How to Start a Dance Crew: 10 Tips for Beginners

A dance crew is a group of dancers who perform together as a collective under a group name in a more informal agreement than an official dance company. Most dance crews compete against other teams or perform for hire at different venues and events.

While dance crews have their origins in New York City with hip-hop and street dance, there are now crews worldwide that specialize in different kinds of dance, from ballet to jazz to tap to clogging. The concept of a dance crew rose to mainstream popularity with MTV’s reality show America’s Best Dance Crew (ABDC), which pitted dance crews against each other to compete for the honor of being named the best dance crew in the United States.

While each dance crew is different, there are a few basic leadership roles within the group that work together to direct, style, and market the team:

1. 1. Director: The director, typically the crew’s founder, is in charge of the group’s activities. They make (or delegate) most of the decisions about the crew’s music, choreography, costumes, and performance venues and are responsible for hiring new crew members.
2. 2. Artistic advisor: The artistic advisor is responsible for supporting the director and making suggestions for the group’s choreography and other artistic choices to ensure that the performances shine.
3. 3. Captain: The dance captain (also called the rehearsal director) is in charge of the crew’s day-to-day rehearsals. They direct warm-ups, run the agenda, and walk the dancers through the choreography.
   
4. 4. Administrative assistants: The administrative team coordinates all the technical logistics of the crew—for instance, booking studio space, keeping an eye out for new competitions to enter, budgeting the crew’s finances, and being a liaison between the crew members and leadership.
5. 5. Marketing team: The crew members in charge of marketing generate social media content and brainstorm ways to spread the word about the crew, especially for fundraising, sponsorships, performance turnout, auditioning new dancers, and general street credibility.
6. 6. Social coordinator: The social coordinator is responsible for the fun social aspect of the crew—making the group feel less like a professional association and more like a family. They plan activities, direct rituals and chants, and brainstorm ways to bring everyone closer together.

There are many ways to start a dance crew, but here are a few common steps that any aspiring dance group will need to consider:

1. 1. Determine your goals. Identify your dance crew’s goal and purpose so that you can plan your trajectory accordingly. Do you want to make money or connections? Do you want to perform for hire, in competitions, or at public events? Is there a particular niche or talent that you want your crew to focus on? Knowing the answers to these questions before you start will help guide you through every step of the process.
2. 2. Establish your budget. You’ll need to create a budget for rehearsal space, website domains, marketing materials, and costumes. After deciding your overall operating costs, draft up a few ideas for revenue streams. How much do dance competitions pay the winners? Can you offset expenses through fundraising, merch sales, or sponsorships? Are your dancers going to be paid, or will they be volunteering their time? Gaining a better understanding of the operating costs and your budget early on will make it easier to concentrate on the creative aspects down the line.
3. 3. Plan the audition process. Once you know how your crew will operate, you can start planning out the audition process. You’ll need to decide whether you want to put together a short routine to test their choreography skills or if you want each dancer to freestyle to show you their best moves. Will there be multiple rounds of auditioning? Who will lead the choreography test, and what routine will they use? You’ll also need a dedicated space to hold auditions and an assistant or two to help you run them.
4. 4. Promote the audition. Next, you’ll need to create an advertisement that you can share to spread the word about your audition. The ad should mention the skill levels, age range, and dance styles of your preference, along with the time of the audition, the venue’s address, and driving directions. Spread the word about your audition with flyers, social media posts, or advertising through local dance studios, high schools, or university campus labs.
5. 5. Hold auditions. At the start of the audition, introduce yourself, tell your dancers how the process will work, and reiterate the attributes you’re looking for in a potential crew member. As people audition, keep an eye out for dancers that you think can serve the team’s leadership roles. Keep your auditions open as long as it takes—many dance crews go through several rounds of cuts and callbacks before they officially hire new dancers.
6. 6. Notify the selected dancers. After the audition, read through your notes and look at performance footage to determine which dancers you want to invite onto the team. Once you decide on your new team members, send out a blanket rejection form to the dancers who didn’t make it in, thanking them for their time. Reach out to your new team members to invite them to join your team. If you have them in mind for a potential leadership role, let them know to gauge their interest in the position.
7. 7. Rehearse. Once you’ve hired your crew, it’s time to prepare for performances. Partner with your leadership committee to decide on a music selection, plan choreography (alone or with the help of other choreographers on the crew), and set up a specific and detailed rehearsal schedule to get ready for your performance.
8. 8. Polish the set. A great set has tight choreography, great dancers, and eye-catching costumes and props. You’ll need to meet with the artistic advisor to discuss possible outfit selections, then talk to your administrative clerk to determine the costuming and prop budget. Decide whether you want the crew to wear their own clothes or a specific outfit that the team will finance and provide.
9. 9. Advertise. As you prepare for your performance, you’ll want to drum up interest in your dance crew and your upcoming event. Post on social media, pass out flyers, and record fun, short-form dance videos to share online to get people interested in watching you perform.
10. 10. Perform. Once your crew is ready, it’s time to perform—whether at a particular competition, at a fancy venue, or even just at a public place like a park. Ensure that everyone knows the date, time, and venue, where to park, and who to contact in case of emergency. It’s a good idea to set a specific meeting location within the venue, so the dancers don’t get lost looking for the rest of the crew.
11. 11. Have fun. Dance crews are about more than just performing—they’re about building a fun, safe, and friendly environment where people can get to know each other as they work on their craft together. In addition to rehearsing and performing, make sure that the crew spends time together outside of the studio, building bonds that make the experience richer for everyone involved.

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