Fans will sit up, beg for more at this Rockets game
After two whuppings at the hands of the Golden State Warriors, Rockets officials have guaranteed fans will see a more energetic, more disciplined and better trained Houston team take the court at Toyota Center for Game 3 on Thursday night. Not the Rockets. The incredible Olate Dogs — the halftime entertainment.
Have you seen these pooches? They’re the most amazing animal act ever. They hop on two legs and do back flips. They dance and jump rope. They ride scooters and form a conga line. They give 100 percent effort. Now if only the Rockets’ center …
No! I’m not going to take cheap shots at Dwight Howard. I’m above that.
The Olate Dogs, trained by the father-son team of Richard and Nicholas Olate, are known around the world. They won the $1 million grand prize on “America’s Got Talent” in 2012. They’re fun. They get standing ovations everywhere.
And here’s what makes me absolutely love these dogs.
They’re mostly rescue dogs from Houston. The trainers, the dogs … they all live here.
“They’re my favorite halftime act, too,” said Ken Sheirr, vice president of marketing for the Rockets. He’s in charge of hiring the pre-game, timeouts and halftime entertainment.
“We have the Olate Dogs for Game 3 and The Suffers for Game 4. The Suffers are from Houston, and they play Gulf Coast soul. Tamar Davis, who was a finalist on ‘The Voice,’ will do the national anthem for Game 3. Kam Franklin, lead singer with the Suffers, will do the anthem for Game 4.”
Sheirr works through a talent agency that reps acts that play NBA arenas, minorleague baseball stadiums, corporate retreats and casino nightclubs. The acts generally earn about $5,000, including transportation, for their sixminute performance, Sheirr said. He tries to hire local entertainers and keeps watch on network talent shows for Houston acts.
“We have to book a variety of acts because we have 41 home games, and we don’t want to repeat acts too often for our regular fans and season ticket holders,” Sheirr said.
The Olate Dogs, David and Dania (quick-change artists), Red Panda (acrobat) and Russian Bar Trio (gymnasts) are fan favorites, he said.
“Red Panda spins dishes on her head while balancing on a unicycle. She retired a year ago, but now she’s making a comeback. Russian Bar is like a Cirque du Soleil. David and Dania are pretty incredible with their quick-change act. We have fans who sit in the front row, and even they can’t figure out how they do it.”
Tell me about it. I’ve seen David and Dania live and studied their clips on YouTube over and over. I’m mystified by how they do it, especially the grand finale in which David throws a huge bag of glitter at Dania while she changes dresses in a flash. David never misses. Unlike Dwight Howard at the free-throw line. Couldn’t resist.