Cheer Dance and Cheerleading are two sides of the same coin. While each has their own unique differences, they are built upon similar basic moves and actions. For those who wish to excel in the competitive sport of Cheer Dance, they will first need to learn the fundamentals of Cheerleading.
Cheerleading has been in America since the 1880s. The sport, which originated with men, began when universities thought it might increase crowd involvement during football games if a group of individuals could lead the spectators in simple chants throughout the course of the game.
Over almost the next one hundred years, cheerleading evolved to include more than hand clapping and chanting. Cheerleaders tumbled, jumped, kicked, and began performing complicated stunts, that often involved a larger number of participants.
In the 1960s, collegiate teams began to travel to competitions where they would perform Cheer Routines. With the creation of the Cheer Routine, Cheer Dance was born. While cheerleading still focused on the males or females engaging a crowd during a sporting event from the sidelines, cheer dance came to describe the complex routines that incorporated elements of dancing, cheering, tumbling, and stunting.
In the 1990s cheer dance took off as competitive squads formed outside of schools and participants could actively engage in cheer dance competitions throughout the year.
Cheerleading is still the proper title given to the sport in which a group of individuals work together to raise the spirit and pump up the crowd at an event. Cheerleading mostly takes place during other sporting events, but cheerleaders also participate in parades, competitions, and other community-sponsored activities.
Most often, cheerleaders can be found clapping their hands, chanting in a energetic fashion, or stunting and tumbling up and down the sidelines. While adding to the enjoyment of a football game, the cheerleader is there to support the team and excite the crowd.
With Cheer Dance, a performer may not be associated with a different sport at all. Rather, the cheerleader who is a part of the Cheer Dance squad will be performing for a crowd or during a competition, without any outside involvement from sports like football or basketball.
A cheer dance performer will execute the same basic skills as a cheerleader: chanting, clapping, stunting, and tumbling. But the cheer dance squad member will do all of this in time as the routine they are performing has been meticulously choreographed and synchronized to upbeat music.
What is Cheer Dance? (How does it compare and contrast to Cheerleading?)
Cheer Dance is a competitive sport that was created to celebrate the unique routines cheerleaders practiced and then performed during special exhibitions or events. Cheer Dance, and its predecessor Cheerleading, have a great number of things in common, but there are also a few differences.
How are Cheer Dance and Cheerleading similar?
- Both allow any person, regardless of gender, to participate.
- Both require the participants to be physically fit and well-groomed.
- Both feature performers clad in tight-fitting uniforms. The uniforms tend to fit in a snug manner so as not to hinder the movements of the athlete.
- Both demand that the participant learn the basics of cheerleading, including the ability to clap, chant, jump, kick, stunt, tumble, and dance.
- For cheerleaders as well as those who participate in cheer dance, athletes must commit to a rigorous practice schedule. While cheerleaders will work to build their endurance, cheer dance members will want to work on sharpening their skills and improving their techniques.
- In each sport, a certain amount of memorization is required, as both cheerleaders and members of cheer dance squads must be able to recall several routines with ease.
How are Cheer Dance and Cheerleading Different?
- In Cheer Dance, participants must be able to expend a tremendous amount of energy in just a few short minutes. While cheerleaders are expected to perform throughout the length of an entire sporting event, some of which can last longer than three hours, a cheer dance squad member will only perform during brief bursts of time. When in a competition setting, most cheer dance squads are required to give a performance that will be over in less than three minutes. In that interval, they will combine all the skills they can to dazzle the crowd and leave their mark on the judges.
- Cheer Dance members are judged on their performances. Outside of what the crowd thinks, cheerleaders are not subject to the same scrutiny.
- Cheer Dance participants may win prizes, trophies, or other awards. While cheerleaders may attend camps, clinics, or exhibitions with their squads and they might achieve recognition for their hard work there, that is not always the case. But, for a cheer dance squad, competing and earning awards is at the heart of their sport.
- Cheer Dance athletes and their parents or guardians may pay a significant amount of money to participate. While many cheerleading squads are sponsored by local schools and some fees will be paid so athletes can have the appropriate equipment, like tennis shoes, most cheer dance squads are not funded publicly. To participate in a cheer dance squad, an individual will need to join an elite group and then pay for not only their uniform and the required equipment, but also for the training, the usage of the space, and entry fees for competitions.
- While both members of a cheerleading squad and cheer dance squad will be forced to submit to an audition process, cheerleading squads that are school sponsored tend to be open to all individuals. In the world of cheer dance, individuals must seek out organizations and prove they are going to be an asset.
Which is Harder for Kids to Learn?
Since Cheerleading and Cheer Dance are built on the same basic skills, kids may pick up the techniques necessary to do both simultaneously. When kids attend cheer classes or clinics, their instructors will sprinkle in all the skills a student would need to be a cheerleader and as the young athletes show progress, the instructor may elect to create short cheer routines for the squad.
In that way, cheerleading will evolve naturally into cheer dance and children will be exposed to both styles.
Parents should not expect toddlers or those who are very young to begin learning cheer dance routines immediately. Not only do cheer dance routines require athletes to demonstrate a tremendous number of skills, but participants must also be able to memorize the choreography.
Young children, in most situations, are just not capable of doing these tasks. Young children will be taught the fundamentals of cheerleading in the beginning. Parents should monitor their own youngsters’ abilities and eagerness to continue participating in the sport before seeking out cheer dance opportunities.
Is Cheer Dance offered in High School?
Cheer Dance is very popular in high school but interested athletes should not anticipate this option being offered by their local high school. Most high schools in America offer opportunities for students to participate in cheerleading and in some cases as a part of a dance team.
The American high schools tend to stick to the more traditional form of the sport, as cheerleaders and dancers will be asked to attend sporting events and lead the crowd. This does not mean that high school squads cannot transition into competition mode and then have the cheer squad become a cheer dance squad. This can and does occur, especially when athletes show a desire to begin competing.
For those who wish to participate in a cheer dance squad while in high school, but they would rather not spend their time on the sidelines at a dozen football games each fall, it will be prudent to search for local cheer dance organizations in the area. Many cheer dance companies have special names, like “all stars” or “elite” in the title.
If the high school athlete can perform the basic cheerleading moves, and they are also able to succeed during the audition process, they should be welcomed into these privately operated cheer dance companies.
