Vikings History

Vikings Cheerleading Club started in 2012 just for fun with one competitive team, coached by Annie Merriel and Kaitlin Brown. After a very successful first year of competition, the girls in our debut Pom team were eager to come back and do it all over again.
In 2013, we decided to expand and offer more teams in more age levels. Growing from just one pom team in 2012 to seven dances teams, including duos, our little club became bigger in 2013. In the coming years we hope to add more teams and spread the joy of cheer and dance to more dancers around Australia.
We strongly believe this is a sport approaching its prime and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for us.
We are also able to provide cheerleaders for corporate, commercial and sporting events, whether you require dancers for a half time performance or as promotional girls at an event we can provide what you need. Please email admin@vikingscheerleading.com for futher information.

Cheer and Dance

Cheerleading in currently one of the fastest growing sports in Australia. It is a great source of exercise and even more fun. At Vikings Cheerleading Club we promote health and fitness in a team sport like no other. Our students build strength, flexibility and friendships that last a lifetime.

 

Dance Style Descriptions:

*According in the Australian All Star Cheerleading Federations guidelines

Pom: Minimum of four people. Pom poms must be used 80% of the routine. Important characteristics of a pom routine include synchronization and visual effect, clean and precise motions, strong pom technique, and incorporate dance technical elements. Visual effect includes level changes, group work, formation changes, the use of different colour poms, etc.

Jazz: Minimum of four people. Execution, style, control, transitions and creativity performed to high energy music. Routines must be age appropriate. A jazz routine incorporates stylized dance movements and combinations, formation changes, group work, leaps and turns. Emphasis is placed on proper technical execution, extension, control, body placement and team uniformity.

Contemporary: Minimum of four people. In keeping with the IASF Dance Rules, modern/contemporary routines implement the principles of classical technique, fall and recovery, and/or contraction and release and weight sharing to express inner feeling as related to the musical or narrative piece.

Lyrical: Routines combine the principles of jazz and ballet and emphasize proper technical execution, the use of flexibility, balance and mood. Routines are fluid in movement and focus on emotion that compliments the musical selection.

Hip Hop: Routines emphasize the street style movements with an emphasis on execution, style, creativity, body isolations and control, rhythm, uniformity and musical interpretation. Teams may also put an additional focus on athletic incorporations such as jumps, jump variations, combo jumps and other tricks.

http://www.aascf.com.au/

Coaching Staff

 

Head Coach – Annie

The head coach and founder of Vikings Cheerleading Club is Annie Merriel. Annie has danced ever since she can remember and has been trained in many different styles. Annie learnt in Jazz and Tap at Linette Louise School of Dance, then moving to the Dance Factory in Richmond to train in Jazz, Tap, Ballet and Hip Hop. In April of 2013 she graduated from Deakin University with a Bachelor of Creative Arts (Dance and Drama) with Distinction. It was during her time at Deakin that she fell in love with cheerleading. In 2011, she joined the Deakin Dragons Cheerleading Club, competing in both the Pom team and the contemporary dance team. During her first year competing she was a part of Deakin’s National Championship winning Pom Team earning a place in the World University Cheer and Dance Championship at Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida. She traveled to America in January 2013, as a Co-Captain of this teams she led her team to place second!

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Assistant – Monique

Monique Sangster is a new addition to the Vikings Cheerleading Club. Heralding originally from Shepparton, Monique has grown up as part of the local theatre group Shepparton Theatre Arts Group. At a young age she had decided to become a triple threat learning to sing, dance and act. Going through just about every genre available Monique has had training in Ballroom, Jazz, Contemporary and Musical Theatre.
At 19, Monique moved to Melbourne to study a Bachelor of Creative Arts (Drama and Creative Writing) at Deakin University (graduated April 2014). It was here that she met our Head Coach Annie Merriel, where the pair found that their passion and drive makes them quite a dynamic duo.
Known as “Mama Mon” to the girls, Monique will be bringing her years of classical and contemporary singing training to the plate with Vikings Cheerleading Club offering singing lessons in 2015.

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