Cheer Dance Explained

Quick answer: dance is one of the core parts of a competitive cheer routine, alongside stunts, tumbling and jumps. Most routines include a short, high-energy dance section - usually near the end - built from sharp motions, footwork and fast formation changes, judged on sharpness, synchronisation and performance.

The Cheer Dance Section

A typical cheer dance is short - usually around half a minute or less - and fast. It's packed with motions, hip-hop and jazz-influenced moves, level changes (jumping up, dropping down), quick formation changes and visual effects such as ripples, where a move travels down a line of athletes one count apart. The music is usually the most upbeat part of the routine's mix.

How Cheer Dance Differs From Dance Teams

Cheer dance is built on cheer technique: locked arms, tight fists and precise motion placement, rather than the flowing lines of jazz or lyrical dance. Separate All Star dance teams (with their own divisions, such as pom, jazz and hip hop) exist, and they're judged on different criteria from cheer teams.

How Dance Is Built

Like every other part of a routine, dance is built around 8-counts and planned as part of the routine's overall choreography. Because every athlete is usually in the dance together, it's also where differences in timing and technique are most visible.

How Dance Fits With the Rest of the Routine

Dance sections connect the routine's acrobatic elements and give a final burst of energy. They're also a chance to show personality and performance - facial expressions, sharpness and confidence - which feeds into overall impression and showmanship scores.

What Judges Look For

• Sharpness - motions hit hard and stopped cleanly, with locked arms and tight fists.
• Synchronisation - every athlete on the same count, at the same angle.
• Difficulty and creativity - complex, varied movement and interesting formations and effects, rather than simple repetition.
• Performance - energy, facial expression and confidence throughout.

Related Pages

See Cheer Motions Explained for the arm positions dance is built from, and What Is a Cheer Routine? for how dance fits into the whole performance.

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