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This post is written by our owner, Deb Erickson, in conjunction with her daughter, Trista Erickson.  We post this not as medical professionals, but as a small apparel manufacturer looking to help our community in any way in the fight against the COVID-19 crisis.  Click through the links below to reference all original articles for further reading.  

Planning for your performance requires thought, preparation and plenty of time.   Your artistic expression starts with selecting the theme and music, which is then complimented with the perfect dance costume.  It takes time to find the right look, make sure it flatters everyone, and arrives in plenty of time for your first dance competition.  This is not an overnight endeavor!   

If you are ready to get serious about ordering your dance costume, one piece of advice we can offer is this: the key is to plan ahead!  Dance costumes have a surprisingly long lead time, up to 18 weeks depending on the time of year or option you choose!  Whether you are in a crunch or are thinking ahead, here are some great options for dance costumes based on your planning schedule!

Selecting the right costume is vital to a great performance. When your team looks great, they perform great! So where do you start?  With so many dance costumes to choose from, finding the right look can feel daunting! 

Don't stress though!  To help with the selection process, we’ve assembled a list of the top dancewear companies and categorized them by their specialties.  When narrowing down the list for your team, consider two key things to make the selection process easier:

• Be clear about what you are looking for and why. Example:  If you have a team that has special sizing needs, select a company that offers custom fitting services.
• Know the differences. No two dance costume companies are the same! Select companies that best meet your needs.

Read on for a list of over 25 tried and true dance costume companies to get you started!    

Once upon a time, The Line Up was one person (a much younger and more energetic me, Deb Erickson) scurrying about patterning, cutting, sewing, and discovering ways to make you look great. Today, The Line Up has evolved into a team of 40+ individuals!  I  am constantly amazed when I watch our powerful and talented talent group work together to create fashion forward performance apparel for you. 

Last year we celebrated our 25^th anniversary, and it was a time to reflect on who we are and where we are going.  We had so many questions!  And as we answered these questions  as we matured to the age of 26 - we decided it was time for a makeover! Let me tell you about our new brand!

Ever wonder what it's like to be a professional cheerleader? We're lucky enough to have been invited behind the scenes of a few NFL and NBA teams, and we've seen just how dedicated and hardworking these talented ladies are! We wanted to share their experience with you, so we're starting a new series here on the blog all about the life of a pro cheerleader! This week, we'll get an exclusive glimpse of the Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders and their first day on the job.

The Varsity Team in their new warm ups

We had a hunch there was something special about Watertown, Wisconsin. Especially when last spring Watertown Blue Revue ordered over 140 warm up jackets for youth dancers, parents, coaches and the Varsity Dance Team! We couldn’t help but wonder what is behind that much team spirit? So when Watertown High School won the Wisconsin Division 1 High Kick Championship this year, we knew it had to be a huge accomplishment for the team and their community. 

When I tell people that I own a custom costume company, often the reaction is "Wow! That must be so fun!" And while there is a lot of creativity and sparkle on the surface, what lies beneath is an amazing team of people that really feel like my extended family. I've tried hard over the last 25 years to make this a genuinely great place to work - a place where each person can find a place to be successful and do work that doesn't feel like work! A place that you can continually learn and invest in yourself!

We have over 40 extraordinary individuals at our Minnesota facility, and we are always looking for more talent! One thing that makes The Line Up unique? We're like no other apparel business in that we do everything in house - from customer service to catalog creation to product design and manufacturing. There's an intimacy here that you can't always find in big business.

WANTED: Talented individuals seeking a collaborative work environment, in a growing and improving community!

If this is you, read further. Not only do we have some great new job opportunities , but our staff wants to share our company values - the 6 reasons why they love working at The Line Up:

Year after year, we have learned to expect a call from the same person immediately after the Minnesota State High School Dance Competition season ends. This year was no exception! On the Monday following the state competition, Lois Krinke, coach of the Faribault Emeralds Dance Team, reached out to us ready to start thinking about her team's next dance costume! As always, she gets the early bird prize for planning well in advance for the 2016/2017 season.

There was a time - years ago for those of us that can remember - when everyone recognized the Faribault team by their emerald green sequins and full skirts (which always included a very full white crinoline underskirt). Thankfully fashion changes, and this is no longer the case! The team excels in High Kick, where new ideas and unpredictability is essential to their success. Check out some of their costumes from past years, and see how their custom dance costumes have evolved:

Ever wonder what pro teams consider when designing a new uniform? Tina, director of the Baltimore Ravens cheerleaders, had a few things in mind when she came to The Line Up needing a fresh, new look for her team. The ladies had been wearing the same uniform from The Line Up for several years, and were long overdue for something new and innovative!

Changing their look was serious business, and the process took well over a year! Many pro teams want to ensure their uniform is unique to their team brand, to create their own "signature" look. Designing the Raven's uniform was a collaborative effort that involved a lot of discussion about goals, several design iterations, a couple different sample garments, approval from the Raven’s organization, and numerous tweaks along the way!

So, how did they make it happen? Here's a sneak peek behind the design process: