An Inside Look At The Making Of The College Spirit Camp Demo
An Inside Look At The Making Of The College Spirit Camp Demo
Have you ever wondered how the UCA and UDA College Demo is put together? Check out this inside look!
The UCA and UDA college staffs are kicking off the first college camp of the summer this week in Austin, Texas, at the University of Texas! Fifty-three staff members from all different regions met in Longhorns territory on Sunday, July 9, for their debut demo practice.
At the first practice, the cheer staff worked together to find elite and IME (intermediate) partners to work timing. This practice was held at the Texas Longhorns' Indoor Practice Facility -- also known as "The Bubble." Coaches Tony Nash, Trey Griffin, and Leighton Clarke all worked together to create each skill in the demo and started to put the pieces together! This part can be quite challenging. The routine will be tweaked to perfection over the course of the next few days before the staff performs it LIVE in front of the camp on Thursday, July 13.
Meanwhile, on the opposite end of The Bubble, the UDA staff was hard at work choreographing (yes, I said choreographing) the routines for the demo. Pom, jazz, and hip-hop are all included in the performance, so there's much work to be done to create a seamless and entertaining show. From scratch Dani Eustice, former HPU dancer, leads the ladies all week to perfect their skills and synchronization.
The layout of the routine began to come together on day two, and the cheer staff was placed in its specific roles. However, the positions are switched around often to find what best fits the demo. After partners and groups collect their timing, the coaches begin to run the routine in parts. Whether it's the first half of the demo or the second, this is where the staff works on its mentality as it puts the skills together with music. The UCA staff also must coordinate its routine with the UDA routine. The coaches of both the UCA and UDA staff are on site to make sure the choreography go hand in hand.
The dancers are now starting to work on memorizing the moves and adding their own flare. During certain sections of the routine, the dancers take center stage to perform while cheer takes a break -- hip-hop is one of the sections dance really strives to shine. It's a crowd favorite.
On day three of practice, the staff continued to work on individual skills, except now it is putting all of the parts together to create the overall picture. Teamwork is really put to the test on this day as the staff members are challenged to work out the kinks of the demo. Focus is an important asset at this time. Oh... and by day three the staff is really starting to feel those sore muscles!
The dancers are cleaning now and starting to add confidence and style to their movements. You can tell the two groups are really stating to vibe.
Day four is the first day of demo practice that takes place in the Frank C. Erwin Jr. Special Events Center. The move is made to help the instructors get a feel of the new environment where the demo will take place. On this day, the coaches and staff finally set up the demo like it will be performed.
Now is the time to run the routine full out! At this point, the coaches are looking to critique the small details in the demo. The staff ran the demo full out multiple times on day four and is now ready to put its perfected routine in front of the camp!
Although the demo is a "wait and see" type of performance, here's an inside look at a few things to keep an eye out for in each routine.
Be ready for tippy tops to fly across two FULL panels of mats and for middle layers to muscle these tops up and over the pyramid. The demo opens with a section of high-flying baskets and ends with… you guessed it, the "flower pot" picture with a sky-high toe touch basket! This routine is jam-packed with new skills and crazy transitions. And for the elite? You'll just have to wait and see!
The Varsity TV crew is on site for the "Making of the College Demo," stay tuned for an exclusive look at our upcoming film!
Have you ever wondered how they do it? Here's the step-by-step process of each day!
Practice Day 1:
At the first practice, the cheer staff worked together to find elite and IME (intermediate) partners to work timing. This practice was held at the Texas Longhorns' Indoor Practice Facility -- also known as "The Bubble." Coaches Tony Nash, Trey Griffin, and Leighton Clarke all worked together to create each skill in the demo and started to put the pieces together! This part can be quite challenging. The routine will be tweaked to perfection over the course of the next few days before the staff performs it LIVE in front of the camp on Thursday, July 13.
Meanwhile, on the opposite end of The Bubble, the UDA staff was hard at work choreographing (yes, I said choreographing) the routines for the demo. Pom, jazz, and hip-hop are all included in the performance, so there's much work to be done to create a seamless and entertaining show. From scratch Dani Eustice, former HPU dancer, leads the ladies all week to perfect their skills and synchronization.
Practice Day 2:
The layout of the routine began to come together on day two, and the cheer staff was placed in its specific roles. However, the positions are switched around often to find what best fits the demo. After partners and groups collect their timing, the coaches begin to run the routine in parts. Whether it's the first half of the demo or the second, this is where the staff works on its mentality as it puts the skills together with music. The UCA staff also must coordinate its routine with the UDA routine. The coaches of both the UCA and UDA staff are on site to make sure the choreography go hand in hand.
The dancers are now starting to work on memorizing the moves and adding their own flare. During certain sections of the routine, the dancers take center stage to perform while cheer takes a break -- hip-hop is one of the sections dance really strives to shine. It's a crowd favorite.
Practice Day 3:
On day three of practice, the staff continued to work on individual skills, except now it is putting all of the parts together to create the overall picture. Teamwork is really put to the test on this day as the staff members are challenged to work out the kinks of the demo. Focus is an important asset at this time. Oh... and by day three the staff is really starting to feel those sore muscles!
The dancers are cleaning now and starting to add confidence and style to their movements. You can tell the two groups are really stating to vibe.
Practice Day 4:
Day four is the first day of demo practice that takes place in the Frank C. Erwin Jr. Special Events Center. The move is made to help the instructors get a feel of the new environment where the demo will take place. On this day, the coaches and staff finally set up the demo like it will be performed.
Now is the time to run the routine full out! At this point, the coaches are looking to critique the small details in the demo. The staff ran the demo full out multiple times on day four and is now ready to put its perfected routine in front of the camp!
What will you see in the 2017 UCA College Demo?
Although the demo is a "wait and see" type of performance, here's an inside look at a few things to keep an eye out for in each routine.
Be ready for tippy tops to fly across two FULL panels of mats and for middle layers to muscle these tops up and over the pyramid. The demo opens with a section of high-flying baskets and ends with… you guessed it, the "flower pot" picture with a sky-high toe touch basket! This routine is jam-packed with new skills and crazy transitions. And for the elite? You'll just have to wait and see!
Stay tuned to watch the College Spirit Camp Opening Demo LIVE July 13 at 1 PM CT for FREE on Varsity TV!
