Audition Prep Advice: How to Keep up in a Dance Class
Most pro cheerleaders have a background in dance before auditioning. As an aspiring pro cheerleader, it would be a sensible decision to take up dance lessons to prepare you for this career.
If you ever had to do a demo and can’t keep up with the routine, then you’d know why enrolling in a dance class is essential for a pro cheerleader.
Now don’t be afraid if you feel you’ve got two left feet. You can still redeem yourself using this article as a guide.
1. Learn different styles of dance.
It would be much easier to copy what the choreographer is doing if you know what dance moves he is doing, or at least a version of it.
Pro cheerleader routines have a lot of variety to it. If you know some hip-hop, jazz, and practice your freestyle moves then you will be able to get on with the routine faster.
It also helps to learn technical moves like tumbling, turns, splits, kicks, and jumps with and without the poms and cheers.
2. Master your learning style.
Do you learn faster with auditory cues or are you more of the visual learner? When trying to learn new choreography, you can say the steps out loud or visualize it in your head, whichever works best for you. Some learn better by memorizing the steps, others by doing it hands-on.
3. Practice as soon as the class is over.
While the new choreography is still fresh in your head, that is the best time to go over the steps once more. Don’t wait for the next rehearsal before you dance the routine again. You can use this time to go over the steps more slowly as you increase the tempo.
4. Use the words and beats of the music.
It helps if you have a copy of the music so you can listen to it on repeat throughout the day. This way, you can analyze musical cues and match the movements to the music. The more you listen to the tune, the easier it is to feel the connection of the dance to the music.
5. Break the dance into smaller strings of steps.
Choreographers of pro cheerleaders like to assume that most in the batch have foreknowledge of dance and cheer. As it is, most girls have the experience to back up their profile.
You can expect the routine to be taught at a fast pace. It will be divided into 16 or 8-counts but most steps will be a combination of complex steps that can be broken down further.
Practice the smaller steps of a single dance movement until you get it right. Again, it is vital to have a large vocabulary of different dance movements as you won’t have much time to break down each step when you have to learn a routine on-the-spot.
6. Make your dance terms ultra-simple.
Refer to dance movements in the simplest terms referring to the direction of the movement like up-down-right-left-side. You can also refer to the movements with the body parts they utilize like arms, elbows, hips, or legs.
7. Watch, replay, and then dance.
Don’t try to keep up with the choreographer. Instead, pay attention to their movements while listening to musical cues. Then run the dance steps over in your head before and while you are dancing.
It helps to minimize how often you look at the choreographer while you dance. If you forget a few steps, stop and watch the instructor and replay the steps in your mind before trying again. Rewinding the steps in your mind will make the routine feel less overwhelming.
8. Touch your body
Take your cue from Mariah Carey and touch the part of your body which you often forget to move. You can also make hand movements as your cue to move a certain way. Move your head in the direction of the movements as well.
Wrap Up
When you feel like a turtle in the midst of fast learners, keep in mind that most of these girls already know these dance steps by heart. If it’s your first time to get introduced to a few moves, then it’s time to brush up on your dance vocabulary through a mix of dance lessons.
Now that you have a long way before the next audition, you can maximize this time by enrolling in two or three dance classes so you can better be acquainted with moving your body. Don’t forget to sign up for those prep classes offered by your team as well so you can get ahead of the routine.
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