What Are Majorette Dresses Used For?

Posted on - 6th April 2022

Majorette dresses, as their name suggests, are used by majorettes – a group of performers who specialise in illusion, cartwheels, flips, and baton twirling. Today, these dresses are also used by cheerleaders. 

The Origin of Majorette Dresses

The majorette style dates back to the late 17th century, as a form of entertainment in the German Rhineland . In those days, performers would follow armies and put on a kind of carnival for troops. One group of performers began to parody both the ‘normal’ form of government (meaning either a democracy or monarchy) and the military. 

The joke was that, if the existing military and form of government were worthy of mocking, then the Prussian military (which at the time was laying siege to the Rhineland) was even more of an absolute joke – the Prussian military being a noted extreme of both the military and the government. These performers were known as Tanzmariechen (Dance Marys) in German. 

In typical fashion, these Tanzmariechen would mock the officer class with impunity – as both civilians and performers they were valued for their ability to raise morale. Often, the Tanzmariechen would pretend to be the officer in charge. It is because of these that the Tanzmariechen have their name in English – Majorettes. 

An Evolving Form 

As the years passed, the role of the Tanzmariechen changed. Firstly, as the level of militarism within Germany diminished, the role of the Tanzmariechen in military life diminished, until it was near-nonexistent. Next, with greater immigration between Germany and the United States, the Tanzmariechen began to take up their current position as representatives of sports teams and the like – under the term majorettes and cheerleaders.  

However, while majorettes and cheerleaders are often found in a supporting role to sports teams, the idea of a majorette or cheerleading squad being an extension of a sports team is one which is not reflected in reality. Majorette teams and cheer squads are independent organisations, with their own competitions and representative organisations. In the UK, we have several such organisations. 

Recognising a Majorette Dress

Although the style started as a form of military mockery, the modern majorette dress is as far from military dress code as possible! 

The modern majorette dress is a single piece of material, with either long sleeves or no sleeves. Modern dresses usually reach down to just above the knee and are made of a thin material, such as nylon or lycra. 

Majorette Dresses From Olympique 

Olympique carries a range of majorette dresses, in a range of colours. Our majorette leotard designs range from the traditional to the thoroughly modern. 

For more information about our range of majorette dresses, get in touch with Olympique today.