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As athletes, dancers have the ability to focus their strength and power in many different ways. Being aware of which muscles will be best for a variety of skills will help build strength and level of skill, beyond just technique. These exercises will not only increase jump height and power, but also build long lean muscles in your dancer’s legs!

It's officially audition season for pro cheer and dance teams! That means it's time to get prepared - do you have your audition outfit, routine, and important dates organized in one place? We've compiled a a general timeline to follow before your audition, with a few tips and tricks to keep you on track and looking your best!  Our biggest tip: plan at least 3-6 months in advance of your tryout date to be prepared!  Read on to find out more.

Photo via the Temple Diamond Gems, in the Champagne leotard at UDA Dance Team National Championships

While it was hard to neglect football in Minnesota this past weekend (Skol Vikes, NFC North Champs!!), but we'll admit we were waaaayy more excited about UDA College nationals!  It's one of the most captivating competitions in the season, and always a source of endless inspiration for costume trends. 

Team: West Bend West Varsity Dance Team
Director/Head Coach: Kelly Navin
Location: West Bend, WI 
Style: High School Dance Team, Pom

One logo created with 5 different techniques. 
Price will vary depending on logo size  and exclude base garment price - shown here at 7.25" high. 

Most teams brand their cheer and dance uniforms with logo and lettering, but you may not realize that there are many different options available! "Which logo and lettering option is best for me?", you might ask. The answer is that it depends! Some factors that affect which option is best for your dance or cheer uniform are:

• Your overall budget
• Level of detail in your team logo 
• Fit of your uniform or location of logo

Below, we summarize 5 ways you can add your logo to a cheer uniform - embroidery, vinyl, sublimation, spangles and rhinestones - and the pros and cons of each! 

Team: Mandan Kachinas 
Director/Head Coach: Kayla Vazquez & Trisha Ricker
Location: Mandan, ND
Style: High School Dance Team, Jazz and High  Kick

In our How Much Does a Custom Dance Costume Cost series, we’ll be covering a few things that will affect the price of your dance costume: patterning and set-up fees, fabric choices, the number of costumes being ordered, and embellishments. Today we’ll talk about construction details that add to your custom dance costume costs - the “cut and sew” features of your costume!

Construction details include the base pieces of your costume that need to be cut out of fabric and sewn together, and doesn't include add-on features like rhinestones, appliques, or fabric choices. Generally speaking, the more construction details going into your garment, the more it will cost.  

Below we break down 5 common construction details that add cost, along with average price ranges of each. Prices will vary depending on your chosen costume company and your group discount, but below we used pricing from The Line Up, before any discounts are applied.  

If there's one thing we've learned over many years of creating custom dance costumes, it's that things can quickly add up! However, we've found that there are always ways to cut costs to ensure that your dance costume stays in budget. While this sometimes means cutting out certain elements of your design, it doesn't always have to! Sometimes thinking out of the box with your finishing details can help you save big time.

Recently we covered 4 DIY Dance Costume Embellishments That Add the Perfect Finishing Touch. Next up in our Dance Costume Cost series is 3 unexpected ways you can save on custom dance costume costs!

Team: Iowa City Regina Dance Team
Director/Head Coach: Kaitlyn Cooley
Location: Iowa City, IA 
Style: High School Dance Team, Jazz

The Champagne Leotard, our best seller of 2017! 

We had a wonderful 2017 at The Line Up, full of new and exciting things! We launched a series of new dance videos featuring our amazing and talented models,  Kate and Ali signed on as our first ever #LineUpVIPs, we worked with TRIBE 99 to help bring you the 2017 Dance Combine,  and we've formed some phenomenal partnerships with new and familiar dance, skate, and cheer friends. 

While we're looking forward to 2018 and all of the fun things on the horizon (including Superbowl 52 that will be right in our back yard!) we decided to look back on what blog posts resonated most with you in 2017.  Below are our Top 10 Blog Posts from 2017!