All-Star Choreographing A Dance

[Jule]

I need your help. I'm choreographing our dance this year. I did it last year as well but that was sort of an emergency and I only had like 3 eightcounts and some material from a workshop we once had.

Now however, I have the music (it's got 6 eightcounts) and I'm trying to think about points I shouldn't miss. We have boys on our team (6-7) and they can't dance to save their lives. Well easy motion parts should work.
The team will be around 18-20 people and I'm having trouble to decide on how to tackel this thing. I'm scared that having too many levels and ripples will make it look too chaotic. On the other hand I don't want to keep it too simple. I guess we need variety in order to max out.

How do you start your creative process, when choreographing anything?

Basically any tipps for a newbie are very very much appreciated here.

 

[GreenStormLucy]

So i'm not really good at choreographing dances, but here is what i do:

- I want 3 transitions/formation changes so i first do this. Where are they standing in first formation, second formation, third.

- I want (for example) 3 level changes so i decide where i want them and which group of athletes will doing which part

- Then i split every formation into groups (deprnds on how much you want to have going on without loosing execution)

- And now find dance moves/motions for every eight count for every group.




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[chyeeaaa69]

Let me tell you this about boys. Most of the time they can't dance, but they're down to have fun. Give a bunch of straight guys motions and it looks like crap, give them fun, easy choreography, and they can actually get into it and have fun. Maybe they won't be 7 Santwons at the front of the mat doing intricate choreography executed to perfection, but they'll be enjoying themselves and be able to actually perform.

 

[CheerCoach84]

Yeah, play up on the boys strengths and weaknesses, partner them up with girls for a partner section, if you can.... Pick a great song that works with both the Girls and the Boys, You definitely want transitions, levels, footwork, sharp clean motions, etc.... Look at your scoresheets for the comps you are attending to see what they are looking for.. And use your team and play up on their strengths and weaknesses as well!!! and most of all....HAVE FUN!!!!! GOOD LUCK!!!!!!...

 

[Tealxblack25]

"and" counts are my secret weapon to a successful dance because it allows you to have a clean/motion type dance but it makes the dance look faster.. definitely some transitions into different formations and hey you never know the guys MIGHT just surprise you if you allow them a dance to come out of their shell a little bit

good luck !
I think once you do it you should take a video so we can see your hard work !

 

[Jule]

Thank you soo much! Your input is extremely helpful! I was able to take a few people at practice yesterday and teach them the first 1 1/2 eightcounts I had in my head so I could see, what it looks like. I tried filming myself in my living room but yeah. ^^
Partnerwork is a great idea. I tried something yesterday and I think, the boys liked it. They really want to hide most of the time and are asking if they could just throw baskets the whole time.
But I do have quite a lot of good dancers among the girls. We had a lot of girls switch to our team a year ago. They came from the junior team of a very competitive cheerdance program that recently turned their senior team into something much more like NFL cheerleaders. Well, good for me.

 

[celtics youth cheer coach]

I loved all these tips! If you guys don't mind, I'd love to pick your brains a bit . I sponsor a non-profit rec squad. Youth ages 6-10. We only get to practice 3 hrs a week, gym floor, no mats.
It's my first year doing our choreography completely on my own and the dance is the hardest part for me. How long do you guys think a dance should be for this age group? # of transitions, level changes, etc?
I'm aiming for minimum floor work since it kills our knees on the hard floor. Any tips on how to teach groups to do different moves without confusing the little ones? I'm the only coach and the youngest ones need me doing the routine in the front for them to follow. I can't do all different groups at once though! It's something we struggled with last year too.

 

[Helen uk uni cheer]

M

I loved all these tips! If you guys don't mind, I'd love to pick your brains a bit . I sponsor a non-profit rec squad. Youth ages 6-10. We only get to practice 3 hrs a week, gym floor, no mats.
It's my first year doing our choreography completely on my own and the dance is the hardest part for me. How long do you guys think a dance should be for this age group? # of transitions, level changes, etc?
I'm aiming for minimum floor work since it kills our knees on the hard floor. Any tips on how to teach groups to do different moves without confusing the little ones? I'm the only coach and the youngest ones need me doing the routine in the front for them to follow. I can't do all different groups at once though! It's something we struggled with last year too.

My senior team that im on has 5 8 counts but I think 4 would be good long enough to get that is a dance short enoough for them to remeber split them into 3 groups initially and teach them each their bit if you have ones that struggle givew them motions if they are goo try something abit harder. My coach taught us the dance in groups and it worked well

 

[caitlyn_the_camille]

Our pyramid counts are generally 6-8 8-counts, but this year my "vision" consists of 9. Is that too much? And would making the dance only 3 8-counts to make up for it not be enough?


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[SarahS]

I loved all these tips! If you guys don't mind, I'd love to pick your brains a bit . I sponsor a non-profit rec squad. Youth ages 6-10. We only get to practice 3 hrs a week, gym floor, no mats.
It's my first year doing our choreography completely on my own and the dance is the hardest part for me. How long do you guys think a dance should be for this age group? # of transitions, level changes, etc?
I'm aiming for minimum floor work since it kills our knees on the hard floor. Any tips on how to teach groups to do different moves without confusing the little ones? I'm the only coach and the youngest ones need me doing the routine in the front for them to follow. I can't do all different groups at once though! It's something we struggled with last year too.

First, trust that they can do it without you doing it in front of them. They can, I promise. If you always do it in front of them, it will be a crutch that they always rely upon. My rec team was comprised of girls ages 6-12, with the vast majority of them being 8-10. It takes a bit for them to learn (last year was my first year with them, and the first year they did a more complex dance.

Second: 5-6 eight counts is plenty of dance. Recommendations:
- Ripples. Make it easy. Teach everyone the same dance for 12 counts. Split into 2 groups, side by side. Group one goes on 1, group 2 starts on 5. The groups "catch up" and do the same last 4 counts together. That's 2 eight counts right there.
- You can also group kids front to back. One group goes down on a knee, the other group stays up. Do the same motions, or have them do mirrored motions.
- Always have "partner work" - seriously, this can be as easy as pie - have the kids grab hands or arms and do something together: switch places (hey, look - a new formation!), high five, do-si-do, whatever.
- Keys to remember: ripples, levels, formations, partner work. Average at least 2 of these in each 8 count and you'll be golden, especially for rec.

Third: Biggest problem I see for you: the "no mats" situation. That is unacceptable if you plan on doing any tumbling or stunting. At all. Even level 1. I get that you're a volunteer and this is for a non-profit squad. Whoever is running the organization needs to understand that you cannot possibly do your job properly without a couple of mats. It is exactly like expecting the football team to be able to compete successfully without being able to practice in pads - hey, they will have pads provided on game day (as you will have mats at a competition), so what's the problem??? Not acceptable. I have purchased mats on my own dime when I have been in your situation. You can get a 4'x6' flexi-roll mat for home use from Tiffin mats for about $60 including shipping (I know everyone hates them for large orders but they have always delivered "home-use mats" quickly - they come as rolls of 2'x6' that you can connect in the middle) - get a couple (they come with velcro for connecting) of those so that you can do stunts and work on standing tumbling. It isn't ideal, in the slightest, but it is better than nothing. If you or your organization can afford panel mats or even one/two rolls of carpet bonded foam mats (you can get a whole roll, 6'x42', for about $550 plus shipping), do that. You can probably make enough money for one or two mats doing a car wash fundraiser on a summer weekend. If storage of a large mat is a problem, you can buy one roll and cut it into smaller sections that, when rolled, fit into a couple of cars or trucks. You need mats to be able to do this sport safely. I appreciate that you're a volunteer - thank you for doing so - you will make a tremendous difference in your kids' lives. Please do everything in your power to get mats for them. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions: I've been doing this rec coaching thing forever and a day.

 

[celtics youth cheer coach]

First, trust that they can do it without you doing it in front of them. They can, I promise. If you always do it in front of them, it will be a crutch that they always rely upon. My rec team was comprised of girls ages 6-12, with the vast majority of them being 8-10. It takes a bit for them to learn (last year was my first year with them, and the first year they did a more complex dance.

Second: 5-6 eight counts is plenty of dance. Recommendations:
- Ripples. Make it easy. Teach everyone the same dance for 12 counts. Split into 2 groups, side by side. Group one goes on 1, group 2 starts on 5. The groups "catch up" and do the same last 4 counts together. That's 2 eight counts right there.
- You can also group kids front to back. One group goes down on a knee, the other group stays up. Do the same motions, or have them do mirrored motions.
- Always have "partner work" - seriously, this can be as easy as pie - have the kids grab hands or arms and do something together: switch places (hey, look - a new formation!), high five, do-si-do, whatever.
- Keys to remember: ripples, levels, formations, partner work. Average at least 2 of these in each 8 count and you'll be golden, especially for rec.

Third: Biggest problem I see for you: the "no mats" situation. That is unacceptable if you plan on doing any tumbling or stunting. At all. Even level 1. I get that you're a volunteer and this is for a non-profit squad. Whoever is running the organization needs to understand that you cannot possibly do your job properly without a couple of mats. It is exactly like expecting the football team to be able to compete successfully without being able to practice in pads - hey, they will have pads provided on game day (as you will have mats at a competition), so what's the problem??? Not acceptable. I have purchased mats on my own dime when I have been in your situation. You can get a 4'x6' flexi-roll mat for home use from Tiffin mats for about $60 including shipping (I know everyone hates them for large orders but they have always delivered "home-use mats" quickly - they come as rolls of 2'x6' that you can connect in the middle) - get a couple (they come with velcro for connecting) of those so that you can do stunts and work on standing tumbling. It isn't ideal, in the slightest, but it is better than nothing. If you or your organization can afford panel mats or even one/two rolls of carpet bonded foam mats (you can get a whole roll, 6'x42', for about $550 plus shipping), do that. You can probably make enough money for one or two mats doing a car wash fundraiser on a summer weekend. If storage of a large mat is a problem, you can buy one roll and cut it into smaller sections that, when rolled, fit into a couple of cars or trucks. You need mats to be able to do this sport safely. I appreciate that you're a volunteer - thank you for doing so - you will make a tremendous difference in your kids' lives. Please do everything in your power to get mats for them. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions: I've been doing this rec coaching thing forever and a day.

Realized that I never thanked u for ur advice! U were right, they can do the dance without using me as a crutch. Lol
As far as mats go, the school has 2 old fold out mats that we use and I bring 1 from home for mounts. I also have either myself or a parent helper with each mount group. In the beginning, they hold the back of the flyers shirt. Once we get down to 2 weeks before comp, we step back and just b close in case we're needed. I've been offered a roll of carpet bonded foam mats and the school refused to store it for us. Since I can't carry in my van, we had to turn it down. We're so close to the WV border where they don't use mats at all and compete on gym floors, that mats r thought of as unnecessary for youth league. :/
I just wanted to clarify that we do stunt on some form of mats and our tumbling is usually just round offs. Of course, our choreography is restricted to mounts being in the same spots throughout the routine since we can't move the mats during every set of stunts. Lol

 

[AndrewSky]

Boys just keep clean with easy motions - Easy to incorporate partner work that way. Make sure your dance is using all areas of the floors and includes clean transitions !