Cheer dance
Cheer dance is a sport derived from cheerleading and it has been established as an independent one. It is said that cheerleading which was the origin of cheer dance was created at a university in the United States in order to cheer their football team. Initially, it was cheering by male students. The dance style by female like today was established about thirty years ago. Since this time, it came to be recognized as an independent sport itself.
Cheer dance is a sport, a dance part separated from cheerleading. So acrobatic tumbling and stunts are not included. The dance is scored in terms of dance technique, structure of choreography, sense of unity and expression as a team within two minutes and a half. The sport cheers up audience by dancer’s smile and impressive performance and dancers themselves cheer up too.
The many cheerleaders who perform during halftime of NFL and NBA in America and many dancers who perform on Broadway are former cheer dancers. So it can be said that cheer dance is a sport with a high aspect of entertainment. Also, it has a large dancer population from children to adults and it is a sport which they can enjoy according to their age.
Cheer Dance section
High-school age and younger teams have to include Pom and Line Dance,
other teams have to include Pom, Hip Hop, Jazz and Line Dance and they have to dance more than 20 seconds each in sequence (except Line Dance). Precise movement, uniformity and sense of unity as a team are important.
Also, performance with each category’s feature is required.
Creative choreography with visual appeal (change of formation, group work, consecutiveness, three dimensional change) is important.
Pom section
Pom poms must be used for 80 percent of the performance with visual appeal as hand tools.
Also, sharp and strong arm motion, synchronized dance are required.
Creative choreography with visual appeal (change of formation, group work, consecutiveness, three dimensional change) is important.
HipHops section
It requires precise movement, uniformity and sense of unity as a team in dance with movement and rhythm of street style (Hip Hop, Funk, Locking etc).
Synchronized dance with rhythm, body isolation and control, step work are important. Creative and dynamic choreography using music with visual appeal (change of formation, group work, consecutiveness, three dimensional change) is required.
Jazz section
It requires precise movement, uniformity and sense of unity as a team in sinuous and fluid dance based on ballet.
Also, excellent interpretation of music, creative and dynamic choreography using music with visual appeal (change of formation, group work, consecutiveness, three dimensional change) are required.
*The original Japanese text was reprinted with permission from the official website of Japan Cheer Dance Association and translated by GEN.
