Saintsations The Saintsations are a cheerleading and dance squad that performs at New Orleans Saints football games . The Saintsations are involved in several community projects , and the squad is featured each year in a special swimsuit calendar . The New Orleans Saints had two different sets of dance teams prior to the Saintsations : From 1967 - 71 , 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 - 71 . The roster size averaged 48 active dancers per year ( up to 12 " reserve " dancers ) . 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 , 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 USA in 1954 , and was a frequent on - air personality at WDSU - TV in the 1950s . Mrs . Nelson was also team director from 1969 – 71 , replacing Joannie Husser ( 1967 – 68 ) . In 1968 , Mrs . 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 . Mr . 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 & halftime shows . One of Mr . Walker ' s assistant entertainment directors was Rhonda Shear , 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 . Rhonda worked in her capacity with the Saints for most of the 1970s , prior to that Rhonda was a Saints Mam ' selles dancer in 1970 & 71 . Saints dancer Sandra Labourdette ( 1967 – 70 ) was 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 - 77 called the Bonnes Amiees ( French term meaning " Good Friends " ) . This dance team was very supportive of many charities including the Muscular Dystrophy Association where they annually performed on the local TV affiliate ' s telethon in addition to having their own exclusive fundraiser for MDA . In 1978 , the team was re - organized as the Angels . Unfortunately , this version of the team didn ' t last very long for in early October 1978 a person who was hired to be a staff assistant to the Angels was discovered to have been arrested for drug possession , but when the New Orleans Saints issued a press statement on this situation the club wouldn ' t specify that none of the dancers nor their choreographer were involved in the arrest . When the Saints organization refused to allow anyone on the Angels to speak to the press on this matter , the dance team ' s ties with the Saints ended . The disbanding was so noteworthy that a " radio cartoon " was produced by famed New Orleans broadcaster Ed Clancy called " Saints Angels " which was a parody of the 1950s hit " Earth Angel " by the Crew Cuts where Ed was able to get Crew Cuts lead singer John Perkins to sing lead on his parody as well . The Bonnes Amiees averaged 16 dancers per year on their roster , the Angels 24 . In 1987 , Saints General Manager Jim Finks suggested bringing back a dance team to the sidelines which would work in conjunction with the Saints cheerleaders ( acrobatic ) , which had been part of the team since 1967 . Under further organizational thought from Saints entertainment director Barra Birrcher ( director from 1971 - 2007 ) , a tryout was held in the spring of 1987 . 27 dancers were chosen to be part of what was initially called " The Saints Dancers " before a contest was held where more fans chose the name " Saintsations " . Ironically , the first year of the Saintsations the Saints had their first - ever winning season and first playoff appearance . The roster size would vary over the years from 30 , 32 , 36 , 37 , and as high as 40 dancers in 1997 . Original Saintsation Angie Waguespack took over as choreographer from 1994 - 1999 . Another one - time Saintsation Lani Quaglino - Neil ( 1994 – 99 ) would follow as choreographer in 2000 . The greatest change in Saintsations history occurred in 2001 when American All - Star Inc . , based on the North shore of Lake Ponchartrain ( north of New Orleans ) , took over the rights to the dance team and created new marketing , promotions , and costume designs that gave the fans a greater variety of dance routines and looks . American All - Star is operated by Lesslee Fitzmorris and Royce Mitchell . Saintsations choreographers since 2001 included Angie Waguespack , Elizabeth Portwood - Gibson , Steven Boss , and director Kristen Rapp . The average roster size under American All - Star has been in the low 30s ( 28 in 2008 ) . Under American All - Star , the Saintsations have especially become international ambassadors of goodwill by touring with the USO to military bases in Iraq , Kuwait , Afghanistan , and other locations to provide entertainment and reassurance for the U . S . Military . They also appear at countless functions in the New Orleans area for charitable , non - profit , and commercial organizations . The Saintsations also have their own charitable foundations including the Saintsations Inspiration Program . Every year the Junior Saintsations program allows girls under 18 get to perform on the Superdome floor with the dance team before a Saints game . The Saintsations are no secret to the international stage as their first border - crossing performance was in 1990 at London when the Saints played the Raiders in a pre - season contest where they did countless appearances during the week leading into the game and on game day , they would repeat this in 1993 when the Saints played in Tokyo for a pre - season game vs the Eagles . Since February 2004 , the Saintsations have been the invited guests of the NFL to perform at the annual London Superbash , the official NFL Super Bowl party in Great Britain . In Feb . 2008 , they also performed at the official NFL party in Mexico City called " Fiesta Super Bowl . " The Saintsations returned to London in late October 2008 when the Saints played the Chargers in a regular - season game at Wembley Stadium . Historically , the Saintsations biggest merchandise sales comes from their annual calendar sales . Most of American All - Stars ' calendars ( 2002 - 2006 , 2008 ) were shot along the Gulf Coast , 2007 and 2010 editions were done in New Orleans . Most of the calendar shoots were also covered by Cox Sports Television of New Orleans resulting in an annual half - hour special ( since 2003 ) . The first Saintsations calendars ran from 1989 - 1995 and were mainly shot in the New Orleans metro area . The Saintsations have also sent a member to the Pro Bowl every year since February 1993 .