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You can cost yourself your next NFL or NBA dance team shot without ever stepping into another audition room. This one is for the dancer who got cut, wants answers, and is tempted to DM the judges or vent about it online. Amira walks through what that actually costs you, and what to do instead, because you are a brand ambassador first, last, and always, and then you’re a dancer. Register for our free masterclass: cultivatecode.co/masterclass Connect with The Cultivate Code:InstagramApplyWebsite Want to see if you’re audition-ready? DM “apply” on Instagram @thecultivatecode.

You made it to semifinals or finals, you didn't make the team, and taking a break until auditions get closer probably sounds like the sensible next move. Give this one a listen before you decide. In this episode I'm talking about why there is no off-season when you're training for a pro dance team. This one is for the dancer who didn't make the team this season, and for the dancer who hasn't auditioned yet and wants to know when to start. Mentioned in this episode: https://youtu.be/yHWOyOxJGJc?si=0cI42z3kKFia_cFH Register for our free masterclass: https://cultivatecode.co/cut Apply to our programs: https://cultivatecode.co/apply DM me "apply" on Instagram @thecultivatecode

In this episode I'm talking with former DCC Lisa about what makes a dancer undeniable at auditions, and what happens when your body forces you to stop. Lisa danced for the Dallas Mavericks Dancers and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders before a spine injury ended her dancing career. She now mentors dancers as a big sister in this space. Follow Lisa on Instagram @lisa_mills Register for our free masterclass: https://cultivatecode.co/cutApply to our programs: https://cultivatecode.co/applyDM me "apply" on Instagram @thecultivatecode

You can be the most technically trained dancer in the room and still get cut before finals. The dancers who stood out at the Pro Action Combine weren't the ones with the most tricks. In this episode I'm talking about what changes when you go from a college dancer to an aspiring pro dancer. This one is for the college dancer who keeps hearing she's one of the best in her studio and wants to make it onto a pro dance team. Register for our free masterclass: https://cultivatecode.co/cut Apply to our programs: https://cultivatecode.co/apply DM me "apply" on Instagram @thecultivatecode

You keep making finals and getting cut, and no one tells you the reason. The truth is the team is looking for more than a dancer. In this episode I'm talking about the belief you have to change to make it onto a pro dance team. This one's for the dancer who's been told she's talented her whole life and still can't figure out why she's not making the team. Register for our free masterclass: https://cultivatecode.co/cut Apply to our programs: https://cultivatecode.co/apply DM me "apply" on Instagram @thecultivatecode

You keep admiring the dancers who get called out into the small group and wondering why it's never you. It isn't confidence they have that you don't. It's audacity. In this episode I'm talking about the difference between being confident and being audacious. This one is for the dancer who keeps standing in the back and keeps telling herself she'll go full out once she feels confident. Register for our free masterclass: https://cultivatecode.co/cut Apply to our programs: https://cultivatecode.co/apply DM me "apply" on Instagram @thecultivatecode

We help aspiring pro dancers train to make it onto NFL and NBA dance teams, and the excuse I hear most is “I don’t want to train virtually.” In this episode, I’m talking about what’s really underneath that excuse, and why convenience has been the wrong filter for choosing where you train. This one is for you if you keep finding reasons a program won’t work for you, instead of asking if it’s the environment that will actually get you onto an NFL or NBA dance team. Apply to our programs: cultivatecode.co/apply DM me “apply” on Instagram @thecultivatecode

You've had the same three tabs open for weeks and you still haven't picked a training program. The comparing feels productive. It's the thing holding you back. In this episode, I'm talking about how to choose between pro dance training programs and the three filters I use before I invest in anything, whether it's your first audition season or your fifth. If you keep reaching finals with no idea what went wrong, this episode shows you what the right program should be giving you.   Apply to our programs DM me "apply" on Instagram @thecultivatecode

You can be the best dancer in the room and still not make the team. This episode is about the difference between talented and coachable, and why coachable is the thing that actually gets a dancer picked. If you've been cut without an explanation, if you noticed other dancers getting corrections in prep class and wondered why you didn't, or if you've caught yourself thinking you're already doing it right, this one is for you. If you want to walk into your next audition coachable and not just talented, this episode is a must-listen. Ready to take the next step in your pro dance training. APPLY Apply for our training program here Connect with Amira  Instagram: @thecultivatecode // @amirarokeach   Listen to Amira + Emily's Episode: The Real Reason Why You Freeze At Auditions

Most dancers walk into auditions with no idea what they're actually being scored on. Not because the information doesn't exist, but because nobody in the dance world has ever handed them the rubric. In this episode, Amira breaks down what is objective and what is subjective on a pro dance scorecard, from the inside perspective of someone who has judged NFL and NBA auditions. Technique and the ability to learn and execute choreography are in your control. Entertainment, personality, and everything outside of dance, your interview, your social media, how you conduct yourself in the room, those are the elements most dancers never prepare for and the ones that break an audition at the highest level. If you want to know exactly what judges are looking for, register for the free masterclass at www.cultivatecode.co/cut or DM "MASTERCLASS" to @thecultivatecode on Instagram.

Most dancers have been told to dance more full out. Almost none of them have been taught what that actually means in the body. In this episode, Amira breaks down the Three Ps: Polish, Power, and Presence. These are the specific, trainable skills that judges notice in the first eight counts and that most coaches never name. Amira covers the LCS process and why skipping the cleaning step is the reason most dancers never look like veterans in the room, where power actually comes from and why stamina is the audition filter nobody talks about, and what presence means from head to toe including the musicality piece that separates dancers who perform a routine from dancers who translate it. She also tells the full story: getting cut from Suns veteran tryouts, packing her suitcase the next day, driving to the Warriors, and what a coach said to her the day everything about performance clicked. If you made it to finals and still didn't hear your name called, register for the free masterclass at www.cultivatecode.co/cut or DM "MASTERCLASS" to @thecultivatecode on Instagram.

You've trained for months. You know the choreography. And then you get to the audition and your body just won't cooperate. You freeze, you shrink, you second-guess every move. It's not a talent problem. It's your nervous system. In this episode I sit down with Emily Judice, nervous system coach for high-performing women and former dancer, to unpack what's really going on when you choke under pressure, why training harder actually makes it worse, and what to do instead. We get into why more programs and more coaches won't fix the real issue, what your nervous system is actually doing when you freeze or hold back, the beliefs that are keeping you stuck in what Emily calls a familiar hell, how to regulate your body before you walk into an audition room, why confidence isn't something you build from perfection, and what it means to be the version of yourself who already belongs on the team. If you've ever walked out of an audition knowing you didn't perform to your potential, this one's for you. Connect with Emily: Be That Girl Podcast (Apple + Spotify) Instagram: @thatgirlemilyjudice Website: bethatgirlcoaching.com Train with TCC FREE MASTERCLASS: The 3 things most dancers get wrong in auditions and what to do instead. Save your spot: cultivatecode.co/3-secrets Ready to start prepping for auditions? DM me "apply" on Instagram. Instagram: @thecultivatecode Website: cultivatecode.co/apply

In this coaches’ Q&A panel, head coaches Brianna (University of Houston), Maddie (Cal Berkeley), and Jonni Rogers (University of Miami Sunsations) introduce their programs, discuss technique and style expectations, and explain how pro dance experience influences game-day performance. They outline audition formats and timelines, virtual and in-person rounds, choreography learning, interviews, and solos, and emphasize qualities like coachability, resilience, movement quality, and team fit. The coaches share advice for dancers transitioning from high school to college teams, managing comparisons and confidence, and preparing for the pace of learning weekly material. They also break down demanding seasonal schedules across football, basketball, volleyball, community events, and UDA competition (Miami), including summer training, bootcamps, workouts, and performance expectations such as facials and hair-ography.

On today's episode, Amira interviews Christie Horan, Head Coach of the Washington Commanders Command Force. Christie breaks down their unique hip hop-focused style, the Beat Your Feet dance tradition, their two-round virtual audition process, and what makes the Command Force one of the most diverse teams in the NFL. Connect with Amira: Sign Up For The Masterclass: 3 Secrets To Audition Success Apply to Sideline Ready: http://cultivatecode.co/apply Instagram: @thecultivatecode Commanders Application: https://www.instagram.com/commandforce

On today's episode, Amira interviews Charlotte Simons, Director of the Cincinnati Ben-Gals, who is going into her 32nd season. Charlotte breaks down what she really looks for beyond dance talent, the biggest mistakes dancers make at auditions, and the new changes to the Ben-Gals audition process this season. Connect with Amira: Sign Up For The Masterclass: 3 Secrets To Audition Success Apply to Sideline Ready: http://cultivatecode.co/apply Instagram: @thecultivatecode Connect with the Ben-Gals:  Ben-Gals Audition Information: https://www.bengals.com/cheerleaders/auditions Application Deadline: April 15th Prep Classes: March 18, 25, April 1, 3, 8 ($25 each) Master Workshop: April 12, 2025 ($50)