The Saintsations are a cheerleading and dance squad that performs at New Orleans Saints football games. In addition, they are ambassadors for the organization and can be seen participating in various community events & projects. History The New Orleans Saints had two different sets of dance teams prior to the Saintsations. From 1967 to 1971, the original Saints dance team went by several different names, including the Lousiannes in 1967 (which was changed to the Saints Dancers after one pre-season game for that name had been copyrighted by a Louisiana-based high school), the Mademoiselles in 1968, and the Mam'selles from 1969 to 1971. The roster size averaged 48 active dancers per year, with up to 12 "reserve" dancers. The 2018 season marked the first time a male dancer was added to the team. The original dance team was put together by Tommy Walker, the long-time entertainment director of Disneyland who worked for the Saints during the 1967–70 football seasons. His choreographer was Phyllis Nelson, a New Orleans-based dance instructor and voice coach who worked as a film actress for RKO pictures in the mid-1950s, was Miss New Orleans United States in 1954, and was a frequent on-air personality at WDSU-TV in the 1950s. Nelson was also team director from 1969 to 1971, replacing Joannie Husser (1967–68). In 1968, Nelson was assisted in the months leading into the season by Tommy Mahoney, a long-time Hollywood choreographer who worked with Tommy Walker at Disneyland. Mahoney helped stage numbers for the dancers at their practice studio which was the U.S. Naval Reserve Training Center on Lakeshore Drive in New Orleans. Once the season started, Mahoney focused on helping Walker with the production of pre-game and halftime shows. One Mam'selle that went on to entertainment fame was Rhonda Shear (dancer 1970–71), who became a popular TV commercial actress in New Orleans before becoming a national TV star primarily thanks to the USA Network's Up All Night series that ran in the 1980s and 1990s. Another Mam'selle was Sandra Labourdette (1967–70), the original dance team's captain and later became the first Saintsations choreographer (1987–93). The second set of Saints dance teams were from 1975–78 called the Bonnes Amies (French term meaning "Good Friends"). Under the direction and choreography of Dee Kelly Boyd Ervine, who was hired to take the team to a professional level, the Bonnes Amies were the first dancers in the new Superdome.