'Dreamgirl' grandmothers bitten by international cheerleading bug

Strutting her stuff in a gold-hemmed miniskirt, white leather boots and shaking silver pom-poms, octogenarian Fumie Takino has discovered her elixir of youth - cheerleading.

Takino and her troupe of spirited grannies tweak the nose of old age, even if their rambunctious routine to the song Dreamgirls leaves them painfully out of breath and their pink tank tops dripping with sweat.

Takino, 84, has spearheaded the group of more than 20 bubbly seniors for some two decades, founding the "Japan Pom-Pom" squad after being bitten by the cheerleading bug - despite it traditionally being the preserve of teenage girls - in her sixties.