Cheer Dance

Cheer ---is a shout or cry of encouragement,

approval, or agreement, as in When the band
took the stage, the crowd gave a loud cheer.

Dance--- is a performing art form consisting

of sequences of movement, either
improvised or purposefully selected. This
movement has aesthetic and often symbolic
value.
 History of
Cheerdance
Cheerleading originated in the USA. In the 1980s at Princeton
University, Thomas Peebles together with other students
supported a local American football team with cheers. In 1884, he
moved to the University of Minnesota, where he quickly
popularised the idea of cheering on football players. On 2
November 1898, standing in front of a crowd of sport fans, Johnny
Campbell, a medical student, started conducting the cheer on the
spur of the moment. He was so effective that the team won and he
made history as the first cheerleader. And thus the current sport
discipline was born. Subsequent years saw the growth of
cheerleading not only at universities, but also in secondary
education circles. Cheering groups were equipped with flags,
drums, megaphones and other props meant to create an
atmosphere of excitement during sporting events.
Cheerleading began during the late 18th century with
the rebellion of male students.After the American
Revolutionary War, students experienced harsh
treatment from teachers. In response to faculty's
abuse, college students violently acted out. The
undergraduates began to riot, burn down buildings
located on their college campuses, and assault faculty
members. As a more subtle way to gain independence,
however, students invented and organized their own
extracurricular activities outside their professors'
control. This brought about American sports,
beginning first with collegiate teams.
In the 1920s women became involved in cheerleading.
And that's because there weren't many intercollegiate
sports available to them at the time. The lady yellers
sported ankle-length skirts and varsity sweaters.
Minnesota continued to lead the sport of cheer into
widespread popularity. Female cheer squads began to
include gymnastics, dance and other showy stunts into
routines, and in the 1930s cheers were aided by the use
of paper pom-poms (the first vinyl pom-poms weren't
manufactured until 1965). By the1940s women were
mainly leading the cheers, and routines took on a voice
their own.
Modern cheerleading as we know it today began in the 1980s
with flashy dance routines and gymnastics stunts. By 1997
cheerleading was recognized as an independent sport, attracting
national attention. It wasn't until 1999 that the sport of
cheerleading was met with official approval. And with the onset
cable sports TV, ESPN, cheerleading was on the map.

Cheerleading organizations had begun to regulate moves and

emphasize safety. In 2003, a national council was formed to offer
safety workshops to cheerleading squads and their coaches, and
today the National Collegiate Athletic Association mandates that
college cheer coaches complete official safety courses.
 People
Involved
First invented cheerleading
Johnny Campbell University
of Minnesota student Johnny
Campbell is considered the
first cheerleader for involving
the crowd in a collective
cheer in 1898. Cheerleading
grew in the early 20th
century,incorporating
gymnastics and allowing
women to participate in the
1920s.
Thomas Peebles was the
father of American
cheerleading and the first
American football coach at the
University of Minnesota, in
1883. Peebles coached the
team in three games in that
early season. They lost two
and won one. Peebles was
born in Ireland and emigrated
to the United States when was
13.
Grandfather of Cheerleading"

Lawrence "Herkie" Herkimer is a legend and innovator in the field of

cheerleading. He founded the National Cheerleaders Association at
Southern Methodist University, holding cheerleading camps since
1948. His first camp drew 52 girls and one boy. His camps have since
grown to more than twenty thousand attendees. He founded the
Cheerleading Supply Company in 1953, patenting the first pompoms,
or pom-pons. Herkimer chose to call them "Pom-pon" when he
learned that the word "pom-pom" in other languages contained vulgar
meanings. His pom-pon with the hidden handle was patented in 1971.
Herkimer created the "Herkie" cheerleading jump by accident when he
intended to perform a split jump. Herkimer founded a national
cheerleading magazine called Megaphone while at SMU. In Herkimer's
words, he's taken the world of cheerleading "from the raccoon coat
and pennant to greater heights".
Lawrence Herkimer
 BENEFITS OF
CHEERLEADING
Physical Endurance
Cheerleading is a great cardio workout! Cheers typically
only last a couple of minutes so it is necessary to repeat
high-energy routines. Choreography contains not only
dance but also tumbles, jumps and sometimes stunts, all
which require great stamina especially to maintain a big
Strength
smile Training the routine as well!
throughout
Cheerleading is a whole body workout. You will build strength by
rehearsing weekly, particularly in your lower body, shoulders and core.

Flexibility
Stretching exercises within each class will develop your flexibility,
increasing your range of movement. This will help improve your high
kicks, jumps and tumbles within the sequences.
Coordination
Coordination is a key element of cheerleading. You will
improve your ability to learn routines and perform them
in time with your team mates.
Team player and Leadership skills
Performing and practising as part of a team is vital for
cheerleading in order to complete sequences in unison and
support stunts and tumbles. It can also improve leadership skills
by building confidence to speak up for the good of the team.
Learning to listen to both team mates and the instructor is crucial
for undertaking tumbles and stunts safely. These are great
transferable skills.
Positive Mood
Release those happy hormones!
Exercising releases endorphins which will
boost your mood.
Cheerleading in particular is all about
portraying a positive outlook with upbeat
chants and a huge smile which is sure to
leave you in a good mood!