Cheerleaders in action at the Shanghai Sharks' first home game in Baoshan district on November 10 Photo: Cai Xianmin/GT

Under the bright lights of the Shanghai Baoshan Sports Center on Yongqing Road, Baoshan district, a group of young Chinese girls dressed in colorful uniforms, are dancing to the music and waving pompoms to an appreciative crowd of fans. Their energetic dance moves and gestures go hand in hand with their alluring smiles.

These girls, of different ages and occupations, have an important position on the city's basketball courts. They are the cheerleaders for the Chinese Basketball Association's (CBA) Shanghai Sharks - or as the Sharks players and fans know them, "the basketball girls." The Shanghai Sharks' cheerleaders over the past few seasons of the CBA league have been chosen from two city cheerleading groups - the NaNa team and the IDance team. And this tradition is back in force for the league's current season which kicked off in November.

"This year, we have some 20-plus girls to perform at every Shanghai Sharks' home game and most are experienced members of our team," Jin Xiaoyan, one-time captain and now the coach of the NaNa team told the Global Times. "Although we do recruit new talent every season." Jin has been with the team for more than 10 years.

An early start 

The NaNa team dates back to 1999, making it one of the earliest established cheerleading teams in China. "The turn of the 21st century not only saw the rapid growth of our team, but also marked the heyday of the Shanghai Sharks, who won the 2001-02 CBA championship," Jin recalled.

As the years progressed, many of Jin's original fellow dancers left and now her team is mainly composed of university students and new graduates born in the late 1980s and the early 1990s.

"We do have some basic physical requirements (height, weight and appearance) when it comes to selecting cheerleaders, but our primary concern is always with the spirit and personal qualities of the candidates. As a cheerleader, you have to be passionate, energetic, cheerful, positive and selfless. And, of course, you should also have a strong sense of responsibility and teamwork," Jin explained.

Curiously, dance skills are not necessary for aspiring cheerleaders - the team provides dance and cheerleading training for its members. Currently, Jin leads training sessions for a group of 30 or so girls every Friday night.

She believes that these college students and office workers are united by their enthusiasm for cheerleading and their love for sport. "The girls cheer for the Shanghai Sharks largely out of their passion for basketball, even though they get paid for doing this."

Jin said a cheerleader gets an allowance of 300 yuan ($49) for performing at a home game for the Shanghai Oriental Basketball Club, the club owned by the legendary former NBA star Yao Ming. This covers everything including transport, meals and training sessions. "The amount might be considered trifling by many but it's 10 times the amount we were paid back in the early 2000s when I first joined and cheered for the Shanghai team," Jin said.

Yin Jie cheers for the Shanghai Sharks bringing her personalities and energy to the games and the fans. Photo: Courtesy of the cheerleader

Games for free

Twenty-four-year-old Yin Jie is the captain of the NaNa team for the current season of the CBA league. She joined the team in 2007 when she was still a freshman at the Foreign Languages College at Shanghai Normal University. As a devoted fan of the Shanghai Sharks, she volunteered and got into the NaNa team's training class. "I figured that I could watch the Sharks' games for free this way," Yin, now a social services counselor, told the Global Times.

After a year's training, Yin made her cheerleading debut at a Sharks' home game and since then, she hasn't stopped cheering for them whether they win or lose.

One big reason for Yin's devotion to the cheerleading team is the closeness of the cheerleaders. "It's like a sorority where you can meet other girls who share the same interest. We help each other and gain strength and resolve from each other. More importantly, we're bound together by the team spirit - there's no competition among us. Even if one girl sometimes steals the limelight on the basketball court, the rest of us are happy for her because everyone is a real part of the group," Yin said proudly.

She acknowledged that it could often be hard to commit to meeting and training every week. "Although it's not always easy to maintain a balance between work and life, I've still managed to stick with the group as I really enjoy my time training and playing with other girls, even after working hard for a full week."

Throughout her six years of cheerleading, Yin has seen herself change from an introvert to an outgoing and lively person. "I used to be shy and quiet, and wasn't really good at dealing with people. But since I joined the NaNa team, I have learned how to be more involved and how to get along with other girls."

She's not the only one who's happy with cheerleading.

"My parents are totally supportive although sometimes they nag me about spending too much time training, exercising and cheerleading. But I know in their hearts, they're very proud of what I've been doing all these years."

Yuan Zhihao cheers for the Shanghai Sharks bringing her personalities and energy to the games and the fans. Photo: Courtesy of the cheerleader

A different induction

Another NaNa team member, Yuan Zhihao, works for a State-owned enterprise. The 25-year-old joined the group during her first year at the Shanghai Business School. Unlike Yin Jie who volunteered to join the group, Yuan's induction as a cheerleader was very different.

Yuan's parents were both athletes in their youth and she was interested in dancing and performing from childhood. Since starting school the elegant, slender girl had been dancing or involved with sports.

In 2007 when she took part in a parade in Shanghai to promote the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Yuan was spotted by Zhu Ruyi, a senior NaNa team member who was then famous as the first Shanghai cheerleader to dance all the way to the 2006 NBA All-Star Game in Houston.

"It was like a dream to me when I first met Zhu Ruyi in person. She was an idol and a role model for aspiring young girls, like me, to follow," Yuan said.

With Zhu's guidance, Yuan quickly passed the tryouts and entered the NaNa team's training class. After cheerleading for the Shanghai Sharks for a couple of seasons, Yuan was nicknamed "the goddess" by local basketball fans for her infectious smile, elegant bearing, and cheerful demeanor.

What makes her story more intriguing is that she met her own sporting Prince Charming among the fans. "I was asked to have my picture taken with a group of local basketball fans after a Shanghai Sharks game three years ago and that was when I first met my boyfriend. After the photos were taken, he came up to me and asked if we could exchange phone numbers. I said yes. And after that game, he invited me out and we talked a lot and found that we shared a lot in common. That's how our relationship started."

They will walk down the aisle this month and plan to start a family next year - so she will give up cheerleading for a while. "Actually, I finished my last cheerleading session for the Shanghai Sharks in late November - I have too many things to attend to with my big day approaching.

"But I will stick with the group by visiting my coach and team members. And after I have a baby I will definitely be back on the court sometime, dancing with my friends again."

Linn Englund Holm (blonde) cheers for the Shanghai Sharks bringing her personalities and energy to the games and the fans. Photo: Courtesy of the cheerleader

Foreign influences

The CBA league offers a stage not just for Chinese girls yearning for attention and applause, but also for a few foreigners eager to share passions for dancing and basketball, and to make new friends in another country. Linn Englund Holm is one.

The 20-year-old Swedish girl came to study Chinese at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in September 2012. Shortly after her arrival to the city, Holm learned from her university friend that the Shanghai Sharks team was looking for new cheerleaders.

"So I sent the team leader a video of me competing in dancing contests back home," the blonde told the Global Times.

The team leader then was Zhang Qi, a former member of the NaNa team and founder of IDance, another cheerleaders' agency in Shanghai.

"I was accepted by the IDance team and was cheerleading with the Shanghai Sharks in my first season last year. I loved it from the very beginning - the dancing, the basketball and most of all, my team. The girls have become very good friends - I really like them," Holm said.

Although she enjoyed life as a student and a cheerleader in Shanghai, Holm had to return to Sweden five months later. "I fell in love with Shanghai. It's a big and beautiful city with many options and a lot of fun - very different from the small city where I live in Sweden."

But, driven by her enthusiasm for life in Shanghai, Holm has managed to make her way back to the city and in September began studying in a four-year bachelor program at Shanghai's Donghua University. "While my major is international trade, I do hope to learn Chinese and keep dancing for the Sharks."

Although she is the only foreign cheerleader with the Shanghai Sharks for the current season, Holm doesn't feel the slightest bit isolated or lonely. "I don't see myself as a foreign cheerleader - rather I feel like one of them. The girls treat me very well and make me feel very comfortable. We talk in English and Chinese, and I have a lot of fun with them. I'm very happy to have the chance to dance with them."

Holm has been dancing since she was young and, before arriving in Shanghai, participated with a disco dance team in Swedish, European and world championship events. She said cheerleading with the CBA league is different to her dancing styles in Sweden.

"Back there I used to compete with other girls and teams. People won and people lost. But in the CBA league, we dance for audiences on court, and I think cheering for a team is great fun. I had never been interested in basketball before, but cheering for the Shanghai Sharks has taught me some of the rules and the sport really appeals now."

Holm said that her big wish was to be a member of the Shanghai Sharks cheerleading team for as long as she stays in the city.