Horace Grant and the New York Knicks City Dancers Arrived in Manila

The day has finally come, for the press, me and other co-bloggers to meet the famous Horace Grant and the New York Knicks City Dancers. . As early as 10:00 am, the function room at the 2^nd Flr of Marriot Hotel is filled with press. With their camera and video, everyone is glad to be a part of the press conference. Though with heavy schedule to follow, the NBA talent still took some time out to speak with media friends before heading over to the Opening Ceremony at SM Mall of Asia to officially kick off the NBA 3-on-3 Philippines 2011 presented by Sprite. Despite the time constrain, Horace and the New York Knicks City Dancers manage to answers some of the question that was asked. With a light laugh and few jokes here and there, they manage to satisfy the curiosity of the media. 

Here are some of the details with regards to the following :

NBA Legend and 4-time NBA Champion with the Chicago Bulls (1991-93) and the Los Angeles Lakers (2001), Horace Grant was born July 4, 1965. Grew up in Sparta, GA and collect Sam Cooke records.

Michelle Harris, KCD Director of Entertainment, hails from Balayan, Batangas. Her mother’s surname is Dino and her father’s family name is Marella. Now a Chicago, Illinois native, Michelle is currently Director of Entertainment of Knicks & Liberty and oversees the dance teams’ overall entertainment as well as all dance team branding. She started with the Knicks as a Knicks City Dancer about eight years ago and worked her way up to directing them and all the entertainment for the team. Michelle is a graduate of the New York University’s Stern School of Business, with a B.S. in Marketing and Management.

New York Knicks City Dancer

Christine

This is Christine’s third season as a Knicks City Dancer. She was a member of the University of Iowa Dance Team and has been named Miss Southwest Valley ’07, Miss Mesa ’08 and was the third runner up in the Miss Arizona pageant. Other appearances include NBA All-Star events and an outdoor NBA game in Indian Wells with the Phoenix Suns, where she also choreographed routines. A native of Bettendorf, IA, Christine has been skydiving with the Golden Knights and aspires to fly with the Blue Angels.

Maria

This will be Maria’s second season with Knicks City Dancers. A Long Island native, Maria is an Italian New York girl through and through. Although Maria loves New York, if she could have any super power, it would be to fly, as she hates NYC traffic. When she’s not finding great sales shopping around the city, Maria loves to travel. She recently toured with French pop star Mylene Farmer throughout France, Russia, Switzerland and Belgium.

Sarahbeth

It is Sarahbeth’s fifth year as a member of the Knicks City Dancers. She just graduated Marymount Manhattan College with a degree in Dance and a minor in Business, and has been dancing professionally for the last 18 years. Sarahbeth has trained with prestigious dance intensives including: the New York City Dance Alliance, American Theatre Dance Workshop, Tap City and the Eglievsky Ballet. Sarahbeth’s ambition is to one day open up a late night dessert restaurant for those who have late night sweet tooth cravings.

Stephanie

This is Stephanie’s third season as a member of the Knicks City Dancers. As a native of Colonia, N.J., she attended Rutgers University where she graduated with a 4.0 in her Communications major and also a 4.0 in her minor, Italian. She’s been a member of the Rutgers University Dance Team, is a member of the NBA Fan Patrol and danced at the NFL Pro Bowl in 2002. Stephanie has a fraternal twin sister, and while her ambition was once to be the President of the United States, she would now like to be a Food Network Star or Vanna White’s successor.

Melissa

This is Melissa’s fourth season as a Knicks City Dancer. She holds a BA in Dance and Psychology from Hofstra University and is a judge at the Regional and National Legacy Dance Championships. She’s performed for the Sarah Ferguson Foundation alongside Natasha Bedingfield and Aretha Franklin, as well as on MTV and Comedy Central. A native of Nesconset, NY, Melissa teaches ballet and lyrical dance and can do a “sick moonwalk.”

Amanda

Amanda is a five-season veteran and captain of the Knicks City Dancers who is also a member of the WNBA Torch Patrol and NBA Fan Patrol. She’s been featured in American Cheerleader and Dance Spirit Magazine, as well as in a Charmin commercial. Other performances include the 2009 All-Star Game (with Kevin Rudolf), Live with Regis and Kelly, TRL, Good Day New York, Good Morning America and Fuse. A native of Vernon, NJ, Amanda has traveled to India, Taiwan, Turkey and Spain, and her ambition is to “experience the world as much as I can to help those in need.” 

Horace Grant and the New York Knicks Dancers will make appearances and interact with fans through clinics and community events. Current All-Stars and legends from the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) will also attend the event and take part in the activities.

Other NBA-style events from July 1-3 at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall include a Sprite Slam Dunk contest and an Energen Skills Challenge where participants can compete and showcase their abilities in front of a home crowd. There will also be an authentic NBA half-time show featuring performances by the Knicks City Dancers, NBA merchandise giveaways and live music to keep fans entertained. Entry to watch the tournament and soak in the festivities is free of charge.

Along with Sprite, SOLARtv Network Incorporated (Basketball TV and NBA Premium TV) has joined the NBA 3-on-3 Philippines 2011 presented by Sprite as official media partner together with Studio 23. Supporting partners also include Energen and Spalding. Venue partner is SM Mall of Asia.

  

 NBA Cares, the league’s global social responsibility program, will also conduct a variety of community events in conjunction with the NBA 3-on-3 Philippines 2011 presented by Sprite.

Here are the activities line up for the event

Friday, July 1 GAME DAY 1

3.30pm
Activity: Opening Ceremony
Venue: Music Hall, SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City
Guests: NBA Legend Horace Grant, KCD, NBA 3on3 players
3-on-3 games start at 4PM until 9:40PM – SM MOA Music Hall


Saturday, July 2 GAME DAY 2
3-on-3 games start at 9AM until 9:20PM – SM MOA Music Hall
10:00am
Activity: NBA Cares Activity
Venue: Pasay City Sports Complex (beside Cuneta Astrodome)
Guests: NBA Legend Horace Grant, Pasay City Mayor, 100 kids

11.00am – 11:40am
Activity: Sprite Slam Dunk Contest
Venue: Court 1, Music Hall, SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City

1:00pm – 1:40pm
Activity: NBA Half Time and Sprite Dunk Off
Venue: Court 1, Music Hall, SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City
Guests: NBA Legend Horace Grant, KCD, Event Partners

2:00pm – 2:40pm
Activity: Interactive Fan Activities
Venue: Courts 1-2, Music Hall, SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City
Guests: NBA Legend Horace Grant, KCD


Sunday, July 3 FINALS
3-on-3 games start at 9AM until 2:20PM – SM MOA Music Hall
11.00am – 11:40am
Activity: Energen Skills Challenge
Venue: Court 1, Music Hall, SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City

1:00pm – 1:40pm
Activity: NBA Half Time and Energen Skills Challenge Finals
Venue: Court 1, Music Hall, SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City
Guests: NBA Legend Horace Grant, KCD, Event Partners

2:00pm – 4:00pm
Activity: Interactive Fan Activities
Venue: Court 2, Music Hall, SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City
Guests: NBA Legend Horace Grant, KCD

2:40pm – 5:00pm
Activity: NBA 3on3 Finals
Venue: Court 1, Music Hall, SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City
Guests: NBA Legend Horace Grant, KCD, NBA 3on3 Finalists

2:40pm U13 boys Final
3:00pm U15 girls Final
3:20pm U15 boys Final
3:40pm U17 boys Final
4:00pm U19 girls Final
4:20pm Celebrity Final
4:40pm U19 boys Final
5:00pm Men's Final

5:20pm
Activity: NBA Awards Presentation
Venue: Court 1, Music Hall, SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City
Guests: NBA Legend Horace Grant, KCD

For more information about the NBA 3-on-3 Philippines 2011 presented by Sprite and chances to win daily quiz prizes, please log onto www.nba3on3.com/Philippines. Fans can also get updates on the event by following the NBA on twitter at www.twitter.com/NBA_Philippines and through Facebook at www.facebook.com/nba

click here for more photos of the presscon