The DCC Audition Process

To give you a little insight into this process we are about to embark on, we are not alone. There are close to 1,000 (yes, that's right) women who try out for just 36 spots on the team. Most of these 36 spots (roughly 20+) are filled by returning veteran Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. So that really leaves only a few coveted spots for rookie candidates like ourselves. Here's the breakdown of the audition process:

Day 1 - Preliminaries
All tryout candidates perform a 15 second "freestlye" dance in groups of 5. It goes a little something like this - they turn on the music and you dance. They judge to see if you look the part, dance the part, make the uniform look good, and overall showmanship. That's a rough 15 seconds!

The judges then deliberate and from the nearly 1,000 candidates they cut to around 100. Those 100 then advance to semi-finals.

Day 2 - Semi-finals
The 100 candidates from the day before learn a dance routine and the famous DCC kickline. They are taught it at 8am and are judged that afternoon. The girls again perform in groups of 5 and are judged on many of the same criteria as the first day.

The judges deliberate again and select half of the semi-final candidates. The lucky 50 will go on to compete in the final round of auditions and go head-to-head with veteran cheerleaders.

Day 3 - The Interview
All candidates in the final round must go through a panel interview. Again, this is a make or break round. This round requires you to have a knowledge of the Dallas Cowboys organization, poise and presence, and absolutely no skeletons in your closet. A written test is also given to the candidates which we hear is not easy and one must actually study for.

Day 4 - The Talent Presentation
All of the candidates in the final round (including veteran DCC) are required to perform a 90 second talent routine. This may include singing, dancing, dramatic interpretation, etc. This round is concluded by performing the semi-final routine and kickline once more.

The judges deliberate one final time and choose the best 45 women to enter into training camp.

ALL SUMMER LONG - Training Camp
If you've made it to training camp you are close, but still so far from actually making the team. For the non-returning cheerleaders, training camp is a 3 month audition process that you could be cut from at any point. Training camp consists of 5-6 days a week of 3 hour long practice sessions. The squad will be narrowed down to the top 36 cheerleaders before the first kickoff.

This process is a long one, but nobody becomes America's Sweetheart overnight!