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A brand new season is here and it’s time for choreography. This can be one of the most exciting times of the season. You’re so excited for your choreographer to arrive so that you can learn your new stunt sequence and practice the newest and most creative transitions in the industry. Can you picture it? It’s going to be a blast!

For some this a year-after-year experience and you know just how to prepare your athletes for choreography week. However, for other, this may be a brand new experience. There are always many questions regarding preparation. Being unprepared can waste valuable time and money. Therefore, we thought we’d help you with how to prepare for your choreographer!

What can I have ready before my choreography camp?

It is very helpful to have stunt groups figured out before the choreographer arrives. The groups should be practicing basic and elite stunt skills. This helps to make transitions easier when building the routine.

Knowing what your skill level is

Summertime is the time to learn and work on new and bigger skills. Having a good understanding and realistic expectations of your team’s capabilities will help guide the choreographer in the direction to best place the elements of the routine to max out the score sheet.

Teach the basics

Seat rolls, show and go, knowing what a line and space is, practice tumbling in different formations, and know your approach for standing tumbling.

Placement of Skills

For example: if you know your team struggles with tumbling, let the choreographer know so they don’t put it at the very end when the athletes are tired. Maybe your team is excellent at Stunts – the choreographer will want to know so they can highlight them as much as possible.

Attendance is very important in being able to learn the routine as it’s being taught by the Creative. It is key to show up with a positive attitude and be ready to learn. The choreographers feed off of the energy you project, so give them something good work with :-)  We understand things come up and you can’t make your choreography date – figure out how to get a fill-in. It could be a coach, another athlete, someone who can visually help the choreographer place people correctly to complete the full picture.

Record the choreography

This is the BEST way to be able to reference back after your choreographer has departed from camp. Your TWISTED Choreographer is able to help some from on the road, but keep in mind they do a lot of routines during the summer and having a video refresher makes the job easier.

During Camp

Being respectful to the choreographer makes everyone’s experience much more enjoyable. Know that Choreographers work long hours for days in a row – the best thing to keep them motivated – is positive energy. Be excited to learn, have fun with the process, you get to meet someone new – be the athlete/team/program that gets remembered for the positive things, not the negative ones.

It is always nice to be appreciated

• Welcome signs at the hotel, gift baskets, special food or drinks the choreographer likes, are all wonderful ways to show your appreciation.
• Choreography sessions may be scheduled for more time than regular practice is, be prepared with water and nourishing food to help you keep your energy level up.
• Be patient with yourself – there is a ton of learning going on and nobody expects it to be perfect after a couple of tries – give yourself the time to learn and grow with the material as you practice more.
• Communicate with your Choreographer. They want to give you a routine that you LOVE – talk with them if there is a part you don’t like – they truly won’t get upset with you if you are honest.