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Why the Cheer Live Tour Could Be Navarro's Biggest Stunt Yet

As part of E!’s Backstage Pass, coach Monica Aldama and cheerleader Maddy Brum shared behind-the-scenes secrets of Cheer’s brand-new traveling tour.

By Mike Vulpo Jun 20, 2022 1:30 PMTags
Watch: Netflix's Cheer: Monica & Maddy EXCITED Over Live Tour

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This summer, we can, we will, we must see Cheer Live on tour.

National champion coach Monica Aldama always knew that Navarro cheer was bigger than just Texas. So when the Netflix star was presented with the idea in 2020 to take the show on a national tour, she was all ears.

"It's actually been about two and a half years in the making," Monica exclusively shared with E! News. "Putting together a live show that's 90 minutes long is definitely interesting, because most of our routines are two minutes and 15 seconds."

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Cheer Season 2 Cast

But as Cheer fans know, Monica and her talented group of cheerleaders—including Gabi Butler and Morgan Simianer—aren't afraid to go all in once they commit. What came next was the Cheer Live 2022 tour.

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Traveling across the country from now until July 17, close to two dozen of Navarro and Trinity Valley's most talented cheerleaders are coming together to create a show filled with never-before-seen stunts, pyramids and dance performances. If you ask Maddy Brum, every night she hits the stage is a pinch me moment. 

"It's so much fun and it is a very out of body experience for sure," the cheerleader shared with E! News. "You can see the impact you make on kids. It really has moved me in a way that shows me I am making a difference just by doing what I love—and that others can do that, too. It definitely hits me really good in the heart."

While Maddy wasn't one to spoil any of the surprises in the show, Monica admitted that the grand finale leaves the entire cast overcome with emotion.

"When the lights come back on, there's that moment where you have all these people right there in front of you just yelling for you," Monica said. "It's kind of an indescribable moment. It's the physical and the mental part too. Learning the routine, learning the show. It was a big push. It was a lot of hard work, but the reward is so great." 

For more behind-the-scenes secrets of Cheer Live, keep reading. And to find out when the show is coming to your town, click here.

From Dream to Reality

Created by Monica Aldama and Andy Cosferent, Cheer Live gives fans of the Netflix series the opportunity to experience the sport in a unique way. "We have some storytelling, a lot of different concepts," Monica teased. "I think everyone's actually going to really love it. It's a whole new concept of cheerleading."

 

Life on the Road

After leaving the stage, the Cheer Live cast heads on a tour bus where it's one big happy family. "There are six bunks on each side just stacked on top of each other. They're on both sides and there's two sets of them," Maddy Brum described to E! News. "There's a lot of us and they told us to split the bus in two, but we didn't want to do that. We wanted to be together. So there's 12 of us on my bus and most of us all cheer together. It's a lot of fun and, obviously, we're all like brothers and sisters." 

Champions Meeting Champions

When Olympic gymnast Simone Biles attended Cheer Live in Houston, Maddy couldn't hide her excitement. "We hung out at the show. She went into our dressing rooms. She was really, really sweet and it was really cool that she got to explain her gymnastics tour compared to our cheer tour and how they're so similar and how they're so different too," she shared. "We ended up going to get some dinner together with her and a bunch of other people in the cast. It was really, really nice."

Favorite Things

When it comes to picking her favorite part of the show, Monica can't decide on just one. "There is kind of a deeper moment in act two that I kind of got teared up the first few times I saw it so," she said. "The show also starts off with a throwback of cheerleading through the years, which I was like, ‘Oh, that's my favorite part. I'm old school. I cheered in the ‘80s. This is it.'" 

Magic Moments

Maddy agreed that it's impossible to pick just one part of the show as a standout. "Every time we added a new number, we would say, 'That's my favorite part,'" she recalled. "I think we got the whole show and we're like, 'OK, maybe the whole show is just great.'"

Cheer's Impact

At the end of the day, Maddy is reminded why she loves the sport when she sees young, inspired fans in the audience. "It reminds us of our why. Why do I keep beating my body into the ground for 12 hours a day?" she joked. "Why do I keep doing it and then you go out on stage and you just see that one little girl that makes the eye contact with you. And it's like the best thing that's ever happened to her in her whole life and it can change your whole day."

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