Cheerleaders and majorettes equals party time | TF1 | Reportages

They love to dance, to march in time, to smile, put on sparkly dresses and brightly coloured wigs…they are the majorettes! An old-fashioned pastime argue some, all the more worthwhile for that say its defenders. In its traditional stronghold of northern France, girls aged from 3 upwards take part in the traditional Sunday majorette parade, for which the girls wake as early as five a.m. to prepare for the big day. The program consists of maybe a medal, certainly the town band, hardly any spectators, and buckets full of rain. But the ladies keep smiling through it all! At Montpellier, in the south of France, three generations of majorettes are in charge of a battalion of volunteers. Sixteen girls, aged from 23 to 58 years old, set the pace, twirling their batons in perfect time, and have the distinction to have been chosen to represent France for its first ever entry into the Majorette World Championships. If you’re one of those who think the whole thing is a little corny, well, at least you might admire the pom-pom girls, or cheerleaders that seem to have become a regular feature at most sporting events in France. Be it majorettes or cheerleaders, wherever they are, a party will surely follow!