Abstract Dance - A plotless work composed of pure dance movements, although the composition may suggest a mood or subject.

ABTA - Australian Baton Twirling Federation

AC - American Cheerleader Magazine

Adagio- slow, sustained movement

Aerial - a trick without hands, usually refers to a no-hand cartwheel, or used to describe a walkover or roundoff without hands. (ex. Ariel walkover (front ariel). Ariel roundoff (barani)

Aid - see post

Air - see flier

Air Cradle - see pop cradle

All Around Gymnast - is the competitor who has the highest total score on each piece of equipment, in both men's and women's gymnastics

All Stars - is a cheer squad that is not affiliated with a school. It is independently run and usually affiliated with a cheer gym

All the Way Up - see extension

All Up - see single base extension

Allegro - fast, quick, sharp tempo

Allonge - in ballet, an elongated line; in particular, the horizontal line of an arabesque with one arm stretched front and the other back

Amplitude - the height, or degree of execution of a movement. In general, the higher the salto or the more breathtaking the movement, the better the amplitude and the score

Anorexia - an eating disorder caused by a fear of being fat

Apparatus - equipment used in the gymnastics events. Especially: balance beam, vault, uneven bars, rings..ect

Arabesque - is when one leg is straight down and your back is in line with it, not leaning forwards, the other leg is extended behind you, close to a 90 degree angle with your back. Also know as a scale.

Arch Position - the body is curved backwards. Don't do this on layouts

Arm Motions - the placement of the arms and hands

Around the World - legs come up in a pike, then circle around to a toetouch - HARD to do and land with your feet together.

Arrow - see diamond head

Artistic Gymnastics - is the branch of gymnastics that uses four pieces of equipment for women, and six for men

ASTA - All Star Twirling Association

Assemble - in ballet, a jump from one to both feet, usually landing in fifth position.

Athlete - a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina

Attack the Crowd - is a technique used to include crowd involvement in a cheer, movement or song

Attitude - in ballet, a pose in which one leg is raised in back or in front with knee bent, usually with one arm raised.

Awesome - is just like an elevator or extension except the bases bring their hands to the middle of the stunt so the climber's feet are very close together. The guy's other hand is in a half high V. Also known as a Cupie.

Baby Plane - see broken T

Baby T - also see broken T

Back Bend - spread your legs shoulder width and put your hands straight up by your ears. Look up at your hands and bend your back, Look for the ground, and try to put your hands really close to your feet. Once they hit the ground, your there! This is a very important steppingstone skill

Back Flip -

Back Handspring - a jump backwards onto the hands, followed by a quick push from the hands to the feet. Also know as flip-flop or flick-flack.

Back-In, Full-Out - a double salto with a full twist (the complete twist performed during the second salto).

Back Tuck Basket Toss - you do a regular basket toss but you do a back tuck and land in a cradle position

Backwards Load In - 2 Bases face back to back, with hands behind their back in an extension ready position. Flier jumps in hands, bases toss her up, turn so they face front, recatch her feet, squish & pop to a full, half, lib, etc.

Balancé - to swing, to rock

Balance Beam - a wooden beam about 4 inches wide and 16 feet long which is about 4 feet above the ground.

Ball ups - 1. are when the flyer starts on the opposite leg, and then switches on the way up to the main leg. 2. A coed ball up is when a guy tosses the girl and she tucks on the way up to the stunt.

Ballet - from the Italian balletto, diminutive of ballo, "dance." Classical theatrical dancing based on the danse d'ecole, the rules and vocabulary that were codified around 1700 in France.

Ballet Blanc -a ballet in which the women wear white tutus, such as the second and fourth acts of Swan Lake.

Ballet d'action - a ballet with a plot, usually tragic, advocated by reformer Jean Georges Noverre, ballet master of the Paris Opera, to bring dramatic coherence to the performance of ballet.

Ballet de cour, le (court ballet) - spectacles for entertainment, usually with allegorical or mythological themes, performed by the aristocracy in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, combining music, recitatives, and mime.

Ballo - standard Italian dances and their music of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.

Ballon - in ballet, the ability of a dancer to remain suspended in air during a jump; elasticity in jumping.

Ballotté - is a jump that can be done from either one foot or two feet

Ballroom Dances - social dances usually performed by couples, including the fox-trot, waltz, tango, rumba, and cha cha.

Bambi - After you prep, your strong leg tucks to the side while your weak leg tucks to the other side of your body but in the same direction of the other leg. Just remember to keep upper body forward while the lower is turned side ways.

Banana - you arch your back and reach upwards. You don't do banana's unless your are doing a combination jump or riding up a basket toss.

Bas, en - in ballet, a low placement of arms.

Base - the person/persons who are on the bottom of a stunt/pyramid, person who holds the flier.

Basket Toss - is a stunt using two side bases, a back base and may use at one or two front bases to toss the flyer from their hands. Once airborne, the flier may do any number of jumps then return to the cradle

Battement - is movement of the leg

BCA - Britain Cheerleading Association

Bicycle- see buckets

Big Elevator - see extension

Blades - hands not closed in a fist, but in line w/ your arms

Bottom - see base

Bow and Arrow - is when you do a heel stretch but you hold the extended foot with the other hand and your other arm is pointing, the extended leg is a lot higher. The knee usually touches the ear if you do it correctly.

Briefs - matching underpants worn under a cheerleading skirt

Brise - - in ballet, a jump off one foot that is "broken" by a beating of the legs in the air.

Broken Plane - see broken T

Broken T - elbow are bent, hands are near shoulders, elbows out, and fists facing down toward the ground

Broken Touchdown - elbows are bent, hands are near shoulders, elbows down, and fist facing inward, towards each other

Buckets - arms out straight out infront of your body, fists facing inward, towards each other

Bulimia - an eating disorder where you eat a lot and then throw if back up so you don't gain any weight.

Butler - see spread eagle

CA - Cheerleading Alliance

Cabriole - in ballet, a leap in which the lower leg beats against the upper one at an angle, before the dancer lands again on the lower leg.

Cakewalk - an African-American dance in which couples strut and compete with high kicks and fast steps.

Calisthenics - a series of excercises used to gain strength, power & balance.

CAM - Cheers And More

Camp - a place usually in the country for recreation or instruction during

Candle Sticks - arms out infront of you, fists downward

Captain - a leader of a sports team or side

Cartwheel - is the move where a gymnast turns sideways from a standing position, to a handstand, and then back to a standing position. Also said to be a lateral handspring with arms and legs extended

Catcher - see spotter

CBTA - Canadian Baton Twirling Federation

CDA - Cheer & Dance Alliance

Chair - 1 base, holding 1 flier, the bases hand is placed on the fliers bottom, the flier is sitting on the bases hand, one leg is straight and the other is bent in a stag and the foot is placed by the straight leg. arms are in a high V.

Chant - a short cheer done on the sideline, usually repeated a few times, to the point, simple arm movements and easily worded for crowd participation

Chassé - is to glide

Cheer - a long cheer done out on the floor in front of the audience, often contains stunting, building, signs, poms, jumps, tumbling, flags, etc.

Cheerleader -

Cheerleading -

Cheerleading Sit Jump - see double hook

Choreography - the composition and arrangement of dances, movements & steps

Clap - done mosting in cheer is when the four fingers of each hand are held tightly together and the hands are cupped to fit around each other, separating only between the thumb and pointer finger. Also known as the Clasp

Coach - one who instructs or trains a performer or a team of performers; specifically: one who instructs people in the fundamentals of a competitive sport and directs team strategy

Coaching -

Code of Points - The official international rule book for judging gymnasts. It gives the points deducted for each type of mistake. Coil - see kick out

Composition - is the way the movements in a routine are put together.

Compulsories - is an assigned routine that must be performed by every gymnast, in exactly the same way.

Conditioning - are exercises and activities that are used to increase strength and performance.

Confidence - characterized by assurance

Considerate - thoughtful of the rights and feelings of others

Contretemps - contrary step

Cooperative - a willingness and ability to work with others

Coupé - to cut

Cradle Catch - is when a base catchs a flyer by holding her around the back and under the thighs.

Creative - having the quality of something created rather than imitated

Croisé - is a position that requires the dancer to face on the diagonal and have one leg crossed in front of the other

Crowd - the people watching the game or event

Crowd Response is the way a crowd shows in response to something the cheerleaders do to in order to gain a response

Cupie - 1 base holds the flyer up, all the way extended, with one hand. Both of the flyers feet are on the bases one hand. Also known as a kewpie & awesome. The legend behind a "Cupie" is that a UCA guy was doing a cupie, and NCA guy walked up to him and said that's awesome.

Dance - a series of rhythmic and patterned bodily movements

Dancer -

Dancing -

Daggers - arms bent, forearm directly in front of biceps, should be in front of you, not to the sides, keep fists in straight line with forearm. Also known as Table Top.

Dedication - a devoting or setting aside for a particular purpose

Deer - you grab on or under you knee and extend your leg

Defense - when the other team has the ball

Demi-point - a position on the balls of the feet.

Demi-ronds - a movement of the leg usually off the floor and travels from the front to the side or side to back or from the back to the side or side to the front

Derrière - back

Dessous - under

Dessus - over

Determination - free choice of one's own acts or states without external compulsion

Diagonal - (left) left arm looks like a High V, right arm looks like a Low V. (Right) right arm looks like a High V, left arm looks like a Low V.

Diamond Head - a shoulder stand, the base of a shoulder stand holds the waist of 2 girls, one on each side of the shoulder stand, the topper of the shoulder stand grabs hands with the two girls, they lift the two girls on each side of them up off of the ground and the girls stag one leg

Dinner - Whatever you can shove down you're throat during the 15 min break.

Dip Cradle - see pop cradle

Discipline - correction or regulation of oneself for the sake of improvement also to train or develop by instruction and exercise

Dismount - a way used to return to a floor postition following a stunt or routine

Double Cupie - a cupie with two fliers and one base or multiple bases depending on if it's a partner or group stunt

Double Hook - Sit on the ground and have one leg completely bent in front of you so it kinda forms a triangle and then bend the other leg so it goes behind you...jump at do that in the air.... (most cheerleaders sit in this position on the ground)...arms are in a high V. Also known as a pretzel.

Double Liberty - email us if you know!

Double Nine - A double is when you have one leg straight and the other one bent. The bent one had you foot touching your knee of the straight leg. Your arms basically follow that pattern. The same leg and arm are straight, while the same side of arm and leg are bent. Your hands are in fists. The bent arm's fist is at the straight arm's elbow joint.

Double Table Tops aka The Dinner Table - email us if you know!

Downwards Table Top - see daggers

Drill Down - "military" dance routines that is about self-disclipine and listening to the commander (captain of the squad)

Drill Team - an exhibition marching team that engages in precision drill

Earmuffs - see shoulder sits/wrap

Effacé - to draw aside

Elevator- is a double base stunt where you and your stunt partner are holding 1 of the flyers foot so that you both have a foot and is held at shoulder level

Elite Gymnast - A gymnast who is recognized as an international competitor.

Endurance - is the ability to exercise hard for an extended period of time, without getting tired easily.

Energy - the capacity of being active using vigorous exertion of power. Also with the WNBA Lynx's call them cheer squad.

En l'air - In ballet, a step done off the ground, for instance, tour en l'air. It is the opposite of par terre.

Enthusiastic - filled with excited and engery

Entrelacé - is to interlace

Execution - the performance of a routine. Form, style and the technique used to complete the skills constitute the level of execution of an exercise. Bent knees, poor toe point and an arched or loosely-held body position are all examples of poor execution.

Express - Like an elevator only you extend your arms all the way, don't stop at shoulders.

Extension - see elevator

FCC - Fellowship of Christian Cheerleaders

FIG - International Federation of Gymnastics Fists - is when fingers are curled inward into tight fists and the thumbs are wrapped around the fingers on the outside of the fist. Making sure wrists are tight so the fists do not break

Five Positions - in ballet, the basic positions of the feet. First position: feet in a straight line, heels touching. Second position: feet in a straight line, heels apart. Third position: one foot in front of the other, parallel to it, with heel of front foot in hollow instep of back foot. Fourth position: one foot in front of the other, parallel, but apart. Fifth position: One foot in front of the other, parallel, with heel in front foot touching toe of back foot.

Fitness - the quality or state of being fit

Flag - piece of pretty material on a poll that you move.

Flamingo - see liberty

Flash Cards - cards used to show words that they crowd can yell.

Flat Backs - flier is flat on her back in the air, everyone dips, toss the flier up, grab feet, squish & hit a half, full, etc.

Flats - see blades

Flexibility - is the ability to flex the parts of the body, with a wide range of motion Flic-Flac - take off from two feet, jump backwards onto hands and land on feet. This is a very important linking skill for passes. Also known as a flip-flop or back handspring.

Flick Cradle - see sweep

Flicker Stunt - if you know email us!

Flier - the person who is on top of a stunt/pyramid, the person who goes up in the air. Also known as Floater, Flyer & Topper.

Flip -

Floater - see Flier

Floor Cheer - see cheer

Flyer - see Flier

Flying C - is half way between a high-torch arabesque and a scorpion. the guy simply twists a lib grib to get the girl facing the corner and then you can double or single twist out of it

Forward Torch - see liberty

Fountain - is like an arabesque. The only difference is that you are extending your leg to the front and leaning backwards. Also known as waterfall.

Friendship - the quality or state of being friendly

- is the extra person in a stunt group used to hold at the front and add stability and usually holds at the foot of the flyer or wrists of the side bases

Front Limber - is like a front walkover, except you pull both legs over at once, basically, you do a hand stand, go into a backbend, and pull up.

Front Hurdler - a jump. Do is do your prep, now, bring one leg right straight in front of you, and just bend the other one at the knee and bring it up.

Front Torch - see liberty

Full Cradle - see single

Full Down - see twist down

Full-In, Back-Out - a double salto with a full twist (the complete twist performed during the first salto).

Full Extension - to do a full - Bases squat down about 6 or 7 inches, tuck your butt in, and cup your hands. Back spots, flyer is going to jump once and then place feet inside bases hands. Stay with her ankles and waist until you can't reach anymore. Then, grab the bases wrists and give support. Flyers, when you jump in, absorb (meaning, bend your legs, bases, absorb with them!) Then, lock your knees and be very tight! Get a focal point and go up. Stop first at shoulder level then press it all the way.

Fulls - Bases stand about 2-3 feet apart, or shoulder length. Cup your hands, and squat (make sure your butt is in!). Flyers, put one foot in the flyers hands. Then, take a double bounce, and put the other foot in. The bases, will bring you up to a full. Flyers - STAY tight. Get a focal point, and lock your knees! Flyers put both hands into blades and in a low V position. Cover your arms over the HE arms. Everyone, stay tight and focused! Smile and keep sharp motions!

Gaylord done on high bar. Front giant into a one-and-one-half front salto over the bar to regrasp.

Giant - a swing in which the body is fully extended and moving through a 360 degree rotation around the bar.

Grand - large

Giddy Up - is when you catch an opposite lib at should level and pop up to an extended lib. Also known as a tick tock.

Glory - praise, honor, or distinction extended by common consent

"GO" Motion - (named because it's usually hit on the word GO) - right arm straight up, next to your ear, left arm on hip.

Gymnastics - a competitive sport in which individuals perform optional and prescribed acrobatic feats mostly on special apparatus in order to demonstrate strength, balance, and body control

Gymnastics Cheer - a cheer using any gymnastics.

Half Extension - For this, you need 2 bases, a back spot, and a flyer. Do this stunt exactly how you do a full, except stop right beneath your chin and make the flyer is even.

Half Extensions - Bases stand about 2-3 feet apart, or shoulder length. Cup your hands, and squat (make sure your butt is in!). Flyers, put one foot in the flyers hands. Then, take a double bounce, and put the other foot in. The bases will bring you up into a half extension. For left side, put your left hand down in a low V position. Except, you are in blades (palm out). Your right hand is in blades, but up in a High V. (Palms out) You cover the SS arms and the FE covers yours. Right side, exact opposite of Left Side.

Half-In, Half-Out - a double salto with a half twist on the first salto and a half twist on the second salto.

Hands - 1 base, 1 flier, the base holds the fliers feet at the bases shoulder level, (looks like a shoulder stand, but not standing on shoulders)

Hands on Hip - This is pretty self explanatory. You place your fists on your hips.

Handspring - springing from the feet to the hands to the feet again. It is used as its own skill or as a linking skill, and can be done forwards or backwards.

Handstand - is a movement where the gymnast balances on the hands, with the body striaght above the hands

Heel Stretch - is just like a lib except you hold your bent leg straight up and is held with your hand the foot should be as high if not higher than your head.

Height Cradle - the bases dip together and toss the flier into the air, and the flier pikes and the base catchsHelper - see post

Herkie - see Hurkies

High Split - see split extension

High Torch - is a fully-extended variation of a lib. Where the flier stands on one straight leg which is turned sideways by the base and turns her body to face front. The knee of of other leg is raised until it is parallel to the ground and the foot is braced against the knee of the straight leg. The arms can be in any variation but usually a High V

High V - both arms are locked out with hands in buckets and held by placing the hands in a "T" and lifting them just slightly to form a "V" with the arms

Hitch - 1. is when your leg is in a lib and then you bring it out to the side so you kinda look like dog. Also known as a stag. 2. see turn out

Holder - see base

Homecoming - the return of students usually in the fall to a place formerly frequented, especially: an annual celebration for alumni at a college or high school

Honor - some thing/one whose worth brings respect or fame

Hook - is a jump executed by bending both legs underneath the body with arms are in a punch or high "V" motion. Also known as Scarecrow

Hurdler - is just like a hurkey except for your weak leg is bent level with your hips instead of bent down.

Hurkie - a jump where your weak leg is bent towards the ground and your strong leg is out to the side (like a toe touch). You should bring your strong leg as high as you can. It should feel like a kick. Also called Herkie

Ice Pack - a bag of ice used to reduce swelling.

Infront Touchdown - see candle sticks

Instructor - is an individual employed to in a certain areas. Most of the times the staff at camp

Integrity - firm adherence to a code of moral or artistic values

Jazz Fingers - hands above head and fingers moving. Also known as Spirit Fingers

Jazz Wrists - hands not closed in a fist, but not inline w/ your arms

Jeté - is to throw or toss your leg (usually in a jump)

Jumps - is an action of set placement of the arms and legs. A jump is made up of an approach, the execution and a landing

Jump Ball - A combination of two stunts: a pop up extension in the back, being centered behind the 4 double shoulder stand bases.

JV - junior varsity is a team composed of members lacking the experience or qualification required for the varsity. Usually the underclassmen.

Copyright © 1995-2005 CAM Inc.
Last modified: July 1, 2003