Becoming a Member of a College Dance Team

Before you just go off and decide that you would like to audition for a college dance team you must first do your research. You should first make sure that the college you are choosing to attend is for purely educational purposes and the college having a dance team is just an added bonus. Once you have decided that school is the one for you, you should begin doing extensive research on the dance team. You can start by checking out the dance webpage, which can usually be found through the athletic page under spirit squads. Once you have found the webpage, read through the ENTIRE page thoroughly. Make sure that the team is something your are really and truly interested in because most colleges offer differ types of dance teams other than the official dance team listed on the athletic website.

After you have read through the webpage and have decided that being a part of the team is something you really would like to do, check out when audition page in order find out when auditions are being held and the requirements to become a part of the team. If the team page does not offer an audition page displaying the requirements, look for contact information and try emailing the coach for more information. Contacting the coach directly shows a great interest in the team and more than likely will cause you to stick out in the coach's mind. When you have complied all of this information it is then time to begin prepping for auditions.

It is finally time for auditions, but you have no clue what to wear. If the team webpage doesn't give you an idea of what to wear I'm sure I can be of a little assistance. Being a dancer is all about performing and showing your school spirit, so why try to incorporate that into your audition outfit. You want to wear something that shows off all your curves and wonderful features. Maybe try taking one of your school t-shirts and turning it into a crop top and pair it with some black dance shorts. Or you could just try a flashy sports bra with some dance shorts. Remember, you are tastefully showing off your natural features.

Once you have picked out your outfit, all you have left is hair and make-up. Performance hair is a must. NO PONTAILS. Show off your hair no matter how straight or how curly and as far as make-up goes, please do not look like a clown. Try a rose pink lip, some natural blush and shadow, and a nice black eyeliner. It is subtle, but yet it pops.

A few last things

• Always have a positive attitude
• Try your best
• Make sure all your paper work is done before you arrive
• If you don't make it there will always be next year
• Don't give up
• GOODLUCK!

To begin prepping for auditions you should take out that list of team requirements and pay special attention to the technique portion that is required. Most college dance teams require that you are able to perform technique such as single/double/triple turns, calypso leaps, left/right leaps, axel turns, left/right switch leaps, and etc. If you are familiar with everything I have listed and the technical requirements listed for your future team then great. However, if you are unfamiliar or unable to do the things I have listed or listed by your future team don't panic. You can learn and practice many of these things off of Youtube. Many people post video tutorials for this stuff all the time. One channel that I would highly recommend would be justforkixtv, they are really good about breaking down different steps and helping you to learn different tricks.

Another way to prepare yourself for auditions is to see if the team offers pre-audition clinics. Many teams offer these types of clinics for a small fee and I can tell you they are a big help. At the clinics they teach you technique required for auditions and a few dances to help get you familiar with the team style. If your school dance team offers pre-audition clinics take advantage of the opportunity. Who knows, it might give you an edge. Also, if pre-audition clinics are not in option contact the coach and see if you can drop in on one the private practices before auditions. It'll give you a good idea of what the coach is looking for to becoming a member of the team.