A&M Consolidated High school

BENGAL BELLE

Tryout packet 2015­2016

Dear Dance Team Candidate,

I am so excited that you are considering auditioning for Bengal Belles. The current Belles and I will do our best to teach you the fundamentals required for membership; just make sure you are fully applying yourself throughout this entire process and trying your best as well.

In this packet, you will find lots of important information and important dates. Responsibility and time management are a big part of being a dance and drill team member. Please read through everything thoroughly and be prepared for all upcoming activities.

Being a member of the Bengal Belles could be an exciting experience for you. We are extremely involved in school spirit and school events. Not only will you learn how to dance in unison with others, but you will learn a sense of teamwork, how to discipline yourself, gain self­confidence, set goals, and so much more. You will have many opportunities to experience things that will help you grow into a mature young lady.

Drill team is a year­round commitment. You will be expected to follow the rules and guidelines set forth in the Bengal Belle constitution. It will be a very rewarding experience if you are willing to push yourself and work hard.

It sounds like a lot, and the things mentioned are only a few aspects of Dance team, but being part of an organization such as this is worth the effort. As a former drill team member myself, I strongly feel that if you become a Bengal Belle the experience will be exciting, memorable, valuable, and important in the development of your character.

Please try to be prepared for all possible outcomes and use the tryout period as a positive growing experience. I am so proud of you for wanting to be a part of such a great organization. I wish you all the best of luck!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Raffield

Dear Parents,

How exciting! Your daughter has shown interest in trying out for the A&M Consolidated Bengal Belles. Should she make the team, she will have outstanding opportunities to build self­confidence, social and organizational skills, and gain a lifetime of memories.

Before your daughter begins the tryout process, there are some important things you should know and understand about Dance team. It is an organization that requires a serious time commitment and may be costly for those that choose not to fundraise. These issues will directly affect your daughter throughout her years on Belles. Should your daughter be selected for membership, we will need your full understanding and support.

Please read through this entire packet to learn more about Belles and feel free to contact us with any further questions. Thank you for showing interest in the A&M Consolidated Bengal Belles!

Sincerely,

Cathy Raffield Shannon Warhol

Director Asst. Director

craffield@csisd.org swarhol@csisd.org

Dance Team Candidates Important Dates

March 31st New Line Tryout meeting in Lecture Hall AMCHS6:30­7:30pm

*If you are interested in auditioning for Bengal Belles, you must attend this mandatory meeting with a parent or guardian. Here, you will receive a tryout packet including a parent permission form, medical release form, a more detailed explanation of the tryout process, and a breakdown of costs associated with Dance team.

April 13th­16th

Dance Team Clinic OLD GYM­ AMCHS 4­6:15pm

*This clinic runs Monday­Thursday. It is mandatory to attend all 4 days previous to the final audition. We will teach the tryout routine as well as review high kick technique, leaps, and turns. Each candidate will be assigned a Belle to assist them throughout the audition process. Thursday will be a mock tryout to prepare the candidates for the actual process. Completed packet and forms are due no later than the first day of this clinic, 4 pm on April 13th.

April 17th New Line Member Tryouts 4­? Pm

Important Dates for those selected as members of the 2015­2016 Bengal Belles April 20th(Monday) New Team meeting­ order supplies7pm April 21st (Tuesday) Begin Spring Show Rehearsal (Tues/Thurs)

4­6 May 6th (Wednesday) Spring Show Dress Rehearsal4­8 pm May 8th and 9th (Fri/Sat) SPRING SHOW!

LAST 2 or 3 WEEKS OF SCHOOL­ NEW TEAM PRACTICE AFTER SCHOOL­ Tue/ Thur 4­6 pm May 19th, 21st Learn Team Lyrical June 17­20 Belles Line Camp at AMCMS

August 3 ­ 7 Little Belle Camp and August practice 8:00­1:00 & 1:00­6:00

**Any big Summer plans for the family in 2015? Girls will have the last two weeks of June off and the ENTIRE month of JULY off!

Eligibility Requirements­ Tryouts

1. A candidate must have an overall 80 average for the 1st through 5th six­weeks when all six­weeks grades are averaged together. A grade in any 5 point course will be raised 10 points

2. A candidate must have all fines cleared at current school.

3. A candidate must not have been dismissed from any other school club,

organization, or sport for the current year.

4. A candidate will be ineligible to try out if she has been placed in ISS for more than 3 days in the current school year or has been placed in Venture Center in the current school year.

5. A candidate will be ineligible to tryout if she has been suspended from school during the current school year.

6. Parents must attend mandatory parent meeting or, if unable to attend, sign a waiver of understanding concerning the tryout process .

7. Candidates and parents must sign a form stating that they understand and will comply with all information in the packet before the student is allowed to participate in the tryout process.

8. Candidates must return medical release form, candidate information form, permission form, and a copy of their report card on the first day of tryout clinic.

Tryouts

The candidates will have three practices and a mock tryout before the auditions. Specific dates and times are stated on the previous page (important dates).

In order to tryout, candidates must meet all eligibility requirements on previous page.

All practices and tryouts are closed to parents and spectators. However, parents and spectators are more than welcome to attend mock tryouts (Thursday, April 16th)

During tryouts, the candidates will perform a dance, technique, the splits, and a series of kicks. Previous dance experience is not required.

Tryout scores are determined entirely by outside judges.

The tryouts will be judged by three individuals qualified in the area of dance. If any of the three judges feel they need to see a candidate again, she will be called back to perform the dance a second time. The judges will select the number of girls they feel will be able to make a significant contribution to the team. There is not a set number of girls who can make the line. The decision is made by looking at the scores and finding the natural “break” or gap in the scores. This will be determined by the director, assistant director, and school administrator.

Tryout results will be posted on the AMCHS Bengal Belle websites 30 minutes to 1 hour after the candidates have exited the building. Additional instructions will be handed out during mock tryouts. Parents, friends, relatives, etc. are prohibited from entering the building after tryouts. No one is allowed back into the building after tryouts are over.

Everyone is more than welcome to be waiting in the parking lot for their candidate. An approximate time of when tryouts will be over will be given the night of mock tryouts (where we can gauge the amount of time it takes). It is always best to be early.

What to wear for Tryouts and Mock Tryouts:

Outfit: ­Black t­shirt/leo/dance top ­Black shorts/jazz pants ­Black socks ­Black Jazz shoes *NO JEWELRY! Hair: ­Left side part ­Low ponytail *bobby pin so it does not get in your face! Make­up: ­ Blush ­Red lipstick ­Performance eye shadow (heavier than usual)

Try­out Rules and Guidelines

1. Be on time. 2. Absolutely no talking during roll call, instruction, or announcements.

3. Turn off all cell phones prior to tryouts beginning. 4. Wear the appropriate clothing to practice. You may not have any part of your mid­drift showing.

5. No food, drinks, or gum during practice. (you may bring a water bottle with a closeable lid)

6. Always perform “full out” during practice. 7. You may leave only when dismissed. 8. Please respect those conducting practice at all times by listening and responding to instructions.

9. Wear hair pulled back at all times. 10. Do not wear jewelry. 11. Notify Mrs. Raffield in advance (24 hours) of conflicts or if you are going to be absent.

Always be positive, enthusiastic, and supportive of yourself and others!

Time requirements

Being a dance team member is a year round commitment. Dancers perform at football games, pep rallies, basketball games, parades, competitions, spring show, and many other individual events.

Practices are held every day from 7am through 1st period, and two days a week (Tuesday and Thursday) after school from 4­6pm.

Each team member is expected to participate in all practices, activities, fund raising, retreats, and camps. This is a huge commitment, and it can be extremely worthwhile for your daughter. Not only will her dance skills improve, but she will also learn discipline, structure, responsibility, and make some wonderful friends along the way.

Cost

The first year on dance team is the most costly at approximately $800 per girl for uniform expenses. This includes camp, tights, performance costumes, cover­ups, boots, dance shoes, and other necessities. Additional costs may include travel fees for contest trips($200­250).

These payments may be made in installments and we will try to reuse as many items as possible to help reduce expenses.

Expenses will also increase if your daughter chooses to seek a leadership position on the team.

**While this organization may be costly at times, there are plenty of fundraising opportunities available throughout the year to help relieve the financial burden. It is definitely possible to fund your entire time as a dance team member through fundraising opportunities.

Fundraising

Team members will fundraise throughout the year. Money made from fundraisers will be deposited into: the team’s General Fund, Individual Accounts, or the Booster Account.

The general fund money is used for: props, costumes, choreography, accessories, specialists, judges, tapes, videos, etc. Anything that is needed to help prepare or motivate the team is funded by this account.

Designation of the fundraisers will be decided on by the directors.

Summer camp

In order to prepare for so many performances, the teams attend a mandatory camp to learn routines and condition their bodies for the upcoming year. They learn the majority of our football routines and pep rally routines during this time. Camp is hard work but is a great bonding experience for the girls.

Camp is generally three to four days long. The girls will have a couple of practices before camp begins.

Football and pep rally routines

The dance team members are a part of the half time entertainment at all football games and perform at every pep rally. The pep rallies are held during the weeks of home football games, play­offs, and occasionally one more held later in the year.

All team members will try out for every football routine. The director and assistant director will hold those tryouts during a regularly scheduled practice time. If at any time a dancer is not prepared or fully participating in practice, she will be asked not to perform that week.

Tryouts for pep rally routines will be held during August practices and fall semester practices. All dancers are eligible to try out for these routines. The director and assistant director will facilitate the tryout process and selection will be based on memory, technique, and overall execution of that particular dance style.

Contest

During the spring semester, the teams travel and compete against other dance teams from across the nation. This time of year involves a lot of hard work and dedication, but it is also very rewarding.

The director and assistant director will hold tryouts for all of the contest routines.

The cost of competition varies from year to year, however Belles are strongly encouraged to participate in all fundraisers.

Discipline

This is a very structured organization with high expectations for each Belle. To ensure efficiency and order within the organization, our discipline system includes: academic requirements (UIL), merits, and demerits. This system will be detailed for New Team members and parents at the first parent meeting with the 2015­2016 line.

A Final Note to Parents:

Tryouts can be a very exciting but stressful time for some young students. For those who are extremely concerned about being accepted onto the team, the pressure can be tremendous. We understand this and will try to keep this process as encouraging and positive as possible.

Please discuss with your daughter the possibility of not making the team. We believe it is very important that they understand how to handle it. This does not define them as a person. Maybe they just need another year to develop. Should they not make it, I encourage them to continue to work hard and improve on their dancing and to possibly research another school activity, sport, or club. We also offer a Training class to be taken during the school day. Your student could use this opportunity to further their dance ability as it directly relates to drill team.

Candidates may not be chosen for several reasons. Please refer to the sample score sheet to see how each candidate will be judged. There are several things to consider:

­Flexibility­ this will affect their score for the splits, high kicks, and leaps in a tryout dance

­Overall dance technique and coordination needed to execute several styles of dance

­Memory­ the ability to learn the basic movements and ideal polish for the choreography

We will do everything we can to make the tryout experience a pleasant and productive one. Tryouts can be an exciting and educational experience for everyone involved.

We wish everyone the best of luck!

Sincerely,

Cathy Raffield Shannon Warhol

SAMPLE SCORE SHEET

Candidate splits splits Kick Kick dance tech. timing Sharpness/ Memory Showmanship Overall

(right) (left) tech Height coordination rhythm Placement Impression

5 5 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 20

1

2

3

4

2015-2016 Dance Team Candidate Information

First Name Middle Last Name ________________________________________________________School you currently attend ___________________________________

Email Home Phone No. ________________________________ ___________________ Cell Phone Grade in 2015-2016 Age Student ID# ______________ ______________ ____ ____________ Mom’s Name Dad’s Name ___________________ ____________________

Mom’s Work Phone Dad’s Work Phone ____________________ __________________

Mom’s Cell Phone Dad’s Cell Phone

_________________ __________________ Mom’s Email Dad’s Email

_________________ __________________ Street Address Zip ________________________ ____________________ Allergies or medical conditions to be aware of:

** You must have an overall 80 average to be considered for membership. You will not be able to try out without turning in a copy of your most recent report card.

To be turned in by Monday, April 13, 2015 to Mrs. Raffield

This candidate information form Copy of your report card Tryout Permission slip Medical Release form

Tryout Permission Form

I have read and understand the information for the CSISD Dance team auditions, its rules and guidelines, and responsibilities of its members. I understand the costs and obligations involved. I also understand that it is a privilege and not a right to be chosen to be a member of this group. I understand the tryout procedures and how the drill team members are selected. If I am elected to the drill team, I will abide by the rules of the organization. I understand that if I am unable to meet the requirements set forth, that I may forfeit my membership. _______________________ _________ Candidate signature Date I have read and understand the information for Bengal Belles. I understand the tryout procedures and how the drill team members are selected. I hereby give my daughter, _______________________, permission to tryout for the CSISD Dance teams. _______________________ _______ Parent/Guardians Signature Date

PERMISSION FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT

In the event of an emergency as a result of athletic participation that requires medical attention, I grant permission to the school and/or its employees, the A&M Consolidated staff, to take whatever action it deems necessary. If I can’t be reached the A&M Consolidated staff is to give consent for medical treatment for my daughter __________________________ (Name) I expect every effort will be made to contact me in order to receive my specific authorization before any medical treatment of hospitalization is undertaken. Signed ________________________ Date ____/______/______

(Parent/Guardian) Parent/Guardian Name ____________________________________________ Home Phone Number _____________________________________________ Business Phone Number ___________________________________________ Address ______________________________________________________ Person to notify other than parent or guardian in case of an emergency Emergency Contact Name ____________________ Phone Number ___________ Family Doctor ____________________________ Phone Number ___________ If you do not give permission or authorization for consent of medical treatment, what procedures should be followed? Please state ______________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Signed __________________________ Date ___/____/____

(Parent/Guardian)