Choreography Season is Here! By Coach Mandi

Choreography Season is Here!

For most gyms, the summer training season is wrapping up and the much anticipated choreography season begins! By now, gyms should have evaluated the team placements made at their initial tryouts and determined that the placements made still hold true, making the most competitive team across the scoring rubric to set the team up for success.

Choreography is a really fun time for teams, but some athletes tend to feel anxious about what spots they’ll be placed in or what their role during the routine will be. Coaches should be having active dialogues with athletes if they are being moved spots so that the athlete understands the why’s.

As coaches, the more prepared we are, the more we can prepare the choreographer, which will then equal more success during choreography times! Coaches should have gone through the scoring rubric and identified the following:

1)      What tumbling skills (running and standing) the team can technically perform to be included

2)      What stunting skills the team can technically perform to be included, to include the required elite skills the team can technically perform

3)      Identify a stunt group that can perform the skills to be the “test group” the choreographer can work off of

4)      A basic layout of the routine (if your team is not strong in jumping, having the choreographer put jumps later in the routine may be detrimental for scoring purposes)

5)      Stunt group positioning (point groups, some sample formations)

6)      Top jumpers (based on the stunt group formations or from other formations)

7)      Top dancers (based on performance and showmanship)

8)      Paired up like-height athletes, for ease in formation shaping (having super tall athletes mirrored by super short athletes is an eye sore)

As parents, if your athlete is not happy with their placement in the routine, there are many ways you can address this issue:

1)      Listen to your athlete, but do not criticize the choreographer, coaches or teammates

2)      Wait 24 hours and see if your athlete still feels the same way the day after – sometimes the emotional reaction heightens the reaction you are seeing

3)      Speak to the coach if there are extreme concerns. Most gyms have in place policies about how to communicate issues

4)      Understand that spots in routines are based off many factors. Location of the athlete prior to and after sections is huge. Athletes who are in the back corner stunt group are not likely going to be in the point spots for jumps due to location of the section prior to. Athletes who are last pass may or may not end up in the next section of skills based on their tumbling pass landing during the transition to the next section.

As athletes, here are some general guidelines for choreography:

1)      Put your best foot forward. If you show up late looking like you just rolled out of bed, chances are your energy level is already set for the day.

2)      If you want a spot, perform for that spot.

3)      If a choreographer asks to see a skill, volunteer.

-Coach Mandi S.