How the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders' Kelli Finglass Changed the Conversation on Body Image

There's a reason the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are often imitated, never duplicated. Donning those spangly stars takes work. 

Before the squad of 36 can leave football fans thunderstruck, "A lot of preparation, dance rehearsal and work goes into a near flawless performance," longtime director Kelli Finglass detailed in an exclusive interview with E! News. And she hopes that those who watch all seven episodes of Netflix's new docuseries America's Sweethearts will "walk away with a great deal of respect with what great athletes and artists they are as dancers." 

Because their making-the-team process begins well before quarterback Dak Prescott and co. report to training camp. 

Several rounds of interview- and dance-based virtual auditions culminate with a select, talented few making their way to the team's Frisco, TX headquarters ready to dance for their lives with a 90-second fully choreographed and costumed piece.

"And then we go to the field and compete with our exact choreography on our turf, inclusive of our kickline," Finglass shared, detailing the nearly five-minute kick-filled pregame routine that ends in that daunting jump split. "And that's when people make the team." 

Or, training camp, rather with hopeful DCCs having to tackle another seven weeks or so of tryouts that see them learning and perfecting the roughly 50 dances they'll perform during each three-hour game.   

What's no longer in play, however, is any talk about weight. 

Though the famed midriff top and hot pants combo isn't exactly forgiving, Finglass noted that she and choreographer Judy Trammell "really have moved away" from discussing candidate's particular body types.

"Each cheerleader has a custom-made uniform for her shape and they are hand-tailored," she explained. "And outside of just trying to make that uniform fit and and have the best, most beautiful lines, we don't talk about weight or things like that."

Mostly, she continued, she hasn't found it particularly helpful to set a game plan for each dancer.

"I found through my experience that seems to not be as effective," Finglass said. "The girls are all very, very good with their own nutrition, their own personal workouts. We have a gym adjacent to our dance studio that has everything they can do for working out, and nutritionists and mental health experts available to them. So I try to let their own personal habits stay, and we try to provide resources and educate them, and we leave it at that. And I think we're better for that."

As for what she looks for in someone trying to earn those coveted boots, "I am a judge that loves showmanship," said Finglass, who took over as the team's director in 1991, two years after wrapping her own five-season stint. "I love authenticity." 

And she likes women who can make the big plays, so to speak.

"Of course, I love beautiful, technical dancers," said Finglass. "On our stage, which is a football field. I'm attracted to dancers that are very dynamic. They use levels. They have great power, great projection. They have to be an arena performer."

And, yes, she's aware that fans have opinions as big as AT&T Stadium's 160-foot big screen. 

With an Internet's worth of thoughts and feelings about who should and shouldn't make the team, "I've heard girls talk about some of the things they've read on message boards from seasons past," said Finglass. But she tends not to listen to the Monday morning quarterbacks who "aren't really on the team and in the environment," as she put it. "I just think you can get in your head too much."

That being said, she knows when to play to the crowd.

"I have learned in a positive way, our fans love to be dance critics and vocal critics," the University of North Texas grad added. "There's a lot of TV shows dedicated to competitions and people love to be the experts, and they like to see how we process and make decisions, and I respect that about them. When we meet fans and they tell me, 'Oh, so-and-so's my favorite,' that doesn't surprise me at all. We have very keen fans. I just don't like to listen to the negative. That's not my fuel." 

Instead, she spends each audition process trying to huddle up a team that will appeal to a wide-range of viewers. 

"I'm in the fan business and I know we're picking favorites for a lot of different people," Finglass explained. "Your favorite or your daughter's favorite is what I'm going for so that everybody has a favorite that they can identify with."