When Did Stomp & Shake Cheerleading Begin? (Online Comments & Website Statements)

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest Revision: June 10, 2023

This pancocojams post presents several anecdotal comments about the beginning of Stomp & Shake cheerleading. Hopefully, additional comments about this subject will be added in this post's comment section.

The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, and recreational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the originators of stomp & shake cheerleading and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE [Added October 12, 2018]
I'm an African American woman who is a self-described "community folklorist". My research on stomp and shake cheerleading has been done online, and I've never experienced these performance arts in person, other than at a few games in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where I live.

Additions and corrections to this information and examples are very welcome.

Click the tags for these above named performance arts and recreational activities to find pancocojams posts on those subjects.

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COMMENTS ABOUT THE EARLY DAYS OF STOMP & SHAKE CHEERLEADING

These comments/statements are given in no particular order and are numbered in consecutive order throughout this entire post. These numbers refer to the order in which I found these comments. I assigned these numbers for referencing purposes only

From http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2011/07/21/race-and-the-changing-shape-of-cheerleading/ "Race and the Changing Shape of Cheerleading by Guest Blogger Azizi Powell, Jul 21, 2011, at 10:00 am

1. Bananadrama, 2011
..."I went to high school in the 80s and the cheerleaders were already doing this, but it was a little more clap-and-leap. There was also a pom team, which did more of the dance moves to music and didn't lead vocal cheers. But pop music has changed and there's more rap that's popular, and dance moves from rap videos, instead of Def Leppard. :D

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2. Sule reply to Bananadrama, 2011
"Hey, there. This kind of cheering was coming in when I went to Rabaut Junior High School in DC--graduated in 1972. We also had a girl's drill team. Does this come from then, or Wilson High: "We bad; we know it! We kick your ass and show it!"? "

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From http://www.motherjones.com/media/2014/12/cheerleader-history-timeline "A Not-So-Brief and Extremely Sordid History of Cheerleading" —By Julia Lurie
Mon Dec. 15, 2014 6:15 AM EST
3. ..."1967: Seventeen football players at Madison High School in Illinois are barred from the team for boycotting a practice after only one black cheerleader is picked for the varsity squad. Following the dismissal of the football players, nearly all of the school district's 1,300 black students boycott classes for a week. As schools continue to integrate, one factor adding to tension is the difference in cheerleading styles between black and white schools: As Lou Lillard, a black cheerleader named All-American in 1972, explained, "The type of cheering at black high schools is...more of a stomp-clap, soul-swing…At [white] schools, the traditional cheers are straight-arm motions."

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From http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/wssu/sports/c-cheer/auto_pdf/WSSUCheerleadingPhilosophy.pdf The Winston-Salem State University Cheerleading Team
4. "The Winston-Salem State University Cheerleaders exemplify a distinctive style that has molded its programs tradition since the early 1980’s."

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From http://hbcuconnect.com/content/180466/dr-paulette-walker-johnson-retires-as-coach-of-virginia-state-university-woo-woos
[summary]
5. Dr. Paulette Johnson* began coaching for Virginia State University's Woo Woos cheerleaders in 1974, and coached that squad for 35 1/2 years.
-snip-
* Paulette Johnson Walker

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6. From https://winstonsalem.prestosports.com/about/hall_of_fame/Hall_of_Fame_Bios/Debra_Rivers_Johnson_Bio?view=bio
[summary]
Debra [Deborah] L. Rivers initiated the stomp & shake style of cheerleading at Winston-Salem State University when she began coaching that cheerleading squad in 1976. She was WSSU's cheerleading coach for 17 years.

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Added October 10, 2018:
Here are two comments from the discussion thread for Cute Stomp and Shake cheers for sideline!!!! | Upload #2, published by meleah moon on Jun 12, 2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hag7M9EgGZA that mention 1970s for what is now called "stomp and shake cheers":

7. Belinda Suggs, September 2018
"this is exactly the way I remember cheering in the 70's. deep voice and all. I love it! cheering style started changing in the 80's. they took rhythm out of cheering. now it's back!"

8. Belinda Suggs, September 2018
"back in the 70's we didn't call it stomp and cheer but it sure feels like the old school style of cheering is coming back. so refreshing!"
-snip-
Regarding the comment that "cheering style started changing in the 80's. they took rhythm out of cheering", the commenter may have been referring to cheerleading teams that hadn't previously done so beginning to focus on the performance of stunts for cheerleading competitions.

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Added April 21, 2022
9. 
From https://u-fit365.com/about-1#:~:text=The%20history%20of%20%E2%80%9CStomp%2DN,ability%2C%20skill%2C%20%26%20technique.
"The History of Stomp-N-Shake

The history of “Stomp-N-Shake” dates back to the early 1940’s and was created by two neighboring states; one being right here in North Carolina and the other Virginia.

“Stomp-N-Shake” cheerleading incorporates traditional motions that are clean and sharp, which showcase a team’s ability, skill, & technique.  The Stomp-N-Shake style then comes into play comprising of several added key ingredients: rhythmic words, use of beats made by stomping, clapping, & snapping, a variety of head motions, hip hop & jazz dance, stunts, tumbling, big, sharp, and precise arm motions, constant movement changes in formation, tone, and facial expressions"...
-snip-
Note added June 10, 2023.
I have found no corroboration for the statement made in the above cited website that stomp and shake cheerleading began in the early 1940s. That website gives no documentation for that 1940s date and I have never found that date for the beginning of Stomp N Shake cheerleading given any where else. Based on the information that I have found online, I believe that stomp and shake cheerleading began in the early 1970s in Virginia (at Virginia State University) and at North Carolina (at Winston Salem State University).  

My guess is that the early 1940s date may refer to when historically Black Greek letter fraternity and sorority stepping began to be more performed in the ways that African Americans conceptualize that performance art (although precursors to or elements of what we now refer to as  "stepping" and its closely related performance art "strolling" actually occurred before the 1940s. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/04/when-did-historically-black-greek.html for a pancocojams post entitled "When Did Historically Black Greek Letter Fraternity & Sorority Stepping Begin?".

I should also note that I believe that historically Black Greek letter fraternity and sorority stepping influenced the development of stomp and shake cheerleading which is another African American originated group movement performing art.  

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[Added April 21, 2022]
10.
From https://truebulll.com/2018/02/12/is-the-influence-of-african-americans-in-cheer-underrated/ Is the influence of African American’s in cheer underrated ?by Patsy Douglass
"HBCUs such as Norfolk State University, Howard University, Winston-Salem State University, North Carolina A&T State University and many others have embraced the “Stomp N Shake” cheer routine on their respective campuses

In 1923, Women’s cheer was officially recognized for the first time at The University Of Minnesota. Throughout the evolution of the sport, Cheer teams added dancing, stunting, and tumbling to their routines. While all of these innovations have transformed the sport into what it is today, The “Stomp N Shake” cheer routine added a certain style to cheer that is undoubtedly unique.

In the mid 1970s, African American cheerleaders created the “Stomp N’ Shake” routine. This Non traditional style of cheer is composed of movements that include shaking, loud stomping and clapping that are more conducive to black culture. However, while Stomp N Shake cheerleading may look different its goal is to achieves the same objectives as traditional cheerleading."...

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