New Orleans Hornets: After a challenging week of auditions, training camps and choreography sessions, 22 ladies were selected to join the 2011-12 Honeybees!
Giselle
Previous dance experience:
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I have been dancing since I was 2 years old. I mainly studied and excelled in ballet for a majority of my dance career and competed with my ballet studio for many years. I quickly picked up jazz and hip-hop once I became part of my high school dance team, Mount Carmel Academy’s Rhythm Dance Team. There, I progressed and grew a deeper love for dance and became captain my senior year. In college, I was a member of the nationally ranked Southeastern Louisiana University Lionette Dance Team for four years and was captain my senior year. Now I have fulfilled my lifelong dream of becoming part of NBA’s best dance team, the Honeybees. All I can say is…dreams really do come true!
What I love about being a Honeybee:
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The one thing I truly love about being part of the Honeybees is that we all share the same passion for not only dance, but for New Orleans. At finals I never felt so secure dancing next to girls that I barely knew and it was because we were all there for the same reason. Going to practice is such a joy and even though I am only a first-year member I have already had the time of my life and I know this is just the beginning. I am part of the hardest-working, strongest and most beautiful group of girls who find that performing for our New Orleans Hornets fans just might be one of the most rewarding experiences of our dance career.
What I love about dancing:
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“There are shortcuts to happiness and dancing is one of them.” This quote has been with me for years and it is what I live by. It doesn’t matter what kind of dance or what song is playing I will dance! When I’m dancing…I’m happy. To me, dancing is something that I just can’t live without.
What I love about New Orleans:
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New Orleans is my home. It is where I was born, where I grew up, and where I plan on raising a family. What I love about New Orleans is quite simple…its spirit. It lives inside each of us, through the good and the bad times we all stick together and that is my definition of family. There was a reason why my family and I came back after Hurricane Katrina…we knew that the people of New Orleans were brave and powerful before the storm…we knew we would be even stronger after the storm, and it is so liberating to be part of such a great city. New Orleans is always busy doing something, whether it’s a party on Bourbon or a barbeque in your neighbor’s back yard for a game. We know how to have a good time! I could travel the world and see everything it has to offer but nothing comes close to this beautiful city!
What I love to do when I’m not performing with the Honeybees:
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When I’m not dancing with the Honeybees I am busy working and as a matter of fact…it is another love that I have. I am a dance teacher, choreographer and coach. I am a fitness enthusiast, personal trainer, and fitness instructor. I love every minute of what I do and thank God every day. I also love hanging out with friends, running, shopping and doing anything spontaneous!
Well, there’s certainly one benefit to the New Orleans Hornets having gone deep in the playof this year. It means more of the Hornets Honeybees. Do you think Chris Paul has tapped any of that ass yet?
I’m sure Paul has gotten his stinger up in that at some point in his career. These ladies definitely know how to shake it.
With the NBA looking to expand in the late 1980s, George Shinn, an entrepreneur from Kannapolis, North Carolina, wanted to bring an NBA team to the Charlotte area. Shinn's ace in the hole was the Charlotte Coliseum, a state-of-the-art arena under construction in Charlotte that would seat almost 24,000 spectators.
Originally, the new team was going to be called the Charlotte Spirit, but a name-the-team contest yielded "Hornets" as the winning choice. The name was derived from the city's fierce resistance to British occupation during the Revolutionary War,[2] which prompted the British commander, Lord Cornwallis, to refer to it as "a http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifveritable nest of hornets." The name had been used for Charlotte before, including a minor league baseball team that was located in the city from 1901 to 1972, as well as a World Football League team that played there from 1974 to 1975. In addition, the Charlotte 49ers and Davidson Wildcats of the NCAA play annually for the Hornets' Nest Trophy.
After years of work to land the franchise, on April 5, 1987, Shinn was awarded the new expansion team, which was later named "Hornets". The name was derived from the city's fierce resistance to British occupation during the Revolutionary War,[1] which prompted the British commander to refer to it as "a veritable nest of hornets." The team received a lot of attention when they chose teal and purple as their primary colors, setting off a fashion craze in sports in the 1990s, with many other pro and amateur clubs soon following with similar colors. The Hornets also popularized the use of pinstripes on uniforms, inspiring similar designs by various other NBA franchises.
In their 14 years in Charlotte, the Hornets compiled a 522–546 (.489) win–loss record in the regular season and 20–28 (.417) in the playoffs. The franchise advanced to the post-season seven times, advancing to the Conference Semifinals on four occasions.
The New Orleans Hornets are a professional basketball team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They play in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association.
After three seasons in New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina forced the franchise to temporarily relocate to Oklahoma City, where they spent two seasons as the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. The Hornets returned to New Orleans full-time for the 2007–08 season.
In 23 seasons of play, the Hornets have compiled an overall record of 913–941, and have qualified for the post-season twelve times. Their achievements include five playoff series victories and one division title.
The franchise began play during the 1988–89 NBA season as the Charlotte Hornets, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, where they were located for fourteen seasons. Following the 2001–02 season, the team relocated to New Orleans, becoming the New Orleans Hornets. 
