Secrets everyone in a dance team knows

There is nothing like being on a dance team. It is one of those things – you can only fully comprehend it if you’re a part of one. As a spectator, you can make assumptions, but here’s some insight to the ins and outs of being in a dance team.

No matter whether a team is competitive, co-ed or talented, there are a lot of similarities we all know to be true.

Practice = bonding time

Now, of course the primary focus of practice is learning and brushing up the dance routine.

The reality is a large part of practice goes to sitting around, catching up with each other and gossiping – the universal rule of dance: what happens at dance practice, stays at dance practice.

Every penny counts

The majority of a budget for a dance team goes towards costumes. The majority of teams need to fundraise for their costumes since the school does not provide ample money for it. All of the leftover money is put into props and food.

When it comes to making eye-catching and extravagant costumes in a small budget, it definitely takes a lot of teamwork and creativity.

Every time you hear a good song, you must tell the team

No matter the time of day, if any member finds a song that instantly gets stuck in their head, they’re obligated to share it with the rest of the team.

Nagging other team members for their good taste in music is also another norm. Every time a member goes to practice, I guarantee there will be a new song playing that someone’s discovered.

You have to be “cordial” with other dance teams

There are always multiple dance teams and always only a limited number of rooms. If you attend a school with simply one dance team, you’re blessed, but that is very, very unlikely. There are limited areas for practice space, limited places to perform, and only so much time to practice.

If there’s beef it becomes very irritating every time you have to book a room or see them perform.

Somehow your team comes up in every single conversation you have

Whether you are sitting with two members or the entire group, be prepared to hear them talk about their team. Even if it is just for a moment, it will definitely arise as a topic to discuss.

Being on a team is such a large part of each member’s lives that they are bound to share about it.

Mixtapes are everything

Finding a variety of mixtapes and remixes is an exciting hobby for the majority of people on dance teams. I think this is especially common in Bollywood teams due to the number of mixtapes that combine Bollywood music and American music – it’s unreal.

Passing up on those amazing mixtapes is a crime and could cost you a magnificent performance.

When performances are coming up, we explode social media

Before any performance, we make sure everybody knows when and where we’re dancing. Whether they live halfway across the world or across your dorm in the hallway, they will know that the team is performing.

After any performance, it does not get better because posting pictures and videos from the dance is normal. Make sure everyone is ready for all the spam.

Someone is always stealing your aux cord

Since plenty of people use the same rooms to practice in and use the same speakers, it’s impossible for the auxiliary cord to remain in the same place.

And then when asked about, it’s nowhere to be found. Being a victim of this, I recommend always having an aux cord.

There is a love-hate relationship with choreography

Choreography is the basis of any dance team. It is the beautiful form of creating a dance routine, but sometimes it can be the biggest struggle.

Being able to make choreography for a 6-7 minute dance is a daunting task, which is given to one or two people to create that dance in a limited amount of time. When the choreography finally falls together, there’s no better feeling.

Team means family

Being on a team means you spend ample amount of time with your team members.

From practices, to performances, to meals, to random bonding sessions, members slowly become family. A bond born because of dance transforms itself to the everlasting bond of family.