets vs. Sixers game, just 15 hours ago, we were all getting psyched about the trip around the corner.

In 2007, I traveled to Shanghai and Macau, but I am really looking forward to experiencing the NBA China Games 2010 with my teammates, the Nets organization, and our fans! I can’t think of a better way to kick off the season!

6:05 a.m.
I am greeted by my teammates in the lobby. Luggage is everywhere and there is excitement in the air!

6:25 a.m.
We are in our locker room comparing sleep notes. Apparently I’m not the only one who pulled an all-nighter: three of us have gotten no sleep and another handful only banked 2-3 hours.

6:55 a.m.
Breakfast! Our rehearsal floor has been transformed into a Willy Wonka-like breakfast land. From oatmeal crème brulee and cheesecake lollipops to jelly-stuffed French toast and fresh whipped cream, it is a sweet-tooth heaven! Not to mention the sugar is necessary to get us non-sleepers through the morning.

7:50 a.m.
The official airport security check-in took place right on the court at the practice facility. Smooth & seamless! We are welcomed by the warm energy of the Nets sponsors, staff, and fans. We file onto three buses, and I cannot remember the bus ride – right when we hit the road, I hit the sack.

When I open my eyes, we are literally in front of our plane! We drive right up to the terminal. All the girls are buzzing with excitement.

We’re discussing seat assignments and our plans for the flight. Not surprisingly, sleep is at the top of everyone’s agenda.

9:40 a.m.
We just got on the plane and all I can say is WOW! We each have a row to ourselves, with blankets, pillows, Nets socks, even toothbrushes! The flight attendants are so friendly and we all have smiles, ear-to-ear.

1:08 p.m. (5:08 p.m. ET)
We touch down in Alaska, after flying over snow-capped mountains and beautiful vistas. We have 90 minutes of down time to regroup on land before the second stretch of the flight. We discuss the agenda for the upcoming week and can’t wait for the games, checking out Beijing, and the Great Wall!

Monday
9:45 p.m. (9:45 a.m. ET)
We finally land in Beijing after a very long day of travel (and sleep). The rush hour traffic is immense and we have fun looking at all the Chinese characters on the road signs. I am looking forward to our dinner plans at one of the highest rooftop restaurants overlooking Beijing. The views are supposed to be magnificent! Then we’re off to bed for a five hour rehearsal tomorrow – I cannot wait to get on the court and get started!

October 8, 2010

Back to China, Supporting the Squad

Hi Nets Fans!

It’s been a few months since the last Nets game, but the Nets Dancers have been hard at work preparing for the 10-11 season. After our auditions in June, the rookies only had a couple weeks off before they started rehearsals. The rest of the veterans joined in during the month of August. With all of the hard work we’ve done, the time flew by! It’s hard to believe that October is already here and we’re about to go on an exciting trip to China!!

This will be my third trip overseas as a Nets Dancer and my second time in China. Six of us were fortunate enough to travel to Chengdu this past April, and we had an amazing time. Between visiting the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, meeting local children at NBA Cares events and shopping at the local marketplace, we learned a lot about the Chinese culture. The people were friendly, the food was delicious and the sites were beautiful.

On this trip, we’ll be visiting Beijing and Guangzhou. I’m super excited about this trip for 3 reasons:

• 1) The games that we’ll be performing at are Nets v Rockets! Usually we dance for Legends or All Star teams on our trips. It will be so exciting to support our own team overseas for the first time.
  
  
• 2) On both trips I was previously on, 6 Nets Dancers were sent to represent our team. But this time there will be 12 Nets Dancers going to China! I know that having this experience with 11 of my best friends will make is even more special and memorable. And
  
  
• 3) In our itinerary, a day has been set aside to visit The Great Wall!! Seeing it is something that I’ve always wanted to do in my lifetime, and I’m so thrilled to have the opportunity to do so.

Well, it’s time for me to finish packing! Make sure to check in this week for updates on our journey. See you when we get home!

Love,
Bonnie