The Perfect Performance

Is it eluding your team?

It's Friday night and the two rival high schools in town are playing. It's far more than just a football game. There is more than one battle that takes place in the minds of our students and fans. The band feels it, the cheerleaders feel it , the fans feel it, and yes, your drill team feels it. Even if you are not the competitive type, there are few other nights when you so strongly desire a solid performance.

If the perfect performance keeps eluding your team, don't be frustrated. You can do something, or maybe even many things, about it.

Be realistic about your team's ability level. You may have an officer line that can do triple pirouettes in hiking boots, but when your team takes the field you must plan that performance so that even your weakest performer looks good. You can use more difficult dance moves for a more select performance group later in the year. We all want to push our dancers to achieve more, but precision should not suffer. Precision is the single most important element of a performance. It is also the most difficult element to achieve.

You may be tempted to cut more girls from that big game performance to eliminate any performance flaws. To a certain extent, this tactic may be successful. Unfortunately, the girl suffers and her parents are less than thrilled. Try two things to help this viscous cycle: offer tutorials or extra, non-mandatory practices for any girls who feel they need extra help on a routine. Have veteran team members take turns conducting these help sessions though you should monitor the rehearsal. Be sure that parents and students are aware of these sessions. You would be wise to document attendance. In a perfect world, the questionable team member will come to the practice, master the skill, and make the performance. If she doesn't come, and then doesn't make the routine, she should realize that she could have worked harder to make the performance line. If she comes, and still doesn't get it, consider simplifying the routine.

If it is the Wednesday night practice before a Friday night game and that cool stunt or incredible formation is still not making it, don't hesitate to change it. There is nothing uglier than a crooked pinwheel formation or contagion that doesn't make it in time. And no one likes to see little girls dropped on their heads during a half- time show. Keep the main idea, but change it. Instead of pin-wheeling 60 girls into a file in 16 counts, begin from 2 lines of 30 and pinwheel. You'll probably end up loving the change..... because it is going to make the performance perfect!

Review and reorganizing your practice schedule. Are you practicing enough? If your team has mastered all of your goals for one day, let them go a few minutes early as a reward. If they have not reached a positive ending point, stay late. This should not be a threat, it should be standard operating procedure. Never hold them so late that they get hostile, but a good 10 extra minutes every now and then can really help. Keep your announcements short and sweet. Make your collection process for funds or forms as smooth, efficient, and quick as possible. Make sure that your officers know the agenda for the practice and that it is followed. After practice, communicate with officers about any problems and then work together to solve those problems. This is also a good time to plan the next practice.

Practice on the performance field. It may not be possible to get into a stadium the day before the big game, but if you can, do it! You will be amazed at the problems you can spot and fix from way up in the press box. During the week, practice on the football field or on a parking lot that is marked with yardlines. The thought of no air conditioning may melt your spirits, but if you provide water for breaks and have the girls dress appropriately, they should be fine.

Critique your own critiquing. You have many jobs to do as teacher and director, but could you polish the performance more effectively. We often get so busy that we rely on our officers to polish all of the time. Small group critiques are important, but nothing makes a team hustle more that their beloved director commanding perfection as she claps and shouts the beats. Be specific about what you are looking for in the 8 counts that you are polishing. Critique and praise each time before trying it again. And finally, don't move on until the desired effect is acquired.

We've all witnessed a million things go wrong once a drill team takes the field: A large prop can blow over, the band can skip a section of the music, a bottle can go rolling across the field and threaten to trip an unaware dancer, the wind can ruin a flag or ribbon performance, a performer can become injured. Although these examples are mostly out of your control you can help to immediately resolve some of these situations. One of the greatest uses of walkie-talkies is for press box to field communication for half-time shows. Having some quick managers on the sidelines in communication with the director is so helpful when a crisis rears its ugly head. Just make sure that you have fresh batteries for your radios. Your ability to quickly solve potential problems will greatly enhance your performances, week after week.

Plan ahead! Ribbon routines probably won't work in an outdoor stadium. Slick chair props are going to need some tape on the seat for traction if the field is wet. Rubber bands help team members hold onto to hand props. A little ingenuity can go a long way in achieving a performance.

by Melissa Interrante