The Silver Stars Bring the Real Magic

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Added: Wed. Jun 10, 2009 9:37am
Posted in: Basketball

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This Thursday, as the Orlando Magic NBA team tries to make history with a win over the Los Angeles Lakers, they'll be joined on the court by a unique and powerful cheering squad.

The Orlando Magic Silver Stars is a dance squad made up of men and women over the age of 50, who perform at Magic halftime shows and game breaks. They're fun, funky and they get the crowds completely fired up. And when they perform this week, the members will be in the international spotlight, with more than 1,500 members of the media expected from more than 200 countries.

I had the privilege of meeting the team back in 2007 – when it was just getting started. I had read an article about a senior dance squad that performed at NBA halftime games in Miami. The team was made up of people who were 50 years old and older, and they'd show up a couple of times a season, shake and shimmy to hip hop music and get the crowd fired up. I assumed every NBA team had something similar, and was interested enough to do a little research.

I searched every term I could think of to find results:

• “senior dance squad NBA”

• “basketball halftime shows 50+”

• “NBA dance team”

There was plenty of information about mascots, children's dance teams, and even details about a group of heavyset husbands that would get the crowd going wild with their shirtless routine. But it took several tries, and almost an hour, to find even a little bit of information about any senior squads.

Finally, I landed on a small article, hidden on the Orlando Magic Web site, talking about a 30-member dance team called the Silver Stars. I can't tell you how excited I was to find a team at all, and then to find one in GB's backyard? Thrilling!

The article said that Jeanine Klem-Thomas, a former Magic Dancer, decided to hold tryouts in The Villages, a retirement community of 55,000 people, to find men and women willing to perform during Magic halftime programs and game breaks. I called Jeanine, who was thrilled to tell me more about the team. We agreed to meet up in The Villages during a dance rehearsal so I could see the dancers in action.

Once Jason Morrow (GB Production Director) and I arrived, we were blown away by the talent level of the men and women. We decided to go to the Magic game for the Silver Stars' performance, and here's the story we posted back in 2007:





To this day, this is one of my favorite stories on Growing Bolder. The team is the epitome of the GB philosophy – the members prove that it really is never too late to follow a dream, and I think that this team goes a long way toward proving that to thousands of screaming fans every time they perform.

The Orlando Magic NBA team is celebrating a stunning year. The players are in the finals, just won their first Finals game in franchise history, and have become one of the dominant teams in the game. And they're cheered on by a pretty spectacular cheering squad – the Orlando Magic Silver Stars.

The Stars will perform at this week's Game 4 (Thursday, June 11th), and will become the first senior squad to ever perform at an NBA Finals game. Amazing! They deserve all the attention and praise, for proving that it's NOT about age; it's about attitude.

Want to learn more?
--Bonus material: Silver Stars' full performance
--Magic executive Pat Williams on The Growing Bolder Radio Show
--Never Too Late channel
--Basketball channel