In the run up to the Future Cheer International Cheerleading Championships, the London Rockets performed a cheerleading routine to the future dance stars of tomorrow . The event took place at the Arts Depot Theatre as part of a Youth Dance project run by our very own Jade Shaw.
Many cheerleading squads stick to the inside of their practice gym all year preparing for that all important 2 mins and 30 seconds – the competition routine that will either bring home a trophy or a new set of goals. It’s an amazing amount of time and effort and it’s something only other cheerleaders can fully appreciate and, in some cases, are the only people to ever see it. This often seems to me to be a real shame as the big blue mat is not the only measure of a squad.
Lucky for me then that the London Rockets choose to venture out and showcase their work for charity and community projects as well as for other PR style events. It’s not only an opportunity for us to use our unique skills for something worthwhile but It also helps hone those important performance skills and calm the nerves for when that big blue mat day does roll around.
This week the London Rockets were out in support of their Dance Coach, Jade Shaw, and her work with youth community dance projects. Jade organised a showcase performance at the Arts Depot with the intention of giving her students the chance to perform their work in a professional enviornment and perhaps, as she said afterwards, giving them ‘that moment’ when they realised that this (dancing’ is what they want to do. Many of her students had never seen the inside of theatre until the performance.
Opportunities such as these are so important for youth groups, it gives them something to aim for during their classes and an opportunity to show what they have achieved. Despite there being more funding and more opportunities for young people to learn performance arts there are still not enough opportunities for them to perform.
This summer the London Rockets Cheerleaders are involved in Big Dance, performing and teaching camps with opportunities for young people to showcase what they have learnt.
The Youth Dance showcase was photographed by the London Rockets official photographer, Amanda Stockley.
For more information on this, Big Dance and other performance events please contact the Coaching Team on cheerleadingrocks@googlemail.com
Filed under: Cheer Blog
