Overview of

Cheerdance
PREPARED BY:
MS. MARIEL V. MINGLANILLA, LPT
Cheerdance
❑ Is coined from the words CHEER and DANCE
❑ To cheer is to shout out words or phrases that may help motivate
and boost the morale of a playing team and perform better during a
game
❑ Dance, on the other hand, is a physical activity where one
expresses emotions or gestures while performing bodily movements
usually in time with rhythm.
Cheerdance
❑ Cheerdancing rooted from the word cheerleading – performance of
a routine, usually dominated by skills such as jumps, tumbling skills, lifts
and tosses combined with shouting of cheers and yells to lead the crowd
to cheer for a certain team during a game or sport.
❑ Today, cheerdancing is identified as one of the most spectacular
events in one of the biggest collegiate sports events in the country, the
UAAP (University Athletic Association of the Philippines).
 THE HISTORY
The original cheerleaders were men.
Cheerleading was connected to the emergence
of gridiron football at Ivy League colleges and
universities in the United States in the mid- By the 1920s cheerleading had become a formal
1800s, and the growth and formalization of extracurricular activity for boys in high schools,
cheerleading paralleled that of football. colleges, and communities across the country.

Mid-1800s 19th Century 1920s 1920s and ’30s

Over the latter half of the 19th century, as
attendance at college games grew, large
stadiums were constructed, and spectators were
distanced from the playing field. Cheerleaders—
or “yell leaders,” as they were then called—led
cheers from the sidelines both to encourage the
spectators and to serve as a form of crowd
control.
Women began joining cheer squads during the 1920s and
’30s as collegiate sports proliferated and men and women
began socializing more in public.
A separate cheerleading tradition also evolved within black
educational institutions during the same period, with a
similar emphasis on character building and leadership.
Cheerleading remained an overwhelmingly white enterprise,
and evidence suggests that it became even “whiter” after
desegregation, because the total number of black schools
diminished and black students were rarely elected as
cheerleaders.
 THE HISTORY
After scholastic athletic programs had diversified, that cheer squads began to
reflect the ethnic and racial composition of schools. That shift was in part the
result of protest activity on the part of black and Latino students. Since the 1990’s, “alternative” forms
- The mobilization of college-age men during World War II opened new of cheerleading have emerged
opportunities for women in cheerleading and ultimately led to the “feminization” alongside the mainstream variants
of cheerleading, when the proportion of female cheerleaders rose to roughly 95 discussed above.
percent. This led to the trivialization and devaluation of cheerleading.

1960s and ’70s The late 1970s and ’80s 1990s

Cheerleading experienced a decline in popularity in the late

1970s and ’80s, brought on by second-wave feminism, which
challenged traditional ideas about gender roles, and by the
passage of Title IX, which guaranteed girls and women equal
access to sports in schools that received U.S. federal funds.
 Terms Used in Cheerdance
❑ Accuracy drill: A motion sequence performed to music or counting
❑ Aerial: A movement performed without hands touching the ground
❑ All stars: Cheerleaders whose primary purpose is to compete
❑ Back walkover: Arching back and contacting the ground with hands, then bringing the hips overhead and landing on
the performing surface one foot at a time
❑ Backward roll: A non-aerial tumbling movement that creates the effect of rolling backwards
❑ Base: The weight-bearing position that supports, lifts, or tosses other performers
❑ Brace: To stabilize the top person
❑ Catcher: Person responsible for the safe landing of a top performer
❑ Dismount: Moving from a stunt or pyramid to a cradle or performing surface
❑ Dive roll: A forward roll where feet leave the ground before the hands touch the ground
 Terms Used in Cheerdance
❑ Flip: An aerial skill involving the top person rotating through an inverted position

❑ Flyer: The performer at the top of a toss or stunt

❑ Formation: The arrangement of athletes on a surface during the course of a stunt or routine

❑ Ground level: Supported by, or at the of, the performing surface

❑ Pyramid: The grouping of connected stunts, including persons standing at ground level

❑ Spotter: A person responsible for protecting the safety of the person during a stunt

❑ Transitions: Movements between formations

❑ Twist: A body’s rotation around its vertical axis

 To ensure safety, remember this:
❑ It is the responsibility of everyone in the class to ensure safety.
❑ Everyone is encouraged to wear the required attire during the class. It is also
advised to practice somewhere that has floors that absorb impact. You may practice
on a basketball court or other hard surface but be more cautious with your
surroundings.
❑ Before practicing any stunt or cheer routine, all students should perform warm
up exercises to prepare their bodies for the rigorous physical tasks ahead. Doing
some stretching before the practice can help avoid torn ligaments and pulled
muscles, which are extremely painful and can sideline them if their injuries are
serious.
 To ensure safety, remember this:
❑ Be in good shape before starting the lesson.
❑ Be alert at all times.
❑ Let the teacher know if you are uncomfortable with a task.
❑ It is also advised to perform practical activities with someone for safety
precautions.
❑ Stop performing if you get hurt or feel pain.
 Thank you, teknoy!
Please proceed with the activities.