Edited Azizi Powell
Latest revision- June 10, 2023
This pancocojams post presents some comments about facial expressions and other aspects of "showing/giving attitude" in certain contemporary African American movement arts.
Some videos that include these facial expressions are included in this post.
The content of this post is presented for cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos and all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
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Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/10/more-video-examples-of-facial.html for the previous pancocojams post on this subject.
Also, click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/10/how-petit-afros-youtube-dance-videos_23.html for a related pancocojams post entitled "How Petit Afro's YouTube Dance Videos Express Being Afro-Dutch & Promote African Culture, Part III (Comments About Facial Expressions As Part Of Dance Performances)". That post includes three videos of Petit Afro's dancers in Holland.
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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE [revised May 16, 2020]
In 2011, a visitor to my (no longer active) cocojams cultural webstite named Joi sent several cheerleading cheers to that page on my no longer active cultural website. Joi identified herself as a coach of a predominately Black Catholic high school cheerleading squad. Along with those cheers Joi wrote "When you say these cheers, remember to say them with attitude!". [Read "Angels Go Swinging" on http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/09/foot-stomping-cheers-alphabetical-list.html for one of those cheers).
I thought of that quote as I compiled this list of movement arts that include facial expressions such as "grittin"/" mean mugging" as part of their performances. In addition to facial expressions, groups that perform those contemporary Black movement arts also focus on expressing "attitude" through the ways that words are spoken (intonation), and through the performance of particular body stances and movements such as leaning towards their opponent's squad or flipping their hip at the other squad while they turn their backs on them.
These facial expressions and actions convey self-confidence, strength, being assertive, being determined, having "swag", "being hard", being "for real", being "hyped" ("gettin crunked"), being pumped [up]), being fierce, being very serious [about what they are doing], and/or being for real (even though doing so may largely be part of a dramatic performance).
Here's an observation that I included in a 2013 pancocojams post on foot stomping cheers:
Drama (role playing) is supposed to be an important part of chanting insult/bragging foot stomping cheers. These cheer performances fail if the stompers/chanters don't have "attitude" (i.e. How they say the cheer (intonation), their facial expressions, their moves and body gestures are supposed to support and reinforce the word of the cheer. For instance, in confrontational (insult, bragging) cheers the girls are pretending to have disrepect, disdain for and anger towards their (imaginary, unnamed) opponent/s/competitor/s. http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/05/an-overview-of-foot-stomping-cheers.html An Overview Of Foot Stomping Cheers (Part I- Characteristic & Sources).
I believe that this observation also applies to the performance of historically Black Greek letter fraternity/sorority stepping chants and to the performance except that the group/s that they are confronting/dissing aren't imaginery.
Here's a slightly reworded comment that I wrote in this 2014 pancocojams post http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/11/how-stomp-cheers-differ-from-foot.html "How Stomp Cheers Differ From Foot Stomping Cheers"
"In my opinion, one of the main difference between the chanting that's done in stomp cheers [mostly non-Black performances of African American originated stomp and shake cheers and other African American originated cheer performances) is whether or not those performers convey "attitude".
In most of the stomp cheer videos I've seen, when they are chanting confrontational/bragging cheers, the (usually White) stomp cheerleaders in those videos don't have the super-confident, aggressive, "don't mess with me 'cause we come to battle" demeanor (dramatized or otherwise) that is integral to those cheers.
Furthermore, the foot stomping movements often seem too mechanical to me. By "mechanical" I mean that not only are the stomps and other movements in the stomp routine not "crisp" ("tight", "sharp","precise", "on point"), but it often seems as though the cheerleaders are performing the movements machine like, from memory, without any spirit or energy.
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VERNACULAR DEFINITIONS OF "ATTITUDE" [added October 24, 2018]
Here's a quote about "attitude" from https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/182165/what-does-it-mean-when-someone-say-you-have-attitude:
"Have a look at sense 6 of attitude in the OED, with a few quotations from there.
a. Aggressive or uncooperative behaviour; a resentful or antagonistic manner. In phrs. to cop an attitude , to give attitude , etc., to assume such a manner. slang (orig. U.S.).
1985 N.Y. Times 26 Oct. 31/4 If I'm out there for months with everybody yelling at me, I'm going to cop an attitude.
1990 L. Lane & N. L. Andrews Malibu 90265 ii. 18 No wonder the saleswoman had an attitude... A zero had just dropped off the end of her commission.
1991 Athlon's Baseball '91 IV. 25/1 Bonds developed what is called an attitude. Underneath it all he is a nice kid.
b. Hence, any highly independent or individual outlook, approach, appearance, etc.; self-possession; style, swagger, front; esp. in with (an) attitude . slang (orig. U.S.).
... 1990 Police Rev. 28 Sept. 1916/1 In this job, you gotta have attitude, hang loose, ready for anything.
1992 Face Feb. 44/1 The not-entirely-unattractive cast—spearheaded by Jason Priestley and Luke Perry as hunks with not much attitude Brandon and Dylan—set a good few pulses racing and hogged the covers of the nation's teen press.
You have the uncomplimentary assessment (sense a: uncooperative behaviour), which gave rise to the positive assessment (sense b: self-possession). Both are in use, and context is crucial, although my sense is that we are more likely to say 'an attitude' for sense a.
answered Jul 4 '14 at 5:18
Peter".
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In the context of this post, both definitions of "having attitude" or "giving attitude" could be relevant. However, in the context of this post, with the exception of the "uncooperative" aspect of definition "a", both of these definitions would be considered positively.
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SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/10/shabooya-roll-call-move-girl-and-three.html for a pancocojams post that features videos of a few foot stomping cheers and adapted foot stomping cheers.
Example #1: "WSSU CHEERLEADERS GETTIN' CRUNK" [stomp and shake cheerleading]
ORIGINALCHEERPHI, Published on Feb 22, 2008
WSSU CHEERLEADERS SHOWING U HOW IT SHOULD BE DONE AT THE ULTIMATE CHEER & DANCE EXPERIENCE TRIAD HIGH SCHOOL CHEERLEADING COMPETITION 2007
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"WSSU" is Winston Salem State University.
A 2011 video example of WSSU's cheerleaders performing this same cheer can be found at WSSU CHEERLEADERS 2010-11 Basketball BATTLE , published by cavettaj on Jun 11, 2011
My online research strongly suggests that WSSU is one of the originators of stomp and shake cheerleading in the late 1970s/early 1980s. Another originator of a different style of stomp and shake cheerleading is Virginia State University. A video of that cheerleading squad is given as Example #2.
The publisher of that 2008 "WSSU Cheerleaders Gettin' Crunk" video wrote in that video's discussion thread that "You Get No Respect In Here" was composed by WSSU cheerleaders in 2003. A commenter in another video's discussion thread* shared that same information. And another commenter wrote that "You Get No Respect In Here" is the cheer that started a cheerleading revolution. While this certainly isn't the earliest stomp and shake cheer, it may be the most popular, judging from the number of commenters writing on these YouTube video discussion threads that their middle school or their high school does this cheer.
*This comment [from the 2008 discussion thread cited above] was written in response to a commenter who wrote “when you mess with the Cowboys]
CheerPhi93, 2008
"I Coached in 2003 and remember when the cheer was made up...It has been revised..and never never ever ever...Did it say Cowboys...lol...it's When you are messing with the Rams you are bound to get Krushed...
Great Job Cheer Phi
WSSU ALUM
CHEER PHI 93 (POPPA-RA)"
**Tahvyea Rains, 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkpOiVssR0s
"WSSU Original!!!!! Shout out to the 2003-2004 Varsity for making that one! I still remember the 1st time they did it at the Fayetteville State bball game that year. Crushed the competition!!!!!!" WSSU CHEERLEADERS 2010-11 Basketball BATTLE", published by Cavettaj on Jun 11, 2011
"RAMS BACK IN THE CIAA... taking names!
:::: finishing off Livingstone in a friendly battle::::
WSSU vs Livingstone 2010-11"
Here are the words to that cheer as transcribed a number of times in that 2008 discussion thread:
you gets no respect in here (No Respect Hey Hey) (No Respect Hey Heyy)
we see our moves in all your cheers (In All Your Cheers) (In All Your Cheers)
we know you think you are the best ( You Think You Are) (You Think You Are)
Su will Put You To The Test ( Put You To The Test) (Put You To The Test)
So Dont Start No Stuff Wont Be No Stuff
Dont Start No Stuff Wont Be No Stuff
Cause When You Messing With The Rams You Bound To Get ( Ahhh Say What) CRUSHED
-posted by Jalise Cobia, 2011
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Example #2: VSU Woo Woos (Work It...) [stomp and shake cheerleading]
GoTrojans, Published on Sep 11, 2008
VSU vs. NSU Labor Day Classic August 30, 2008
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"VSU"= Virginia State University.
Here's the words to this cheer:
V-S-U let's work it
ayeee yee yee
work it
ayyeee yee yee
trojans you know how we do
get out ya seats and work big blue
ahhhhh work it
ayeeee yee yee
(repeat)
-Virginia State University Cheerleaders (Woo Woos)
*transcription by Azizi Powell from this video.
Click the stomp and shake tag below for pancocojams posts on stomp and shake cheerleading.
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Example #3: Omega Psi Phi Que Doggs [historically Black Greek letter fraternity stepping]
mrchangeurlife, Published on Jul 18, 2008
Gamma Sig Ques Settin' It Out 75th Conclave 2008
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Here's a comment from the discussion thread of another Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. video: "Omega Psi Phi Stepping on the Steve Harvey Show"
"They KILLED it love this grit faces"
-lmanley11, 2009
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"Killed it" means to do something very well.
Another term for having a "grit face" is "mean mug". Making a "grit face" is called "mean mugging".
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Example #4: Spelman Freshman Step Team Alum Battle [historically Black Greek letter sorority stepping]
LookOut504, Published on Oct 11, 2008
The former freshman step team members of some of Morehouse and Spelmans finest teams have some fun. CAU was in attendance but we missed their performance
This comment was posted in that video's discussion thread in response to a number of comments criticizing the faces made by the step team in the beginning of this video:
"- Ok , let's diminish the ignorance a little. The faces they are making are called "GRIT FACES". When stepping many organizations put on "GRIT FACES" to show how serious & how hard they go for their org. Lol it's a SOUTHERN thing. #DirtySouth"
-Minelly Deme, 2013
One comment in that discussion thread compared this "mean mugging" tradition with the Maori haka https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haka. Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiKFYTFJ_kw for a video of the New Zealand rugby team doing their pre-match haka tradition.
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There are far more YouTube video example of men "mean mugging" while they are "pledging" a historically Black fraternity" than of women "mean mugging" while they are "pledging" historically Black sororities. Note: Pledging ("hazing") has been illegal in The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) organizations (the Divine Nine) since 1990, but probates [new members of these organizations] stepping and strolling in shows isn't considered pledging or hazing.
Click the Black fraternity and sorority tags for additional pancocojams post on fraternity and sorority steppin[[g]. Also, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/08/branding-mean-mugging-grittin-in-omega.html for the pancocojams post entitled "Branding & Mean Mugging (Grittin) In Omega Psi Phi, Inc. & In Some Other Historically Black Greek Letter Organizations".
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Example #5: Bring It!: Call-Out Battle: Jackson Dolls vs. Birmingham Dolls (Season 4, Episode 7) | Lifetime [Hip Hop majorette dance line; j-setting]
Lifetime, Published on Feb 25, 2017
Watch the baby Dolls from Birmingham face off against their big sisters from Jackson in a call-out showdown from Season 4 Episode 7, "A Tale of Two Dollhouses". #BringIt
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Example #6: Majorette Kids Battle Final Phaze Vs The Empire(Dance n Out Chicago) [Hip Hop majorette dance line; j-setting]
Dance N Out Chicago, Published on Jul 12, 2018
Show some luv for these kids. They doing their thing.
We back, more 2 come yall....
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Click the "Hip Hop majorette" or "J-Setting" tag below for pancocojams posts on this performance genre.
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Here's an excerpt from my comments about grit face" ["gritting"] in a previous pancocojams post http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/06/what-grittin-on-someone-means-in.html
ReplyDelete"In historically Black Greek letter organizations [BGLO}, "grittin" is also called "mean mugging". That term refers to a "hard", mean facial expression that members of many of those organizations (particularly fraternities) may wear on certain occasions. This look is meant to convey their determination*, the seriousness of their commitment to the organization, their aggressiveness, and their "hardness" (in the street sense of that word).
*In the context of those who are striving to join a BGLO, "determination" means their commitment to persevere until they become full members of that organization.
A "grit face" or a "mean mug" expression may also be worn during step shows or fraternity or sorority stroll by persons who are full members of a historically Black Greek lettered organization (BGLO) to convey the seriousness of those members' commitment to that organization, and to convey their aggressiveness toward any obstacle or any adversary - including other fraternity step teams that they competing against in that step show.
While a "grit face" looks very much like scowling fiercely or snarling, grit faces aren't meant to convey anger. Instead, a "grit face" shows how "hard" [in street terms] members of that organization are.
In my opinion, putting on a grit face is associated with the image of historically Black Greek lettered fraternities much more than historically Black Greek lettered sororities. And the vernacular that is associated with those fraternities may be linked to the act of putting on a grit face. For instance, when men associated with Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. are "grittin", they are said to put on a "dog face" as their informal symbol is a bull dog, and their signature call is a dog's bark. In that sense, the fierceness of a bull dog and the grit face both convey the same "hard" message. Also, members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. may put on a grit face to show how fiercely cold [blooded] they are. That members of that organization are "cold" when it comes to taking care of serious business is reflected in the words of one of their signature chants: "ice, ice, baby/ too cold/too cold/ice ice baby/ the black & gold".
In contrast, while pledges and full members of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, Inc, the sorority which is closely associated with Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. believe their sorority is "a serious matter"*, putting on an ugly, aggressive grit face would be in opposition to that sorority's tradition of being "pretty girls".
I'm not saying that putting on a grit face doesn't occur among pledges or full members of that sorority or other historically Black Greek lettered sororities. However, it seems to me that "grit face" is much more associated with historically Black Greek lettered fraternities than sororities.
*It's a serious matter" is an Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority signature chant."