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FAQs |
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Q: Do I have to have a lot of dance experience? A: Lots of previous dance experienced is not required to make the team, but in order to dance at the level that the Michigan Dance Team performs and competes at, previous dance training and experience is a necessity. Currently, all members have had past dance training. Please note that we do also look for potential in prospective members at tryouts. For all of the clinics that dance team offers, we welcome and accommodate all levels of ability, whether you�ve been training for years or never taken a dance class. Q: How many girls do you take on the team? A: There is no set number of girls who are allowed to be on the team. When girls tryout, they are scored against a predetermined scale and awarded points based on their abilities in each area. This allows us to be flexible with the number of dancers we take for the team. If you are looking for numbers, past numbers generally follow this pattern: about 15-20 in the spring (current members must re-tryout every year) and about 2-7 in the fall. Q: What if I live out of state and cannot attend summer practices? A: We understand that not everyone can stay around the Ann Arbor area every summer. If you live out of state or have a summer internship, we make exceptions, but you are still required to attend camp! These members are also expected to keep training throughout the summer and must understand that they will have a lot of catching up to do in the fall, and may not be able to participate in the first few performances. Keep in mind, though, that summer practices come in the form of approx. two weeks of intensive practice prior to 3-4 days of Universal Dance Association's Dance and Cheer camp. Q: What if I want to tryout for the team, but I cannot make it to the spring auditions? A: The Fall tryout is mainly for the purpose of people who cannot make it to spring tryouts due to out-of-state residency or unconfirmed student acceptance/status at the University, for example. These auditions take place at the beginning of the school year in September. This audition generally adds fewer girls to the team than the spring audition. This fact should not discourage a candidate, but it is important for the candidate to know. The only disadvantage is that the dancer misses summer practices and will be behind on sideline material for football season. NOTE: Spring auditions are generally held around high school spring break weeks, so a candidate may want to take that time to come to spring tryouts. Also, candidates could schedule a campus visit to tour the University the week of spring auditions. Q: If I audition in the fall, is it really hard to catch up with the girls who have been training all summer? A: It is not impossible to catch up, but it does take some extra work. Most of the catch up work that will need to be done will be working on our repertoire of sidelines (dances we do during games). Do not worry though, the girls work very well together and are always willing to help out a new member. Q: What is the audition process like and what are the different requirements? A: Please see Audition Info. If you have any questions after reading the page, please contact Coach Valerie Stead-Potsos at DemiPlies@aol.com Q: Do you do gymnastics? A: No. The Michigan Dance Team is associated with Universal Dance Association (UDA) who does not allow gymnastics/acrobatics in any of our routines. Q: What if I�ve never had dance team experience? A: No problem. Many of the girls on the team did not have any dance team experience before joining the Michigan Dance Team. We have girls who have been studio dancers, rhythmic gymnasts, cheerleaders, and dance teamers. Q: Are dance majors allowed to be on the team? A: Yes. We welcome all majors, all years, even grad students. All students enrolled at the University of Michigan are eligible to make the team. Q: Once you make the team, are you on it for good? A: No. When you make the team, you become a member until the first day of the next spring tryout (that means you are also responsible for advertising for this tryout). The entire team must then re-tryout in spring. Before spring tryouts, the current team votes for captains for the following season. These captains will run spring and fall tryouts and do not have to re-tryout themselves. Q: What kinds of events do you perform at? A: Please see our Performances page. Q: Do you do many regional competitions? A: In the past we have no competed regionally because there are very few opportunities to do so as a college dance team. We do compete in the Universal Dance Association's (UDA) National Cheer and Dance Competition every year in Orlando.
Q: Is the dance team considered a varsity sport? A: Unfortunately, we are still not considered varsity (but we are working on it). The dance team is a club sport. This means that the portion of our budget coming from the University is not as large as we need or would like it to be. This also means that in order to have all the things that a dance team needs, the team pays monthly dues. Please see Audition Info and scroll down to Money Commitment for more information on dues. Q: If I do dance team, will I have time to participate in anything else? A: This totally depends on you. Dance takes up a considerable amount of time, but many of the girls on the team are in a sorority or involved in other groups on campus. Many girls also hold part-time jobs.. Please see Audition Info and scroll down to Time Commitment for a better idea of the time required to be on the team. |