 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(August 2019) |
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| Formation | 1987 |
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Membership | 32 |
Director | Ashley Deaton |
| Affiliations | New Orleans Saints |
| Website | www |
Formerly called |
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The Saintsations are a cheerleading and dance squad that performs at New Orleans Saints football games. In addition, they are ambassadors for the organization and can be seen participating in various community events & projects.
The New Orleans Saints had two different sets of dance teams prior to the Saintsations. From 1967 to 1971, the original Saints dance team went by several different names, including the Lousiannes in 1967 (which was changed to the Saints Dancers after one pre-season game for that name had been copyrighted by a Louisiana-based high school), the Mademoiselles in 1968, and the Mam'selles from 1969 to 1971. The roster size averaged 48 active dancers per year, with up to 12 "reserve" dancers. The 2018 season marked the first time a male dancer was added to the team.
The original dance team was put together by Tommy Walker, the long-time entertainment director of Disneyland who worked for the Saints during the 1967–70 football seasons. His choreographer was Phyllis Nelson, a New Orleans-based dance instructor and voice coach who worked as a film actress for RKO pictures in the mid-1950s, was Miss New Orleans United States in 1954, and was a frequent on-air personality at WDSU-TV in the 1950s. Nelson was also team director from 1969 to 1971, replacing Joannie Husser (1967–68). In 1968, Nelson was assisted in the months leading into the season by Tommy Mahoney, a long-time Hollywood choreographer who worked with Tommy Walker at Disneyland. Mahoney helped stage numbers for the dancers at their practice studio which was the U.S. Naval Reserve Training Center on Lakeshore Drive in New Orleans. Once the season started, Mahoney focused on helping Walker with the production of pre-game and halftime shows.
One Mam'selle that went on to entertainment fame was Rhonda Shear (dancer 1970–71), who became a popular TV commercial actress in New Orleans before becoming a national TV star primarily thanks to the USA Network's Up All Night series that ran in the 1980s and 1990s. Another Mam'selle was Sandra Labourdette (1967–70), the original dance team's captain and later became the first Saintsations choreographer (1987–93).
The second set of Saints dance teams were from 1975–78 called the Bonnes Amies (French term meaning "Good Friends"). Under the direction and choreography of Dee Kelly Boyd Ervine, who was hired to take the team to a professional level, the Bonnes Amies were the first dancers in the new Superdome. This dance team was very supportive of many charities including the Muscular Dystrophy Association where they annually performed on the local TV affiliate's telethon in addition to having their own exclusive fundraiser for MDA. In 1978, the team was re-organized as the Angels. Unfortunately, this version of the team didn't last very long for in early October 1978 a person who was hired to be a staff assistant to the Angels was discovered to have been arrested for drug possession, but when the New Orleans Saints issued a press statement on this situation the club wouldn't specify that none of the dancers nor their choreographer were involved in the arrest. When the Saints organization refused to allow anyone on the Angels to speak to the press on this matter, the dance team's ties with the Saints ended. The disbanding was so noteworthy that a "radio cartoon" was produced by famed New Orleans broadcaster Ed Clancy called "Saints Angels" which was a parody of the 1950s hit "Earth Angel" by the Crew Cuts where Ed was able to get Crew Cuts lead singer John Perkins to sing lead on his parody as well.
The Bonnes Amiees averaged 16 dancers per year on their roster, the Angels 24.
In 1987, Saints General Manager Jim Finks suggested bringing back a dance team to the sidelines which would work in conjunction with the Saints cheerleaders (acrobatic), which had been part of the team since 1967. Under further organizational thought from Saints entertainment director Barra Birrcher (director from 1971–2007), a tryout was held in the spring of 1987. Sandra Labourdette from The Labourdette School Of Dancing in Metairie, LA was chosen as the choreographer. 27 dancers were chosen to be part of what was initially called "The Saints Dancers" before a contest was held where more fans chose the name "Saintsations". Ironically, the first year of the Saintsations the Saints had their first-ever winning season and first playoff appearance. The roster size varied over the years, usually in the 30s, and as high as 40 dancers in 1997.
Original Saintsation Angie Waguespack took over as choreographer from 1994–1999. Another one-time Saintsation Lani Quaglino-Neil (1994–99) followed as choreographer in 2000.
The greatest change in Saintsations history occurred in 2001 when St. All-Star, LLC, based on the North shore of Lake Pontchartrain (north of New Orleans), took over the rights to the dance team and created new marketing, promotions, and costume designs that gave the fans a greater variety of dance routines and looks. St. All-Star, LLC was operated by Lesslee Fitzmorris and Royce Mitchell, who produced over 20 NFL Super Bowl pregame entertainment shows. Their efforts recruited outstanding young women as team members. Many former team members are leaders in their communities and serve as doctors, lawyers, teachers, and business owners. Saintsations choreographers have included So You Think You Can DancesStar Steven Boss, LSU Golden Girl director Blair Buras, TV personality Tamica Lee, Lora Davis, Eileen and Michael Arnold, and famed choreographer Denise Glamour.[ citation needed ] Kelly Dupont served as the appearance coordinator. The average roster size is 28-36. The team has ranged in age from 18 to 42.
Under St. All-Star, LLC, the Saintsations have become international ambassadors of goodwill by touring with the USO to military bases in Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan, and other locations to provide entertainment and reassurance for the U.S. military. They also appear at functions in the New Orleans area for charitable, non-profit, and commercial organizations. The Saintsations have their own charitable foundations, including the Saintsations Inspiration Program. Every year this program allows girls under 18 to perform on the Superdome floor with the dance team before a Saints game. The team sponsors a yearly scholarship for a high school dancer or cheerleader. In 2017, the Saintsations returned to the New Orleans Saints management. Ashley Deaton is the current director.[ citation needed ]
The Saintsations are no strangers to the international stage. Their first overseas performance was in 1990 in London, when the Saints played the Los Angeles Raiders in a pre-season contest. They made appearances during the week leading into the game and on game day. They repeated this in 1993, when the Saints played in Tokyo for a pre-season game versus the Philadelphia Eagles. Since February 2004, the Saintsations have been the invited guests of the NFL to perform at the annual London Superbash, the official Super Bowl party in Great Britain. In February 2008, they also performed at the official NFL party in Mexico City called the "Fiesta Super Bowl." The Saintsations returned to London again in late October 2008, when the Saints played the San Diego Chargers in a regular-season game at Wembley Stadium.
The Saintsations have sent a member to the Pro Bowl every year since February 1993.
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The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the team plays its home games at Caesars Superdome after utilizing Tulane Stadium during its first eight seasons. Founded by John W. Mecom Jr., David Dixon, and the city of New Orleans on November 1, 1966, the Saints joined the NFL as an expansion team in 1967. They are named after the jazz music heritage of New Orleans and the spiritual hymn "When the Saints Go Marching In".
The Caesars Superdome is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the home stadium of the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL).
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are the National Football League cheerleading squad representing the Dallas Cowboys team.
National Football League Cheerleading or simply NFL Cheerleading, is a group of professional cheerleading organizations in the United States. 25 of the 32 NFL teams include a cheerleading squad in their franchise. Cheerleaders are a popular attraction that can give a team more coverage/airtime, popular local support, and increased media image. In 1954, the Baltimore Colts became the first NFL team to have cheerleaders. They were part of Baltimore's Marching Colts.
The Seahawks Dancers, formerly known as the Sea Gals, are the official cheerleading squad of the NFL team Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks Dancers perform a variety of dance routines during home games. Previously, a select performance team called the Sea Gals Show Group traveled to perform in parades, events overseas and at home with the USO. They also participated in events with other NFL Cheerleaders around the world.
Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans, Louisiana on August 29, 2005 and caused extensive damage to the Louisiana Superdome. As a result, the National Football League (NFL)'s New Orleans Saints were unable to play any home games at the Superdome for the entire 2005 NFL regular season. The dome was also used as a storm shelter for people who were unable to evacuate the city before the storm.
The Tulane University Marching Band (TUMB) is the marching band of Tulane University. It performs at every Tulane Green Wave football home game in Yulman Stadium, bowl games, and some away games. It is also marches in New Orleans Mardi Gras parades each year, having appeared in Le Krewe d'Etat, the Krewe of Thoth, the Krewe of Bacchus, and the Krewe of Rex, among others.
The 1991 New Orleans Saints season was the team's 25th season in the National Football League. The Saints won their first-ever division title, and reached the postseason for the second consecutive year. However, they lost their playoff opener at home in the wild card round to their bitter division rival, the Atlanta Falcons, and would have to wait another nine years before winning their first playoff game in franchise history.
The 1987 New Orleans Saints season was the team's 21st year in the National Football League (NFL). The strike-shortened year was the Saints' first-ever winning season. The Saints also qualified for the postseason for the first time, riding largely on a nine-game winning streak to close the season. The Saints earned the second-best record in the NFL in 1987, but were in the same division as the team with the best record, the San Francisco 49ers, and entered the playoffs as a wild card. However, they were soundly defeated at home by the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, by a score of 44–10. The Vikings entered the playoffs with an 8–7 record and needed the Dallas Cowboys to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals on the final day of the season to qualify. The Saints' first winning season would be followed by another six consecutive non-losing seasons. Before the 1987 season, the Saints' non-losing seasons had consisted of only two 8–8 seasons, in 1979 and 1983. Head coach Jim Mora was named NFL Coach of the Year.
The 1979 New Orleans Saints season was the team's thirteenth season in the National Football League. The Saints finished the season at 8–8, the franchise's first non-losing season. After starting 0–3, New Orleans won seven of its next 10 and was tied for first place with the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC West with three weeks to play, but the season unraveled in a Monday Night Football contest at home vs. the Oakland Raiders, when the Saints squandered a 35–14 lead and lost, 42–35. The Raiders returned to the Superdome a little over a year later and won Super Bowl XV.
The 2012 season was the New Orleans Saints' 46th in the National Football League and their 37th playing home games at the Superdome. It would have been their seventh season under head coach Sean Payton, but he was suspended by the NFL for the entire season as part of the punishment for the team's bounty scandal. On April 12, 2012, linebackers coach Joe Vitt was named interim head coach to replace Payton while he was suspended. On August 22, 2012, it was announced that Aaron Kromer would take over while Vitt himself served a six-game suspension to start the regular season. The Saints attempted to make history as the first host team to play the Super Bowl on their own home field, but they were eliminated from post-season contention for the first time since 2008 in Week 16. The Saints set an NFL record for most yards given up by a defense, 7,042 yards, surpassing the 1981 Baltimore Colts record of 6,793 yards.
The Chicago Honey Bears were a cheerleading squad for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The group performed at Bears games at Soldier Field. After Super Bowl XX, the squad was disbanded, and currently, the Bears are one of the seven NFL teams that do not have cheerleaders, along with the Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, Los Angeles Chargers, and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The 2013 season was the New Orleans Saints' 47th in the National Football League and their 38th playing home games at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. It also marked the seventh season under head coach Sean Payton, who returned to the team after serving a one-year suspension for his involvement in the team's 2012 bounty scandal.
The 2014 season was the New Orleans Saints' 48th in the National Football League, their 39th playing home games at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and their eighth under head coach Sean Payton.
The 2015 season was the New Orleans Saints' 49th in the National Football League, their 40th playing home games at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and their ninth under head coach Sean Payton. On November 16, 2015, the Saints hired Dennis Allen to replace fired defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. However, the Saints still missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season. The Saints set a new league record for the most passing touchdowns allowed with 45.
The 2016 season was the New Orleans Saints' 50th in the National Football League (NFL), their 41st playing home games at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, and their 10th under head coach Sean Payton. The Saints matched their 7–9 record from 2014 and 2015, and missed the playoffs for the third year in a row. One highlight from the season includes quarterback Drew Brees' first return to San Diego for the first time since the Chargers released him at the end of the 2005 season, also where Brees played his first five seasons in. This came 10 years after the Chargers released Brees after the Saints' previous regular season meetings with the Chargers were home games for the Saints, and including a 2008 meeting at Wembley Stadium in London, a game which New Orleans was designated as the home team.
The 2017 season was the New Orleans Saints' 51st in the National Football League, their 42nd playing home games at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and their 11th under head coach Sean Payton. The team improved on their 7–9 output from the previous season, while achieving an eight-game winning streak after losing their first two contests, their longest streak since 2009, when they won Super Bowl XLIV. In Week 13 the Saints clinched their first winning season since 2013 and swept the Carolina Panthers for the first time since 2011. In Week 16, the Saints clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2013 by defeating the Atlanta Falcons. In Week 17, the Saints clinched the NFC South for the first time since 2011 with the Panthers loss to the Falcons. This was the first of four consecutive NFC South titles for the Saints. On January 7, 2018 the Saints played their divisional rival Carolina Panthers in the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. They beat Carolina 31–26 in the Wild Card, but lost 29–24 to the Minnesota Vikings in the Divisional Round in a shocking ending.
The 2018 season was the New Orleans Saints' 52nd in the National Football League, their 43rd at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and their 12th under head coach Sean Payton.
The 2020 season was the New Orleans Saints' 54th season in the National Football League, their 45th playing home games at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, and their 14th under head coach Sean Payton. Although they failed to match their 13–3 records from 2018 and 2019, the Saints defended their NFC South title for the fourth consecutive year following a Week 16 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. After beating the San Francisco 49ers in Week 10, they won six straight games for the fourth consecutive season. With a Week 13 win over the Atlanta Falcons, the Saints clinched a franchise record fourth consecutive playoff appearance. After Week 17 victory over the division rival, Carolina Panthers, the Saints became the first NFC South member to sweep the division in its history. During the Wildcard round against the Chicago Bears of the 2020–21 NFL playoffs, the Saints made history as one of the first two teams to air in a post-season football game on Nickelodeon, a primarily children-related network. The Saints would defeat the Bears 21–9, advancing to the divisional round, where they were defeated by division rival and eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 30–20, despite having swept them in the regular season.
The 2021 season was the New Orleans Saints' 55th season in the National Football League, the 46th playing home games at Caesars Superdome and the 15th and final season under head coach Sean Payton. After starting the season 5–2, the Saints fell into a five game losing streak after losing starting quarterback Jameis Winston to a torn ACL in Week 8 vs. Winston's former team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They also failed to improve on their 12–4 record from last year, as well as failing to win the division title for the first time since 2016. Despite winning four of their last five games, the Saints missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016 after the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Los Angeles Rams in Week 18. The Saints finished tied with the Philadelphia Eagles for the 7th seed in the NFC, but lost the tiebreaker based on the teams' Week 11 head-to-head meeting—won by the Eagles.
