In Bring It On, Sparky quipped, “Male cheerleaders. Enough said.” But, that’s absolutely not so when it comes to Alabama’s all-male squad, the Prancing Elites.
The five-member squad with a passion for dance performs at local sporting events and parades. Without a doubt, the style they bring to cheerleading is unique and exciting.
The Mobile-based group has been around since 2004, when they were founded by Elite Hayward. (The group was originally called “Them,” but was renamed to honor Elite when he died in 2006). However, the troupe’s YouTube videos didn’t get much circulation until a recent shout-out from Shaq.
SHAQTIN A FOOL PRESENTS. THESE DUDES B JAMMIN. http://t.co/5fDov676dQ
— SHAQ (@SHAQ) June 14, 2013
In the week since Shaq tweeted the video, the Prancing Elites have skyrocketed from local stars to international inspirations.
“Over the past few days we’ve received an enormous amount of support from all over the world, i.e. Italy, Japan, South Africa, Vietnam, Hawaii, just to name a few… These people all are Prancing Elites fans,” the Facebook admin recently wrote.
Although they appreciate the attention and support, team captain Kentrell Collins said it still surprises them.
“This wasn’t something that we ever dreamed about being on a public platform, where it is now where social media is concerned,” he told Fox Sports South this week. “It’s just something that we’ve been doing for so long despite what people say, we just continue doing what we love to do.”
Urging fans to “dance like it’s nobody’s business,” the troupe has received some backlash for their provocative moves.
“It really doesn’t matter what you or anyone thinks about what we do because it’s a free country and we are free to do what we want,” wrote one self-identified team member in the comment section of the first YouTube video.
Kentrell also told Fox Sports the team’s unity and faith helps them overcome criticism.
“A lot of people stereotype us, saying ‘Well, they shouldn’t do this. God doesn’t like this. God doesn’t like that.’ Well, my thing is God would have not blessed me with such talent if he didn’t like it. You may not understand it, but we love it.”
For now, the group is looking ahead for bigger and better things. They are already in talks with MTV2 to participate in Ain’t That America With Lil Duval — and something tells me that won’t be the last we see of them.
