2. 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.
3. Cheerdancing rooted from cheerleading.
Cheerleading is the 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 or sport.
4. It originated in the United States. Due to Filipinos’ love for
dancing, they added more dance routines to their cheers and
came up with the term cheerdance wherein it is a routine
composed of yells and cheers, gymnastic skills (pyramids and
tosses, stunts, tumbling skills, arm and hand positions and
jumps), and dance (fusion of different dance genres).
5. 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).
6. ESSENTIALS OF CHEERDANCING
Arms/hand movements
• Beginning stance and cheer stance
• “T” and half “T” positions
• Clasp, clap, overhead clasp, low
clasp
• Touchdown, low touchdown
• High “V” and low “V”
• Tabletop and punch, etc.
• “L” and diagonal positions
Legs/feet positions
• Feet Together
• Feet Apart
• Dig (front and side)
• Hitch, Liberty, and Scale
• Lunge (front and side)
• Knees and Hips positions
7. CHEERDANCE BASICS (Gymnastic Side)
JUMPS
• Tuck
• Star
• Pike
• Split
• Hurdle Jump/Hurkie
• Toe Touch Jump
TUMBLING SKILLS
• Forward Rolls and Backward
Rolls
• Forward Backward Handspring
• Cartwheel and aereal cartwheel
• Head and handstand
• Round-off
• Forward and backward saltos
8. CHEERDANCE BASICS (Gymnastic Side)
Pyramids (optional)
Composition:
Flyer, Base & Spotter
Levels:
One-and-a-half high
two-high
two-and-a-half high
Steps in Executing a Pyramid:
Setting up (Preparing to lift)
Load (Actual lift)
Hit (Striking for a final
pause)
Dismount (To move down by
the flyer)
9. CHEERDANCE BASICS (Dance Side)
Hip Hop Basics
Bounce (Downrock)
Groove (Toprock)
Power moves:
• Pump
• Lock
• Point
• Curl Freezes
Jazz/Classical Dance Basics:
Tendu (point)
Pliē (knees slightly bent)
Grand Plie (full knees bent)
Relevē (heels raised)
Piquē (Raising a knee)
Battement (Kicks)
Ball Change and Chassē
Piroutte and Chaine (Turn)
Elements of Dance
(Space, Time and
Energy)
10. 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 metered so that it
will be delivered in time with rhythm or the music played.
