When viewers watch Netflix documentaries America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders The last time we saw Victoria Karina, she had decided to hang up her blue and white uniform and leave the famous NFL dance team.
Her four-year tenure at DCC marks a lifetime spent in cheerleading – Victoria’s mother, Tina Kalina, was herself a cheerleader in the 1980s, and Victoria spent her teenage years DCC, then auditioned for the cheerleading team at age 18 and made the cut.
Now, not only is she leaving the 50-yard line, she’s also leaving her home in Texas and recently moving to New York to pursue the next chapter of her dance career. Dance soul caught up with Karina to talk about life after Netflix, the power of vulnerability, and her advice for young dancers.
Are you OK? How about moving to New York?
OK! I’m only now starting to feel comfortable enough with my own way. I know my neighbors well. I no longer mess up on the subway. At first, I literally felt like I was playing Looney Tunes on my phone—like, “Hey, where is my blue arrow pointing?”
It will come! You’ve been living in the city for about a month. What made you want to move to New York?
My two biggest dance goals have always been DCC and the Radio City Rockettes. With DCC, I knew I wanted to do this when I was younger, something that would give me some professional experience, allow me to live at home and save some money. Rockettte’s tenure is also likely to be longer than that of DCC. I wanted to do this when I was younger and matured.
In Dallas and DCC, we were isolated. If you are DCC, that’s all you do. But there are a lot of opportunities here in New York, and there will be more after one show. Well, who knows? I’m open to anything.
How is your daily life now?
I mainly train with a former Rockettes named Rhonda Malkin. She took me under her wing and allowed me to teach my professional style several times a week.
So I’m teaching classes and private lessons. I myself am training and taking private lessons in the exact style required by the Rockettes. I’m taking as many classes and workshops as I can. The studio is my second home. If I wasn’t in Ripley-Grier [Studios]I’m on Broadway Steps, or I’m on Broadway Dance Center.
I love the precision jazz classes taught by Danelle Morgan at Steps. When I was there, I just absorbed everything from her.
What was your dance background like growing up?
My mom made me dance because apparently she was a cheerleader. I have two older brothers and I know that deep down she was thinking: “A girl, please, let her love dance!” I started at the age of 2 and have been in my studio my whole life. I started competing when I was 6 years old. I also wanted to be a prima ballerina for a while.
I was never on the practice squad, but I was a member of the Dallas Cowboys Junior Cheerleaders and attended all classes and summer intensives. It wasn’t until the end of my sophomore year that I really started thinking, okay, it’s time to start preparing for DCC.
As a kid, I always said “I want to be DCC when I grow up.” But I didn’t look at it with a mature perspective, rather than the starry eyes of middle school, until I got older.
In high school, I decided it would be best to attend DCC right after high school. I’m thinking: I’m fresh, I’m used to training all day long, I’m going full steam ahead. So why should I stop it?
exist America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, You are truly vulnerable in your battle with depression and negative body image. What made you want to be so honest?
I didn’t at first! My mother and I both have a feeling of being “too beautiful”. We like everything to be perfect. I want to be the perfect Victoria. Honestly, it’s so tiring.
I was like, you know what, I’m going to be honest because this is what I struggle with and it’s not all rainbows and butterflies. That’s not life. That’s not much of a job. That’s not much of a chance. There’s going to be some struggles, and I think it’s important for people to know that.
How did the audience react?
I was inundated with positive messages. I’m still going through them. It’s amazing how a small act of openness can touch so many people.
When the shoot was over and the editor was responsible, I was very anxious and thought maybe I shouldn’t have done this. I was thinking that people would think I was weak. They will completely misinterpret what I mean. But the opposite is true.
You also shared some experiences of not getting along well with your teammates. What advice would you give to young dancers who are going through the same thing?
What I’m saying is, lean on your support system and the people who really have your back. I know personally that when those hard times happen to me, I just want to be alone. But I talk to my mom and lean on my friends, she’s like a sister to me. Even though there are times when I don’t have those connections with my team, I still have connections in my life.
Find those people, rely on them, cherish them. Also remember that you are here because of your passion for dance. If you’re in a dance studio and don’t really mix with crowds and groups, but you love dancing, you love performing, and you love doing what you do, keep this in mind.
Is there anything you wish you could tell your younger self?
Everything is meant to be the way it is. I really believe this. Even when I auditioned for DCC for the first time, I got eliminated and then I came back. I know it’s hard to see this during hard times, but if you dig deep and keep going, you will eventually see it.
