For many members of the team, and even aspiring members of them team, great sacrifices are required.
The salary for an NFL cheerleader may surprise you.
But its not all high kicks and smiles.
America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2024
Its these moments that can be the most infuriating to viewers.
I dont know what you do about it.
Read on forGlamours full conversation withAmericas Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleadersdirector Greg Whiteley.
From left: Charlotte Jones, Kelli Finglass, and Judy Trammell inAmerica’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
Glamour: What made you interested telling the story of the DCC?
Was there something about the Dallas Cowboys franchise specifically?
Greg Whiteley:I wasnt interested.
From left: Charlotte Jones, Kelli Finglass, and Judy Trammell inAmerica’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
It was Charlotte Jones who came back and said, Were open to giving editorial control.
We would want to meet with Greg first.
It checked a lot of boxes for us.
America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Reece in America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2024
I also think its this strange world of glamour, but also theres a working-class nature to it.
The physical demands of being a cheerleader are such that their lives can be pretty intense.
I thought that would be interesting.
Caroline Sundvold and her sister Anna Kate inAmerica’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
As Kelli Finglass will tell you, Do nothing to tarnish the star.
Im sure they all feel this need to uphold this brand.
I find all of that fascinating, and I thought it was an interesting world for us to explore.
It was a great privilege to be given the access we were given to do it.
The access was incredible.
That was actually one of my questions, about how much control you had over what you covered.
If Charlotte approached you, I imagine there was little that was off-limits.
How do you go about filming such sensitive moments or choosing what to share?
Were to show up, be curious, be open, and follow the story where it leads us.
From left: Charlotte Jones, Kelli Finglass, and Judy Trammell inAmericas Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
Youre not surprised at all by the uniform, by the routines, by what is expected of you.
Many of them knew Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders that were friends.
Some of them, even their moms were Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, so they grew up knowing the world.
Nobody seemed to be surprised.
Its really only become refined, but its the same.
The uniform is the same.
What do you do when you have this institution that is globally beloved and popular?
I will tell you, that power they wield is real.
There are people that show up to Dallas Cowboys football games only to see the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
So, how do you change it?
Is there anything you’ve got the option to share about the salary?
It seems very unclear.
Do you have any info about their pay structure?
If theyre paid by the hour or by game?
You may even get paid more if youre a group leader, though that was never clear to me.
Ive learned that dancers the world over are underpaid.
There are so many people who want to do it that it makes it hard to negotiate.
I was trying to Google whether or not there was an NFL cheerleaders union or something.
Theres so little information out there, and what is out there is inconsistent.
None of them are rich.
You spent so much time with the DCC.
Would you classify their job as part-time in terms of the hours theyre putting in?
Between practicing and taking care of their bodies?
I find it to be a full-time job.
The job is all-consuming.
We filmedand in a couple of cases, in-depththe schedule that they have to maintain for do both things.
A full-time job somewhere else, and then cheer for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, is tough.
But theres no shortage of volunteers waiting to sign up to do it.
I was really rooting for Anisha; she was so impressive.
Can you tell me a little bit about why you chose to highlight her story out of the rookies?
I think the same reason, Sam, that you liked her.
We liked her too.
Her solo routine was a Bollywood-inspired dance routine, which was really fun.
And America has Black and Brown people.
It is pretty all consuming.
And what do you do when youre done with that?
That gauntlet sort of prepares you for all kinds of things later in life.
A lot of them found life after the DCC to be less exciting.
How do you duplicate it later in your life?
Caroline Sundvold and her sister Anna Kate inAmericas Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
Well, you had Madelines mom.
She actually met her husband, who was a camera operator for the Dallas Cowboys, through DCC.
And then there are all those alumni that come back.
We interviewed dozens of them.
I think there are only 800 of them on planet Earth, somewhere around that number.
They will be bonded for the rest of their lives.
I found that aspect of it to be interesting.
Were you a fan of the original CMT series,Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team?
Id never seen the show, and I still havent ever seen the show.
Do you plan to?
No, I dont plan to.
But for whatever weird reason, I have never seen it.
Im not opposed to it.
I dont even know how I would watch it now.
Did your work onCheerinfluence at all the way you wanted to cover the DCC?
Theyre obviously very different, but were there any unusual similarities?
The only thing that the showCheerandAmericas Sweetheartshave in common is that technically theyre both cheerleaders.
They both belong to the world of cheerleading, but that world is so vast.
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders…
It’d be way more accurate to describe them as a dance team than a competitive cheer team.
What is the plan for next season?
Is there going to be another season?
Personally speaking, just as a filmmaker, I think theres plenty of story to be told.
Im curious to see how this show does, and then we probably address that question then.
Yes, theyre in the middle of figuring that out now.
Are you a former dancer or cheer person?
Much to my shame.
I wish I had that skill, that talent.
