Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post presents a compilation of children's foot stomping cheers* that mention at least one R&B dance or Hip Hop dance.
This compilation doesn't include examples that only mention directions (such as "Shake your booty," "Do it!", or "Break it down".
The content of this post is presented for folkloric purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who contributed examples of these foot stomping cheers.
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A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FOOT STOMPING CHEERS
In this post, "foot stomping cheers" refer to a specific sub-category of children's cheerleader cheers that appear to have been performed as an informal recreational activity for (mostly) African American and Latina girls between the ages of around 6 years to around 12 years old. I've come across examples of these cheers throughout the United States from the late 1970s to around 2008.
Foot stomping cheers have (had) a distinctive call & response structural/performance pattern with the group voice speaking first followed by a soloist. These cheers also have consecutive soloists (The cheer being repeated with the same words or slightly different words from the beginning with a new soloist and that pattern continuing until everyone in the group has had the same equal time as the soloist.)
Foot stomping cheers are also chanted by the group while they stand in a semi circle, or circle, or (usually horizontal) line and perform a synchromized, choreographed routine that consists of foot stomping, (individual) hand claps, and (sometimes) body pats.
"Stomp clap; stomp stomp clap" appears to have been the most often used foot stomping beat. Another beat is stomp clap, stomp clap.
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/09/foot-stomping-cheers-alphabetical-list.html for Part I (Numbers - C) of a pancocojams alphabetized compilation of foot stomping cheers. The link to the other post in that series are given in each post.
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FEATURED CHEER EXAMPLES
These examples are presented in alphabetical order based on the first number or the first letter of the first letter of the first word. The source (i.e. book, direct collection, or website) is given below the example along with demographic information and/or comments.
The dance names are given in italics the first time they are mentioned in each specific cheer example to highlight them. (for instance, do the Bounce" is given as do the Bounce).
A, B,
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C, D,
CANDY GIRL (Version #1)
All: Candy Girl.
All my world.
Look so sweet.
Special treat.
Soloist #1: This is the way we do the Bounce.
Candy Girl.
Group: Do the Bounce. Do the Bounce.
Soloist #1: All my world.
Group: Do the Bounce. Do the Bounce.
Soloist #1: Look so sweet.
Group: Do the Bounce. Do the Bounce.
Soloist #1: Special treat
Group: Do the Bounce. Do the Bounce.
All: Candy Girl.
All my world.
Look so sweet.
Special treat.
Soloist #2: This is the way we do the Snake.
Candy Girl.
Group: Do the Snake Do the Snake.
Soloist #2: All my world.
Group: Do the Snake. Do the Snake.
Soloist #2: Look so sweet.
Group: Do the Snake. Do the Snake.
--T.M.P.(African American female); memories of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the mid 1980s (audio recorded in 1992); In 2000 I observed members of Braddock, Pennsylvania's chapter of Alafia Children’s Ensemble perform this cheer with the exact same beat, and tune, and the same words except for then popular R&B/Hip Hop dances)
-snip-
Alafia Children's Ensemble is the name of a children's after-school group that my daughter Tazi and I founded and facilitated in two locations in Braddock, Pennsylvania from 1997 to 2001 and in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 2000 to 2004.
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CANDY GIRL (Version #2)
does anybody know candy girl? little girls i know still play it!
candy girl, oh my world
look so sweet, special treat
this is the way you do the "wop"(or the "snake", or whatever dance is cute that u know the name of)
candy girl, say wop,wop
oh my world, say wop, wop
look so sweet, say wop,wop
special treat, say wop,wop(and then move on to the next dance)
- bitsy196 (African American female; Los Angeles, California); http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=4123&page=4 “remember when?”; 6-25-2003
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CHARLIE BROWN (fragment)
Charlaaaay a Charlie Brown, what you say now?
Charlaaaay a Charlie Brown.
Hey Shoewhore!
That's me. Foxxxy as I wanna be. Gon' slide to the side, gon turn that sh&t* around, gon break it on down with Charlie Brown!
Cuz you know that I can get down!
A--woooooooosh!
-Shoewhore, http://www.lipstickalley.com/showthread.php/43158-Hood-Cheers/page5, 08-19-2006
-snip-
*The full word was spelled out in this example.
"Charlie Brown" is a particular type of dance movement. My daughter informs me that you might still hear the instruction "do the Charlie Brown" in line dances, but most people don't know what to do when they hear that.
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DISCO
Disco 2x [repeat two times]
Reeses pieces reeses my pieces (say sombodies name) what you ganna do when they come for you (the person who's name was said says) i'm gonna step aside disco roll my eyes disco stomp my feet disco and do the hilltoe ah ha and do the hilltoe.
-Ciera S.; (African American girl), 10 years old; collected by Azizi Powell, Pittsburgh, PA); 5/16/06
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DO IT! DO IT!
All: Do it! Do it!
Do it! Do it!
(Now) Freeze!
Now stop and let the first row kick it!
(The girls in the first row recite the next lines, the girls in the 2nd row stand in place in an agreed upon stance)
First Row: With the “Drop Top”
(All the girls in this row do their own version of this R&B dance)
Second Row: Do it! Do it!
(All the girls in the second row do their version of the same dance along with the girls in the first row. This imitative movement repeats while saying that phrase after each dance step)
First Row: And the “Roll Your Body”
Second Row: Do it! Do it!
First Row: Do “The Butterfly”
Second Row: Do it! Do it!
First Row: Bust “The stop”
Second Row: Do it! Do it!
First Row: Shake your rump.
Group: Do it! Do it!
Do it! Do it!
Freeze!
Now stop and let the second row kick it!
(The same pattern as above, with some of the same dances and some different dances-“The Pop”, “The Crybaby”, “The Rodeo”)
-African American girls, 8-10 years old, Alafia Children’s Ensemble (Braddock, Pennsylvania), 1998; collected by Azizi Powell, 1998
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ELEVATE YOUR MIND
elevate your mind
get yourself together
when i count to 3
do the "rock" with me...
I said a 1, 2, 3 do the "rock" with me...
repeat that last line 2 times then repeat the entire cheer until everyone puts a “dance” in…
-AKA2D '91 (no location given); retrieved on 12/29.2009; http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=4123&page=2 “remember when”
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E, F
FLY GIRL (Version #1)
Group: Fly girl one.
Fly girl two.
Pump it up. Ayesha.
Just like you do.
Soloist #1: My name is Ayesha.
Group: What?
Soloist #1: (And) I’m a fly girl.
Group: What?
Soloist #1: I’m rough and tough
And I can strut my stuff.
Cause I can sway.
Group: She can sway.
Soloist #1: And I can even do the go go reggae.
Let it flow
Group: She can even do the go go reggae.
Let it flow.
Repeat the cheer from the beginning with the next soloist who substitutes the name of a current dance step, always placing the word reggae after the dance name. Continue until every group member has had one turn as soloist.
- African American girls; age 10 years (Lillian Taylor Summer Camp, Kinsley Association), Pittsburgh, PA 1992)
-snip-
I don't remember a dance named "the go go reggae". However, I'm following my practice of considering a word following "do the" as the names of dances.
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FLY GIRL (Version #2)
Group: Fly girl one.
Fly girl two.
Pump it up, Shavona
Just like you do.
Soloist #1: My name is Shavona.
Group: Yeah.
Soloist #1: And I’m a fly girl.
Group: Yeah.
Soloist #1: I know karate.
And I got the body [pronounced “boh-day” to rhyme with “karate]
All you got to do
is put a move in the groove.
You jump side to side.
Front to back.
And break it down with the “Cabbage Patch”.
- African American girls, around ages 6-12 years, Lillian Taylor Camp, Pittsburgh, PA. 1989-1992
Fly girl one flow girl two, pumping up _ just like you. My name is _____ check, I’m a fly girl check. It only take one boy to rock my world. Cuz she can “sway” (repeats) she can even do the pop, bust it with the stop, even do the butterfly baby” (repeat) then you add dance moves to it like concentration. Whoever messes up the order is out. Pleaseee tell me someone remembers this? We stomped for the boom boom then clapped. I grew up in the projects and ONLY played hand games with girl😂 yes I’m gay lol
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FOOTBALL (Version #2)
hening is our name and football is our game so hold the sugar do the freddie cougar and step on back and do the cabage patch
-talor and leelee; 9/24/2006, cocojams.com
-snip-
Cocojams.com was the name of my cultural website that was online from 2000 to 2013.
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I, J
Refrain (Unison)
Jig-a-low, jig, jig-a-low
Jig-a-low, jig, jig-a-low
Part I
(Call) Jasmine: Hey Stephanie!
(Response) Stephanie: Say what?
Jasmine: In-troduce yourself!
Stephanie: Know what?
Jasmine: In-troduce yourself!
[They exchange roles here.]
Stephanie: My name is Ste-phanie
Jasmine: Yeah!
Stephanie: I got the mucle.
Jasmine: Yeah!
Stephanie: To do the hu-stle
Jasmine: Yeah!
Stephanie: I do my thang
Jasmine: Yeah!
Stephanie: On the video screen
Jasmine: Yeah!
Stephanie: I do the ro, ro, ro, ro, ro-bot (punctuates each syllable with Do Do Brown)
Jasmine: She do the ro, ro, ro, ro, ro-bot (Jasmine imitates Stephanie's version of the dance)
Refrain (Unison)
Jig-a-low, jig, jig-a-low
Jig-a-low, jig, jig-a-low
Part 2
Stephanie: Hey Jasmine!
Jasmine: Hey what?
Stephanie: Are you ready?
Jasmine: To what,?
Stephanie; To jig
Jasmine: Jig-a-low?
(unison): jig what?
[Exchanged roles again]
Jasmine: Well, My hands up high, my feet down low.
and THIS's the way I jig-a-low
[Jasmine creates a stylized move on THIS's]
Stephanie: Well, My hands up high, my feet down low.
and THIS's the way she jig-a-low
[Stephanie mimics Jasmine's stylized move on THIS's.]
-Kyra D. Gaunt' book The Games Black Girls Play: Learning The Ropes From Double -Dutch To Hip-Hop (University Press, New York, 2006, page 82);
-snip-
"The Hustle is the name of a mid 1970s American dance.
This example combines the foot stomping cheer "Jigalow" with the foot stomping cheer "Introduce Yourself".
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K, L
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M. N
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O,
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Q, R
ROCK THE BOAT
Rock the boat. Don't tip it over.
Rock the boat. Don't tip it over.
Hey, Aniya. "Hey what?"
Hey, Aniya. "Hey what?"
Can you rock the boat? "No way."
Can you rock the boat?! "Ok."
She slides. She slides. She do The Butterfly.
She dips. She dips. She shakes her little hips!
-ti55, Mar 16, 2008, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9QuTsAtQPY
-snip-
This is my transcription of that video. This cheer is composed using the traditional foot stomping cheer structure. The "rock the boat/don't tip it over" line is a clear indication that this cheer was heavily influenced by The Hues Corporations' 1974 record "Rock The Boat".
S, T,
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U, V
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W, X
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Y, Z
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