ABSTRACT
Varsity Spirit is a monopolistic US corporation that runs regional, national, and international K-12, collegiate, and all-star cheer and dance competitions for millions of young people annually. All-star practices grew throughout the 1990s, which correlates with the rise of “colorblind” ideologies, mass incarceration, and neoliberal policies that sought to privatize and censor creative production. Reading toe touches through the structural and sociohistorical context of Varsity Spirit competitions can reveal implicit ties to historic representations of white women’s “lethal power” even if choreography does not reference them explicitly. Toe touches overwhelmingly performed by young white girls on Varsity Spirit stages evoke these historic roles and racialized relations. Like whiteness, a socialized, authoritative gaze often confers collective power and cultural capital to those who adhere to homogenizing performances of “pure” transcendence. Yet, recognizing historical and structural forces provides the opportunity to disrupt an alignment and redirect collective power.
