Dancer and Parent Guide to College Dance Team Recruitment
Building your reputation
You are constantly communicating with your teachers, coaches, and potential coaches through your body language, attitude and actions. You’ve been building your reputation in the dance industry for years already and you will continue to express who you are as a dancer, teammate, and person throughout your recruitment journey. College coaches can and will reach out to your past and current teachers and mentors to get a feel for who you are, your work ethic, and your strengths and weaknesses as a teammate. Make sure you’re proud of the reputation you’ve built and can be confident knowing you are the kind of person and teammate most teams are looking for!
Meeting college coaches
Have a few questions prepared in case you get the chance to speak with coaches at clinics or combines. Keep in mind that they meet a lot of recruits! It might be tough to think of standout questions since they’ve probably heard them all, but you can stand out by speaking clearly and confidently and showing them that you’re a genuine, fun person to talk to! If you have a unique connection with the coach through the team, town, or school, etc. that might be a good way to break the ice!
Emailing College coaches
It’s a good idea to reach out by email at the end of sophomore year and/or beginning of junior year to introduce yourself. Your introduction could be a brief description of who you are and why you’re emailing and include a video clip sample of your best dancing. Continue to reach out via email throughout your recruitment journey if you have something exciting to share (e.g. applying to or being accepted by the school, registering for a clinic with their team, or attending a combine in another city).
be genuine!
Whether communicating via email or in-person at a clinic or combine, be genuine and honest. It’s important to show coaches your personality so they can start to determine if you’ll be a good fit for their team. They truly want to know YOU - not who you think they want you to be.