| NYLAMAG.com
May 4, 2007
Judging
from the looks of things, maybe the NBA's Golden State Warriors
have a good excuse for being so bad the last couple of seasons.
Now that the 25-year-old model, dancer and aspiring singer SHABNAM
has relocated to southern California, the Warriors' fate on the
courts has changed. But, no longer having the sultry U.C. Davis
graduate to gaze at during games isn't exactly a win-win situation
for the Warriors players, or their fans.
Shabnam has been dancing since the day she could walk, learning
her moves as a tyke while watching music videos of her idols - Googoosh
and Leila Forouhar - and later Madonna, Michael and Janet Jackson
in the U.S. Although she had never taken any formal classes, Shabnam
was a natural in hip-hop, jazz, ballet, and Latin styles and would
compete against trained dancers anytime there was a chance, and
anywhere there was a stage.
Throughout her four years at Davis, the sexy aquarius choreographed
the annual Spring Dance Concert, and was also a collegiate athlete
competing on the school's diving team, placing in state competitions.
Shabnam first joined the NFL while only a junior in college. It
was the experience of performing in front of 60,000-plus fans that
first interested Shabnam and provided the impetus to try out. She
made the NFL's San Francisco 49ers pro cheer squad that year, where
she appeared in numerous charity appearances and made long lasting
friendships. Wanting to finish strong in her last year in the classroom,
Shabnam decided to dance locally and joined the NBA's Sacramento
Kings as a cheerleader for her senior year. “I love, love,
love the Kings fans, and enjoyed working for the (Kings owners)
Malouf brothers," she recalls. "I am still best friends
with all of my former teammates.”
After graduating college, Shabnam moved to the Bay Area and worked
full time in marketing for various companies. Shabnam missed performing
and she decided to go the NBA route yet again, signing on as a member
of the Warriors, where she danced for 2 seasons. “I loved
this team because we did a lot of hip-hop, whereas on the Kings,
we did novelty and cute jazz routines," she explains. "The
Warrior Girls were always known for their hip-hop and break dance
style. I grew a lot on that team as a performer.”
But due to a hectic schedule at her regular job, Shabnam decided
to go back to the NFL, where she would have to perform at only 10
home games, versus 41 in the NBA. Shabnam became an official Oakland
Raiderette in 2006.
“Unfortunately, there is a stereotype about pro cheerleaders.
But to even my surprise, I have danced on teams with girls who were
in medical school, pharmacy school, one girl was a Navy Pilot, some
are mothers and wives, or business owners... I can go on and on!"
she exclaims. "Cheering is our hobby; it’s never a full-time
job. To make a pro team, you really need more under your belt than
just dancing ability - you also need to be approachable and a good
person.
"I
am very proud to be Persian and I love that the sports teams I cheered
for were proud to share with their fans that there was an Iranian
girl on their team.”
Gooooo
Shabnam!
|
