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 Team: Mountain View Toro Pom

University of Minnesota Dance Team | College of St. Benedict Dance Team | MN State Mankato Dance Team

About 18 months ago, we noticed a dance photographer pop up in our feed named Cobey Rouse, from Rouse Productions  Since then, we've slowly watched his connection in the dance community grow - from photographing high school dance teams in his Lakeville, Minnesota community to traveling to UDA nationals with some of the most talented collegiate dance teams.  

What's been even more fun to see is Cobey's approach to his photography and business.  We've never interacted with a more humble and giving photographer, and his mission - to promote the sport of dance - comes through in so much of his work!  It's clear he has a passion to elevate the sport, and this passion fuels his photography. 

We asked Minnesota local, to give us a little more insight into his passion for preserving these extraordinary moments, particularly when working with dancers.  Check out his answers and some of his work below! 

One of the easiest ways to save on dance costumes is to plan ahead and take advantage of early bird discounts. 

Dance is a highly seasonal business, and when everyone wants their costumes in the fall, this can translate to an increase in lead-time and cost to you, the coach. To help offset this seasonality, every year The Line Up hosts an "early bird" sale from January to May, where teams can save on their custom dance costumes. However, the most common objection we hear is this "I don't have my team yet"! Here's a simple hack that many haven't considered:

You can take advantage of early bird savings by getting started with your design and prototype before you have your team formed. 

There's nothing better than a fresh box of apparel, and since it only happens a couple times a year, celebrate it! Make the most out of your purchase by opening your box and checking your order right away.  If something isn't quite right, the last thing you want to do is scramble to fix it the day before competition.  Here are five tips for what to do when your dance costumes arrive. 

Competition season has wrapped up, your team's hard work has paid off, and it's already time to begin planning for next season.

Starting early on your custom dance costume design can save you time, stress, and money, but one of the main constraints we hear is, "I don't have my team or money yet!" 

No worries, there may be a solve for you! There are ways to get started even without your team assembled OR your funds in place for the year. Read on to find out how.

Behind the scenes at one of our recent photo shoots at Steve Lucas Photography

Once fall rolls around, we know the first thing on the to-do list as a newly formed dance team is pictures!  When it comes to photoshoots, TLU has definitely had lots of practice.  With over 8 photoshoots a year, we've got things down to a science!  

And we don't do it alone either!  With a little help from the experts below, we've compiled some of our best tips for getting your best photos as a dance team. Read on to hear what the experts have to say.

• Pam Gleason - Our photoshoot choreographer, Pam, is a master at creative posing!  When not working at The Line Up, she's also an instructor at Dance Arts Centre and co-founder of Matrixx Pro.

• Steve Lucas - We've been working with Steve Lucas Photography for over 10 years, and with his 20+ years of experience, he has perfected the art of capturing the perfect dance action shot!  

• Dawn Ruschmeyer - Our resident photo editor and Photoshop Wizard, Dawn is also Steve Lucas's assistant and photo editor.

We know the importance of building a strong team. But we also know that there is a lot of advice out there on team building activities that are so lame!  It's important for your team to mesh together nicely, but a new season and a new team can be intimidating both for coaches and the team members. To help with transition, we've compiled a list of 9 Team Building Ideas you can implement with your new team this fall! 

This February, directors for NFL's prestigious cheer and dance teams got their 2018 season off to a start at the NFL Director's Conference in Philadelphia! We were able to chat with a few of our coaching friends while attending the event, and asked them if they had any advice for fellow coaches.  Here's what these experienced and talented women had to say!

We've asked some of our coaching friends to share their unique insights with you for this new series: EXPERT COACHING TIPS. In case you missed it, last week we talked about how to create the best practice!

This week, we're talking about planning for the season. We know that coaching a dance team involves A LOT of coordination and details. From tryouts to practices to designing costumes... there's a ton to keep track of and get organized. To help, see what these expert dance team coaches had to say about staying on top of planning!

We know that planning for an upcoming season can be a challenging yet exciting time!  When it comes to your team's dance costumes, there are many questions. Where do you start?  What information do you need!  Luckily it's pretty simple.  All you need to get started with designing a dance costume are these four things: budget, time frame, quantity, and concept.  Read on to learn more!!