Dance Team Auditions

Audition Expectations

Squad Composition:
Male and female dancers are welcome to audition. The top 9 dancers will be selected.

Potential returning members must audition each year and are not guaranteed a spot on the team.

Dance Technique:
The Dance Team is expected to perform on an elite level of dancing. This includes the highest level of dance technique with flexibility, turns, leaps and various tricks. Squad members and candidates have solid triple turns, foutes, switch leaps and leg holds. The Dance Team learns over 50 routines to music by the UCLA Bruin Marching Band and recorded music for competition routines and basketball half-time performances. Squad members must also be familiar with cheerleading arm motions and be able to work with pom pons for a majority of the band dances and cheers. Tumbling is not required for the Dance Team.

Clinics/Auditions:

• A blank CD is turned into the office with the candidate's name and labeled Dance Team NO LATER THAN Monday, April 20th at 5 p.m. for the audition music to be recorded for the candidate. CD will be returned on the first day of clinics.
• Dancers are taught a Fight Song, Drum Cadence and Performance Routine.
• Fight Song has cheerleading, straight-arm motions and is performed with pom pons.
• Drum Cadance is 4 8-counts that repeats choreographed to Ow! By the UCLA Bruin Marching Band. This incorporates more of a hip hop style.
• Performance Routine incorporates lyrical, thrash jazz, and/or hip hop.
• If the candidate makes it to the final round, the candidate will be asked to perform eight 8-counts of their own choreography. This is the candidate’s opportunity to demonstrate skills and personality that are not presented in the Fight Song, Drum Cadance or Performance Routine. Music will be provided and burned onto each candidate's CD with the Fight Song, Drum Cadance and Performance Routine.

Audition Day:

• Dancers arrive stretched and ready to go.
• All of the candidates are brought in to perform the Fight Song, Drum Cadence and Performance Routine for the judging panel. Candidates are not evaluated at this time. This is an opportunity for the dancers to warm up and hear the music in the room, as well as for the judges to become familiar with the material. Candidates then exit the room.
• Dancers are introduced individually in groups of 2 or 3.
• Each group performs the Fight Song with pom pons, take a one minute of rest (without leaving the room), followed by the Drum Cadance and Performance Routine.
• A Preliminary Round cut is made at this time.
• For the Final Round, the dancers return, individually, for their interview and to perform their solo piece. After all of the dancers have completed their interviews and solo presentations, all of the dancers are brought back into the room. At that time, if the judges need to see anything, the dancers may be asked to perform the Fight Song and/or the Performance Routine as a group. This is the last opportunity for the judges to see the candidates all together.
• The final list is posted on the website at the designated time.

What to Wear:
Female Candidates are asked to wear:

• cheer skirt
• tight fitting top (leotard, full-length sports bra) in order to see body lines and positioning - no mid-riffs please.
• small, white, ankle socks(for skirts) dark tights or socks (for pants)
• shoes--shoelaces tucked in--appropriate for executing dance moves
• hair should be out of the candidate's face, but not in a ponytail
• stage/game-ready/TV-ready make-up
• appropriate bras or sport bras and bloomers/briefs
• no jewelry or body piercings
• no ribbons/bows
• no food or gum
• overall clean, mature and collegiate presentation

• navy or black pants
• polo shirt or tight fitting top
• dark tights or socks (for pants)
• athletic shoes or jazz shoes
• no facial hair
• short, clean hair cut
• no jewelry or body piercings
• no food or gum
• overall clean, mature and collegiate presentation

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Time Commitments

Spring and Summer:
Throughout Spring Quarter, the squad will meet Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings from 6-9 p.m. to begin working on dance technique and material for upcoming events throughout the summer and football games.

The Dance team has the month of June off to complete their Spring Quarter, move and settle in for the summer.

Dance Team practices will start up the week of July 20th and continue through to the beginning of football season (Aug. 30th) with the following schedule:

• Monday and Wednesday morning workouts with our personal trainer, Stacey Herring, from 7-9 a.m.
• Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evening practices with the coach from 6-9 p.m.

Rehearsals:
Once classes begin for Fall Quarter, rehearsals are held Sunday afternoons/evenings, Monday-Friday from 7:00 - 9:00 a.m. with additional rehearsals scheduled in the evening when practice space is available.

Thursday mornings are reserved for workouts with our personal trainer, Stacey Herring, on the track and in the weight room.

Monday-Friday mornings and designated evenings are the practice times with the coach.

Dance team is asked to find an additional 2 times during the week to maintain their individual workout from the personal trainer with cardio and weight training.

Performances:
The Dance Team performs at Athletic, campus, alumni, media and community service events throughout the year beginning immediately following auditions. The squad performs at:

• all home and away Football games
• all home and selected away Men’s and Women’s Basketball games
• all home Women’s and selected Men’s Volleyball games
• selected Gymnastics meets
• selected Olympic sports events including: Water Polo, Softball, Track and Field, Soccer, etc.
• various campus events including: class appearances, grand openings, recognition ceremonies, etc.
• various alumni events including: seasonal kick-offs, dinners, scholarship presentations, airport greetings, etc.
• media events including: TV promotions, sponsorship promotions, commercials, photo shoots, etc.
• community service events including: community outreach performances at local middle schools and high schools, birthday parties, weddings, bar/ bat mitzvahs, etc.

Typical Rehearsal/Workout:

• For a workout, the squad will work with our trainer, Stacey Herring, on the track for the first hour and then move to the weight room for the second hour following his daily agenda.
• For rehearsals, the squad will work with the coach’s agenda and learning/reviewing game material.

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