[Latest update: November 22, 2024
This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series on foot stomping cheers.
This pancocojams post provides examples of foot stomping cheers from four different categories of those cheers.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/05/an-overview-of-foot-stomping-cheers.html for Part I of this post. Part I provides a general overview of the textual structure and performance of foot stomping cheers. Part I also includes my theories about the sources of this children's recreational activity.
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The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the unknown composer/s of these cheers. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post, the performers who are featured in these videos, and the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
That said, from the online examples that I have come across, it also appears to me that these softball chants are usually performed without the consecutive solo performance style and the choreographed syncopated, percussive foot stomping/hand clapping routines that are both essential characteristics of foot cheers.
I coined the term "foot stomping cheers" in 2000 to distinguish examples of that category of cheers from other cheerleader cheers. However, it appears from my direct collection of these examples and from my online collection that people (including the girls who performed them) usually referred to these compositions as "cheers" and -less often- as "chants", "steps", or "cyphers".
"Foot stomping cheers" are formulaic compositions which have a modified call & response structure that I refer to as "group/consecutive soloist". What "group/consecutive soloist" means is that the group voice is the first voice that is heard in those cheers. A designated soloist responds to the rest of the group's words and those voices alternate until that rendition ends (usually with the soloist's voice or the soloist & the rest of the group's voice). However, the cheer immediately begins again with the next designated soloist and this pattern continues until every member of the group has had a turn as the soloist.
Foot stomping cheers are chanted while their performers execute choreographed, syncopated, percussive movement routines that are very similar to African American originated Greek lettered fraternity & sorority stepping (steppin).
PART II: CATEGORIES OF FOOT STOMPING CHEERS
I've identified four main categories of foot stomping cheers:
2, Confrontational (bragging/insult) cheers
3. Other types of bragging cheers
and
4. Dance style cheers
A foot stomping cheer may be a combination of two or more of these categories.
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INFORMATION AND EXAMPLES OF THESE CATEGORIES:
INTRODUCTORY CHEERS
These cheers serve the purpose of introducing members of the group -one at a time- to their imaginary audience. In these cheers girls state their name and/or their nickname, and may also state other personal information such as their favorite color, what they want to be when they grow up, their astrological (sun) sign, their boyfriend's name etc.
Two example of an introductory foot stomping cheer:
Group: Hey, Shaquala!
Soloist #1: Yo! *
Group: Innn-TRO-duce yourself.
Soloist #1: No way.
Group: Innn-TRO-duce yourself.
Soloist #1: Okay.
My name is Shaquala.
Group: Hey! Hey!
Soloist #1:They call me Quala.
Group: Hey! Hey!
Soloist #1: My sign is Aries
Group: Hey! Hey!
Soloist #1: I like to dance
Group: Hey! Hey!
Soloist #1: I wanna be a dancer for the rest of my life.
-T.M.P.; Pittsburgh, PA mid. 1980s; transcribed from audio tape by Azizi Powell, 1997
-snip-
*"Yo" was changed to "What" when that vernacular word became outdated.
Notice that there are no confrontational (threatening) or insult lines in this example.
Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWG4AX09mqQ
for a video example of "Introduce Yourself" (prom scene) from the 2006 American cheerleader movie Bring It On: All Or Nothing (Note that the performance movements of this cheer have been significantly modified.)
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CONFRONTATIONAL (BRAGGING/INSULT) FOOT STOMPING CHEERS
These cheers focus on the chanters confronting (saying threatening words to) an unnamed opponent or opponents. The chanter brags about herself, and also may insult (dis) that opponent
Two examples of confrontational foot stomping cheers:
Example #1: HULA HULA
Hula hula
Now who thinks they bad
Hula hula
Now who thinks they bad
I think I’m bad
‘Cause Acie my name
And toys is my game
Take a sip of my potion
And dance in slow motion
Uh-huh
She thinks she bad
Baby baby don’t make me mad
Un-huh
She thinks she cool
Baby baby don’t act a fool
Uh-huh
She think she sweet
Sweetest person you ever meet
Uh-huh
She thinks she fine
Baby baby I’ll blow your mind
-Barbara Michels and Bettye White, Editors: Apple On A Stick, The Folklore of Black Children (Putnam Juvenile; First Edition November 11, 1983)
-snip-
"Bad" here means "very good".
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Example #2: CALL REPUTATION (also known as "Razzle Dazzle")
my name is yonnqa
i'm number one
my reputation has just begun
so if you see me
step a side
cause i don't take no jive
oh think she cool
correction baby
i no i'm cool
i no karate
i no kunfu
you miss with me
i co it on you*
rasasol o dazzo o ox2 **
-yaya, cocojams.com, 2/23/2007
-snip-
*"co" here is probably a typo for "do"
**"ox2" probably means "repeat two times.
-snip-
"Shabooya Roll Call" is another example of a confrontational foot stomping cheer. Here's a video of that cheer from the 2006 Bring It On: All Or Nothing:
Shabooya!! (Dance On Duh Table)
iluzyoo,
iluzyoo,
movie: Bring it on all or nothing [August 2006]
-snip-
The textual structure of "Shabooya Roll Call" fits the foot stomping cheer pattern. However, the movements that the girls perform while chanting aren't synchronized foot stomps combined with hand claps.
An earlier version of "Shabooya Roll Call" is included in Spike Lee's 1996 movie Get On The Bus. However, that cheer is best known from the 2006 cheerleader movie series Bring It On: All Or Nothing. The words to that version of "Shabooya Roll Call" and other information/examples of that cheer are found in
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/01/right-rhyming-pattern-for-shabooya-roll.html for a pancocojams post on Shabooya Roll Call.
-snip-
The cheer entitled "U.G.L.Y" that was in that same Bring It On movie and was also in the 1986 movie Wildcats doesn't have a call & response structure. Instead, it is said in unison. Therefore, "U.G.L.Y"it's not a foot stomping cheer. Click http://cocojams2.blogspot.com/2014/11/childrens-taunting-rhymes-m-z.html for the words to that cheer.
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OTHER TYPES OF BRAGGING FOOT STOMPING CHEERS
In some examples in this category, the chanters brag about their group (their athletic team or school). In other examples the chanters brag about their boyfriend/s. These cheers have less insult content then confrontational foot stomping cheers.
Two examples of other bragging foot stomping cheers:
Example #1: L-O-V-E
All: L-O-V-E. [clap- not spoken]
L-O-V-E. [clap
L-O-V.
L-O-V.
L-O-V-E.[clap]
Soloist #1: Well, Kayla’s my name. [clap]
And love is my game.[clap]
I got this boy on my mind [clap].
And Lord knows he’s fine. [clap]
He calls me his girl. [clap]
His number 1 girl.[clap]
I don’t know his sign, [clap]
But Taurus is mine. [clap]
All: L-O-V-E. [clap]
L-O-V-E. [clap]
L-O-V.
L-O-V.
L-O-V-E. [clap]
Soloist #2: Tamika's my name. [clap]
And love is my game. [clap]
I got this boy on my mind. [clap]
And Lord knows he’s fine. [clap]
I got his name on my shirt. [clap]
And don't call it dirt.[clap]
Don’t you worry bout my lover. [clap]
Cause there is no other. [clap]
All: L-O-V-E. [clap]
L-O-V-E. [clap]
L-O-V.
L-O-V.
L-O-V-E. [clap]
(Return to beginning and repeat with a new soloist. That soloist repeats the same verses or similar verses. This pattern continues until everyone in the group has had one turn as the soloist with this cheer.)
-Tazi M. Powell (African American female; remembrance of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the mid 1980s; performed by African American girls ages around 8-12 years old.
(Note from Azizi Powell - I transcribed this cheer in February 1996 from my daughter's "re-enactment of that cheer at my request. However, I had observed her and some of her girl friends perform this cheer in the 1980s.
Here are my general statements about the performance of the "L.O.V.E" foot stomping cheer:
The girls stood in a circle. The order of soloist was determined by who was the fastest to yell out "first", "second", "third" etc. One way that girls used to know when it was their turn was to remember who they came after.
The beat is continual, like a metronome. The object was to remain "on beat" throughout the entire cheer without any interruptions. (The cheer immediately begins with the next soloist and continues until everyone has a turn as the soloist.) If anyone goes "off -beat" -by messing up the foot stomping routine or forgetting what to say or otherwise messing up the flow of the chant- the cheer stops and has to begin all over again. Usually girls who didn't know a particular cheer would sit out that cheer until they were confident that they really knew it. One way that girls gained respect and status regardless of their age or what grade they were in school was being "really good at" doing cheers.
-snip-
During most foot stomping cheers that I observed, girls stood facing forward in a horizontal line or in a half circle so that their movements could be seen. When it was their turn as soloist. the girl moved up from her spot in the line. When her soloist turn ended, the girl moved back to her spot while she was still facing forward.
-snip-
Here's what my daughter shared with me about how she and her friends performed this cheer*.
The movement routine for "L.O.V.E" differs from the other foot stomping cheers that my daughter and her friends showed me. My daughter wrote down these performance instructions for me on October 28, 2018:
1.Right leg stomp forward - for the letter "L"
2. Jump open with both legs - "O"
3. Jump close with both legs -"V"
4. Right leg stomp forward" - "E"
Then clap your hands one time.
Continue this pattern for the entire cheer.
****
Example #2: FLY GIRL
Fly girl
Fly girl One
Fly girl Two
Pump it up Teresa
See what you do.
Soloist #1:(Oh) my name is Teresa
and I’m a fly girl
It takes a lot of men
to rock my world.
‘cause I can fly like a butterfly
sting like a bee
and that’s way they call me
Sexy
-Tazi M. Powell, (African American female, memories of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the mid 1980s (audio-tape made in late 1980s and transcribed in 1996)
-snip-
"Fly Girl" means an attractive, hip female (one who is up to date with the latest urban culture fashions, lingo, dances etc)
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DANCE STYLE FOOT STOMPING CHEERS
These cheers provide opportunities for the group and its individual members to show off their dance (and/or stepping) moves. These cheers often mention one or more (then) popular dances. Dance style foot stomping cheers are much less confrontational than cheers in that other category. While dance style foot stomping cheers may include some bragging words, they
usually include little or no insults. Consequently, the cheer performers (stompers/steppers) ddn't act surly or as aggressive as they play act during the chanting of confrontational foot stomping cheers. Many of dance style cheers can be immediately recognizable by the "Hey (person's name) Show me" lines that begin those cheers.
***
Two examples of a dance style foot stomping cheer:
Example #1: GET DOWN
Group (including the first soloist) - I saida D. O. W. N.
And that's the way we get down.
D. O. W. N.
And that's the way we get down."
Group (excluding the first soloist) - Hey, Shayla
Shayla - What?
Group- Hey, Shayla
Shayla - What?
Group - Show me how you get down.
Shayla - No way.
Group- Show me how you get down.
Shayla - Okay.
[Shayla does a hip swinging dance while saying]
I saida D. O. W. N.
And that's the way
And that's the way
And that's the way I get down.
[Group does dance with Shayla and says]
Group - She saida D. O. W. N.
And that's the way
And that's the way
And that's the way she gets down.
-T.M.P, mid 1980s, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; collected by Azizi Powell
-snip-
This foot stomping cheer starts again from the beginning with the next soloist who says the same soloist lines but traditionally isn't supposed to repeat the same foot stomping/dance routine. This pattern continues until every member has had one turn as soloist.
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Example #2: MOVE GIRL
You betta move
girl you betta move.
[say both lines(3x)]
Now drop it low
Drop it low.
Drop it low
Drop it low
-Shaw High School [transcription of the video given below]
-snip-
* Thanks to tknight51, lauren patton, and PrincessAmandaTVfor adding comments to this video's comment thread which indicated that the girls were saying "drop it low".
-snip-
Notice that the soloist's name isn't called. And, unlike most other foot stomping cheers, the soloist doesn't speak, but does her own dance while the others chant. "Now drop it low" means to dance down [close] to the ground, and then comee back up.
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Here are two video examples of dance style foot stomping cheers:
Example #1: Shaw Cheerleaders "Move Girl"
Brandon Thurman, Uploaded on Jan 9, 2011
Shaw High School Cheerleaders Before the game hype
-snip-
The words to this cheer are given above.
**
Example #2: Dailey Tigers "Rock Steady"
daileytigers, Published on Nov 17, 2012
Cheerleaders
-snip-
Unlike the "standard" structure for foot stomping cheers, this cheer begins with a soloist's voice.
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/05/rock-steady-childrens-cheer-examples.html for a pancocojams post on the "Rock Steady" cheer.
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This concludes Part II of this post on foot stomping cheers.
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