Weekly Spotlight: Kim Irwin, Jody Oberfelder, FF Alumns, available all week HERE.

Energy, empowerment, and excitement is the name of the game for this Weekly Spotlight on Kim Irwin and Jody Oberfelder’s “Wanted X-Cheerleaders!” This 47-minute performance from 1994 includes interviews with current and former cheerleaders reflecting on the lessons they have learned, their perceived roles in their environments, and what stereotypes they have faced and embraced throughout their cheer careers. Following the interviews is a live routine, where the performance artists, all former cheerleaders, reclaim their sexuality and power. They joyously shout cheers with feminist messages and call out gendered stereotypes and systems, all the while inspiring the audience to join in. This twist on a traditional routine enables the performers to redefine cheerleading by sharing and embodying liberating messages with a uniquely fun, humorous, and acrobatic delivery. Enjoy! (Text by Mamou Samaké, FF Intern, June 2020)