In continuing with the last post, here are some more ways to clean your next routine.
I like to break my team up into groups and have each officer focus on a small group of girls. DISCLAIMER: Make sure each officer knows what you want it to look like, otherwise you'll have as many versions of the same dance as you do officers. When I do this with my team, it is after I have cleaned the section and see that there are still many dancers who are having difficulty with placements or timing. I give each officer a group and let them work for about 15-20 minutes. This allows each dancer more focused attention and also allows each officer the chance to take on responsibility and grow as a leader. (This also frees up some time for the Director to get a few things done in the office.)
If it's timing that your team is having trouble with, sit the girls down and play the music a few times while they close their eyes and listen to you count. Point out the trouble spots and emphasize the counts for these areas. The next few times you run the routine, have each girl on the team count aloud. While they are counting, you or your captain can call out the steps to remind the dancers of what's next.
During the cleaning process, I usually slow the pace of the routine down in order to allow the dancers time to think during the dance until the movements are all consistent without any questions as to placement. Once I know uniformity has been reached, I like to speed up the tempo gradually until the dancers are performing faster than what the true tempo is. You don't need to do this with the entire routine, just those parts with difficult footwork or quick arm changes. I like to challenge my girls to see how fast they can dance and they get a kick out of listening to me trying to count faster each time. When we have successfully mastered the section at super-sonic speed, as I like to call it, performing the routine with music is a piece of cake!
Give these strategies a try the next time you see your team having difficulty with a routine and let me know how they work for you!
During the cleaning process, I usually slow the pace of the routine down in order to allow the dancers time to think during the dance until the movements are all consistent without any questions as to placement. Once I know uniformity has been reached, I like to speed up the tempo gradually until the dancers are performing faster than what the true tempo is. You don't need to do this with the entire routine, just those parts with difficult footwork or quick arm changes. I like to challenge my girls to see how fast they can dance and they get a kick out of listening to me trying to count faster each time. When we have successfully mastered the section at super-sonic speed, as I like to call it, performing the routine with music is a piece of cake!
Give these strategies a try the next time you see your team having difficulty with a routine and let me know how they work for you!
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