The history of
Cheerdance
WHAT IS
CHEERLEADING?
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 here one expresses emotions
or gestures while performing bodily
movements usually in time with rhythm.
Cheerleading is a physical activity that mixes
dance with gymnastics, cheers and stunts.
It is all about trust and teamwork. It’s an art
and sports which develops coordination,
balance, and flexibility. It requires precise
movements with inclusion of gymnastics
skills.
It is rooted from cheerleading
performance of a routine, usually
dominated by gymnastic 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 sport.
Today, cheer dancing 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).
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 effective that the team won and
he made the history as the first cheerleader
He invented the cheerleading by yelling out of the
crowd, saying the word, “RAH RAH RAH, SKI-U-MAH”
In the 1800’s in UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, John
Adams created the word “SKI-U-MAH” where it
means, ROW THE BOAT.
It might hard to believe that the first cheerleading
Johnny Campbell
was mainly performed by men. It was not until
World War II that women dominated the activity.
1923, at University of Minnesota, women
participated.
In the year 1951 after the war,
National Cheerleaders Association
was established and the founder is
Laurence “Herkie” Hurkimer.
In 1965, Fred Gastoff, invented the
Vinyl pom-pom.
CHEERLEADERS started to add
PROPS, that is made of PLASTIC
which they called it as POMPOMS.
From plastic to crepes, and even
the plastic in your snacks.
In 1970’s they established cheerleader as
“American Leon of Wholesome sex appeal.”
In 1980’s is the beginning of modern
cheerleading.
The Baltimore Colts cheerleading group, formed
in 1960, was the first professional team.
From the 1970’s on, the popularity of
cheerleading continued to rise, and the female
dancers acted as supporters not only in
American football or basketball teams, but also
swimming and track-and-field competitors.
In the 1980’s and the 1990’s, cheerleading
started gaining popularity in various other
countries, such as Japan, Chile, The United
Kingdom, Germany and in Scandinavia. This
discipline started to flourish in the USA as well,
as evidenced by the massive number of
competitors held nearly every weekend in many
American towns and cities.
Elements of
Cheer Dance
1. Dance Techniques-depending on the competitions
requirements, various dance techniques may be used in a
cheer dance competition. Sometimes they incorporate
techniques from contemporary, jazz, hip-hop, modern
dance, ballet, and ethnic or folk dance.
2. Elements of cheers- cheers are coordination of
organized words and movements relating to an athletic
event. These are used during a sport event when play has
been stopped on the field or court. The purpose is to draw
a unified response from the crowd to highlight their
support for the playing team.
3. Motions- motions should be shar, snappy, and
synchronized with your team. Be sure to practice in front of
a mirror, and with the rest of your squad for proper
placement and technique.
Elements of
Cheer Dance
4. Jumps- whether part of an overall routine or
done after your team scores to win, jumps add a lot
of excitement. Jumps start with the most basic
moves.
5. Tumbling- tumbling skills for cheerleaders are
not required by all squads, but are becoming
increasingly important for competition squads, all-
star cheerleding, and college squads. It’s important
to build a strong gymnastic foundation, with proper
training and instruction from gymnastics coaches, to
begin to incorporate tumbling skills into your
cheerleading cheers and dance routines.
6. Formations- in cheer dance are crucial to the
success of a squad’s performance. A squad may
use several formations but the two commonly
used traditional formations are the following:
Bowling Pin (Pyramid)
ARMS/HANDS
MOVEMENTS
Beginning stance and cheer
stance
“T” and half “T” positions
Clasp, Clasp, overhead clasp, low
clasp
Touchdown, low touchdown
High “V” and low “V”
Table top and punch, etc.
“L” diagonal positions
Tumbling
Skills
Cheerdance Basics
(Dance Side)
Hip Hop Basics Jazz/Classical Dance
• Bounce (Downrock) Basics:
• Groove (Toprock) • Tendu (point)
• Power moves: • Plié (knees slightly bent)
- Pump • Grand Plié (full knees bent)
- Lock • Relev (heels raised)
- Point • Piqu (raising a knee)
- Curl • Battement (Kicks)
• Freezes • Ball Change and Chass
• Pirouette and Chain (Turns)
Tendu Pile Releve
Battement Ball change
Pique
Toprock Pirouette
Downrock
Chaine Chase
CHEERDANCE BASICS (CHEER SIDE)
Cheering is the very essence of
cheerdance performances. To cheer is to
make someone or a team motivated and
encouraged. It boosts, salutes or acclaims
the morale of individuals and teams. In
cheerdance, cheering needs to be strong,
loud, and matered so that it will be
delivered in time with rhythm or the music
played.
QUIZ TIME
1. A sport involving the performance of
organized cheering, chanting, and dancing in
support of a sports team at games.
A. Cheerleading
B. Cheerleader
C. Cheerdance
D. Cheerful
2. Who is the first official cheerleader?
A. Johnny Campbel
B. Laurence "Herkie" Hurkimer
C. Fred Gastoff
D. John Adams
3. What exact date Johnny Campbell
became the first cheerleader?
A. Nov. 1, 1898
B. Nov. 3, 1898
C. Nov. 2, 1898
D. Nov, 5, 1898
4. What word does Johnny Campbell
Yelled to the crowd to Invent
cheerleading?
A. "RAH RAH RAH, SKI-U-MAH“
B. "SKI-U-MAH, RAH RAH RAH"
C."HEP HEP, HOORAY"
D. "HOORAY HEP HEP"
5 .What does the word "SKI-U-MAH" means?
A. ROW THE BOAT
B. ROW THE BIKE
C. ROW THE OARS
D. ROW THE BOARD
6. WHEN DOES THE NATIONAL
CHEERLEADERS ASSOCIATION
ESTABLISHED?
A.1941
B.1952
C.1951
D. 1953
7. WHO IS THE FOUNDER OF
NATIONAL CHEERLEADERS
ASSOCIATION?
A. JOHNNY CAMPBELL
B. LAURENCE "HERKIE" HURKIMER
C. FRED GASTOFF
D. JOHN ADAMS
8. IN 1965 FREDD GASTOFF
INVENTED __________________.
A. CHEERDANCE
B. VINYL POM POM
C. POM POMS
D. CHEERLEADING
9. CHEERLEADERS started using Props that
made of Plastic which They called it as?
A. Pom poms
B. Plastic Crepes
C. Crepes
D. Plastic snacks
10. In 1970 They Established cheerleader as?
A. "American Lion of Wholesome sex
appeal"
B. "American Leon of Wholesome sex
appeal"
C. "American Tiger of Wholesome sex
appeal"
D. "American Wolf of Wholesome sex
appeal"
11. In Year __________ they stablished
Cheerleader as "American Leon of
Wholesome sex appeal“
A. 1970
B. 1980
C. 1990
D. 1999
12. SHOULD BE SHAR, SNAPPY, AND
SYNCHRONIZED WITH YOUR TEAM. BE SURE
TO PRACTICE IN FRONT OF A MIRROR, AND
WITH THE REST OF YOUR SQUAD FOR
PROPER PLACEMENT AND TECHNIQUE.
A. JUMPS
B. DANCE TECHNIQUES
C.TUMBLING
D. MOTIONS
13. CHEERDANCE is Coined from the word
_______ and _________.
A. Cheer and support
B. Cheer and shout
C. Cheer and dance
D. Cheer and jump
14. Established in 1960, it was the first
Professional Team.
A. Germany cheerleaders
B. Baltimore Colts cheerleading group
C. Scandinavia Cheerleading Group
D. Chile wolves
15. Cheers are coordination of organized words
and movements relating to an athletic event.
These are used during a sport event when play has
been stopped on the field or court. The purpose is
to draw a unified response from the crowd to
highlight their support for the playing team.
A. Motions
B. Tumbling
C. Dance Techniques
D. Elements of Cheers
TRUE OR FALSE
1. From the 1970's on, the popularity
of cheerleading continued to rise,
and the female dancers acted as
supporters not only in American
football or basketball teams, but also
swimming and track-and-field
Competitors.
2. Dance Techniques should be shar, snappy,
and synchronized with your team. Be sure to
practice in front of a mirror, and with the rest
of your squad for proper placement and
technique.
3. whether part of an overall routine or done
after your team scores to win, jumps add a lot
of excitement. Jumps start with the most
basic moves.
4. Fred Gastoff was the first
Cheerleader.
5. In the year 1951 after the war, National
Cheerleaders Association was established and
the founder is Laurence "Herkie" Hurkimer.
