So you want to dance, but you have never had dance training. Where do you start? It doesn’t take a highly skilled dancer to be part of a team. If you’re on a recreation cheer squad now, then you’re in the right place. The first thing you need to do is learn about rhythm. Rhythmic beats provide the soul to dance movement. Understanding rhythm in cheerleading is important because you are dancing with the team. While there is room for creative expression, you must know how to keep a beat or you will be off track. A cheer squad will only be as good as its weakest member. Don’t let that be you! To understand beats, lightly tap on the table with a pencil. The measurement in music is by grouping beats that repeat. FOR EXAMPLE, 1-2-3-4, 5-6-7-8, and so on. Dance steps are always counted in sets of 8 counts. To understand counts and keep a tempo, stand up and walk around chanting the counts without music.

There are 4 fundamental movements in dance:

Precise: sharp, crisp movements

Gentle: flowing and graceful movements

Large: exaggerated movements

Small: tight movements

Dancing doesn’t have to be difficult. You don’t have to grasp all the material the first time. Just do your best and have fun and keep going when you make a mistake, always with a smile on your face.

Tips to get you started:

Warm-up head to toe with stretching

Practice basic fundamentals including punches, jumps, isolations, etc.

When learning a dance, practice practice practice!