By Samin Vafaee
The distant roaring of the crowd, the familiar voices of the announcers, the rainbow of the opposing team’s colors — there are many ways to recognize the beginning of a football game. But some of the most exciting moments outside of the game itself are the cheerleaders’ performances. Jon Reyes knows this excitement at an especially deep level.
Reyes is the only male cheerleader on the San Francisco 49ers football team this season and he’s paving the way for greater diversity and inclusion in professional sports, by breaking into what has been, for decades, primarily a female profession.
“It almost feels normal to break gender norms,” Reyes says. “I’m the only male cheerleader on this team, but I accredit it to other people like my directors on the team and my teammates.”
Reyes, an immigrant from the Philippines, didn’t let his late start in dance stop his dreams of becoming a professional dancer. After taking a dance class at Natomas Charter School’s Performing and Fine Arts Academy, Reyes couldn’t shake the dancer bug. A few years after graduation he started attending classes at Sac Dance Lab while also pursuing his bachelor’s degree in communication Studies at Sacramento State. The studio specializes in commercial dance classes, including hip-hop, ballet and heels.
“It has given me a sense of community. It’s given me purpose. It’s given me that passion for teaching even though I’m still dancing myself,” he says. “My friends at Sac Dance Lab have the same goals. Anytime someone makes it out of the studio, it’s such a big accomplishment. It feels like a win for the studio.”
After Reyes saw his friends at Sac Dance Lab landing professional industry jobs, he was inspired to do the same. Following Jonathon Romero, the first-ever male cheerleader to dance for the 49ers last season, Reyes has now become the second male dancer to join the Gold Rush squad.
Reyes credits this achievement to hard work; both physical and emotional. “It’s hard. You have to be a little realistic,” he says. “Physical in that you have to be self disciplined, dedicated and almost obsessed with the team you want to dance for. It’s physically demanding.”
Although the process of being a professional cheerleader can be physically demanding, Reyes says the emotional toll this journey can take on a person is also a challenge. “You have to prepare yourself for all the successes but also for all the ‘no’s,’” he says.
He remembers two years ago when he auditioned and his dance mate and personal friend, Romero, made the team. As happy as Reyes was for him, he also doubted himself at that moment.
“You can eat it up, you can slay it on the dance floor, but if you find yourself in the deepest hole the thing that matters is how you take yourself out of it,” he says. “You can take a couple days off to sit in it, feel it, but then when am I gonna see you again at the studio putting in the work?”
Auditions start in early spring each year, and Reyes began his with a video submission that included an introduction and a dance performance. “You have to be ready as a dancer, but also to present yourself as a well-rounded individual,” he says.
After waiting about two weeks, Reyes was told he was part of the 60 finalists to make it to the next round. What came next were weeks of rehearsals, photoshoots and interviews. At the final audition, he performed a two and half minute routine, including both choreographed and freestyle portions. A few weeks later, he was officially a member of the San Francisco Gold Rush.
Reyes is already planning to audition again for the next NFL season. One sentiment he has learned and wants people to know about is the misunderstood perception of men in cheerleading.
“I guess my issue is that male cheerleaders in the NFL are often perceived as selfish,” he says. “But being almost done with my season, we are there for reasons outside of us. For the people who brought us there like our friends and family, for the fans who love the sport, for the little boys who look up to us, literally for anyone who wants to see us on that field.”