Before joining a dance team, it is helpful if you know the team's movement style. Attend as many of their shows as possible, find videos of the team's dances or ask if you can watch a rehearsal or two. Understanding how the team moves helps you figure out what kinds of steps and styles to practice. If they perform a lot of hip-hop routines, for example, you need to spend more time in hip-hop classes. If the team is known for impressive turns and leaps, make sure you are working on those steps in your jazz and ballet classes.
Before you tryout for a dance team, make sure you are familiar with the proper names of steps and movements. Taking ballet is the best way to familiarize yourself with terminology and build the strength and technique you need to make the team. In addition to taking ballet, attend plenty of jazz classes to learn steps and terminology exclusive to jazz dance. Ballet and jazz provide the foundation for most of the routines performed by school dance teams, so being well-versed in both styles is essential.
Although most dance teams emphasize jazz technique, you will benefit from expanding your knowledge of other styles. Experience in hip-hop, tap, lyrical and even ballroom dance gives you an edge over the competition and makes you a more desirable member of the dance team. Because teams often work with several different choreographers with a variety of technical styles, diverse dancers who are able to execute several styles well are an asset to any team. Diversity also makes you more employable in the professional dance world if you decide to pursue a dance career.
Almost every dance team has some kind of tryout or audition process. Learn as much as possible about the audition ahead of time so you will be as prepared as possible. For example, find out if you need to prepare your own solo dance for the audition or if you will be asked to learn a group routine. Some teams also offer audition clinics, workshops and mock-auditions to prepare you for the tryout process. Take advantage of these resources so you feel as prepared as possible when it is time to tryout.
Before you join a dance team, make sure you have an idea of when the team meets for rehearsals, practices and training. You do not want to commit to a team only to discover that its practices conflict with another class or activity. Discipline and regular rehearsal attendance are mandatory for members of any dance team, so ask about the practice and performance schedule before you sign up or audition. If you are not prepared to commit to all of the practice and performance dates, it might be better for you just to take dance classes for fun.
Most dance teams in public schools do not charge a participation fee for members, but private studio teams have different policies. Before you join the team, ask about participation costs, costume fees and any competition entry fees you have to pay. If you need to purchase costumes or pay high competition entry fees, costs add up quickly. Check with your parents to see if they are able to afford the cost, or figure out if you will be able to cover the fees yourself.