LEADERSHIP POSITIONS

A Dose Of Danspiration- “Leadership Positions” Originally posted on August 15, 2023

We’ve all been there. You have a large class of upperclassmen, all wanting to contribute in a position of leadership. BUT there can only be so many “Captains,” so how do you utilize all the strengths of those individuals and give them a feeling of purpose?

When deciding other leadership positions, consider what events/responsibilities, etc. are needed for the season.

For example: Our state has a requirement that choreography must be done by the athletes, thus the Choreography Committee played a vital role in the success of our season. We were also required by our school to do fundraising and participate in community service. These events/responsibilities, along with others, are all opportunities for different individuals to get involved and even lead.

Before we dive deeper into this topic, let’s just get the #1 most discussed leadership position out of the way….HEAD CAPTAINS.

In my opinion, a Captain(s) is an individual that can be relied upon to represent the program, it’s purpose, mission, vision, and fundamental philosophy, no matter the situation. These individuals do not and I REPEAT, DO NOT need to be the most talented dancers. They need to be the individuals with the highest character and the ones the team looks to when times get tough or when the coach is not present. If you step back, watch and observe, you will see who the natural leaders are. Look for those that both you and the team trust. Those who will always put the team first and will implement the desires of the coaching staff. They truly need to understand that the role of a captain is an honor and a huge responsibility to be taken very seriously, rooted in empowerment, not power.

Qualifications that can be used when selecting captains:

• Will serve as the leader of the team and maintain discipline within.

• Be a veteran member of the team.

• Will enforce all rules of the program and communicate constructively and continuously with the coach(es) and other team members.

• Assist in daily management and direction of practices - along with holding efficient and task-oriented captains’ practices when coach(es) are not present.

• Act as the individual responsible at performances if coach(es) are not able to be present.

• Will communicate any misconduct, small or large, of all fellow teammates to the individual and the coaching staff.

• Shall follow all high school league codes of leadership and school rules governing a leadership role.

• May be asked to dedicate extra time outside of scheduled practices and assist administratively.

• Assist with each audition process.

When selecting captains, we did the following:

·         Nominations were presented by all team members of the current team. When nominating an individual, a description of why the nominator believed the nominee would be a good fit for the role of captain was also included.

·         Final selection was made by the coach(es).

·         Selection was based upon attitude, leadership skills, ability to work well with others, and their commitment to the growth of themselves and their teammates as dancers and young adults.

·         Decide on when and how to best announce the selected individual(s). For us, the captains for the following year were announced at the end of the year banquet.

Responsibilities could include the following:

•        Decide team apparel for practices/games/events (tees, tanks, etc.) and post on team communication app.

•         Make announcements on the team’s behalf at school.

•         Weekly check-in meeting with coach(es) giving feedback about team morale, challenges, successes, etc.

•         Plans/leads warm-ups and/or strength & conditioning.

•          Music selection for warm ups, workouts, stretches, etc.

•         Have copy of all routine music on phone.

Additionally, I have seen on larger teams where there are Captains for specific styles (Jazz, Hip Hop, Pom, High Kick, etc.), Captains designated for football sidelines, or a group of small team Captains for basketball sidelines due to space being more limited and not everyone being able to participate at the same game (Group A Captain, Group B Captain, etc.).

Co-Captains (usually Juniors or younger)- have all the same qualities of a head captain, involved in making decisions, but also there to learn the head captain role expectations.

Now let’s discuss beyond the role of the Captain:

When I was coaching, outside of our captain positions, we had committees. Each committee had committee heads and committee members. I found this was a great way to get individuals involved with the team from the moment they became a member. It also gave everyone the opportunity to feel as if they were contributing to the success of the season AND I was able to observe individuals for future leadership positions. Individuals selected which committee they would like to be a part of. This allowed me to see what their interested and strengths were.

Once everyone signed up for a committee, members of these committees nominated themselves for the head position and, if selected (by the coaches), they worked more closely with the coach(es) and/or parent division of the committee to complete agreed upon events and tasks.  Each committee head was responsible for gathering and organizing details, and proposing ideas to the coach(es).  After approval, all individuals on the committee were responsible for implementing the ideas.

COMMITTEE/LEADERSHIP IDEAS THAT I HAVE USED OR HAVE BEEN SHARED WITH ME….

#1. Choreography Committee

•        These individuals DO NOT have to captains.  

•         Have time available to meet outside of practice.

•         Be a veteran member of the team.

•         Strong social, communication, and leadership skills.

•         Show creative potential and be task oriented.

•         Have experience with choreographing.

•        Show strong commitment to the growth and development of the squad.

#2 Fundraising Committee

•   Would help with generating ideas and implementing them once agreed upon. 

•   Would help with managing and delegating the event.

•   Assist in gathering any items needed for the event.

• May also need to be involved with the approval process through the school.

•   Contact the necessary people to research the idea and gather details.

#3 Social Committee

•         Help plan & execute team bonding events and other team get-togethers (This could be organized with JV/B/Middle School squads as well). Maybe this is monthly, weekly, or per practice. Decide what is best for your program.

•         Any “extra” fun things for at competitions.

•        In charge of the “school and team spirit” aspect during the competition and the days leading up to a competition, such as; motivational items, “good luck” signage, etc.

•         Noisemakers and other crowd participation items.

#4 Publicity/Social Media Committee (In and out of the school)

•        Social media- create guidelines, such as; must ask permission & send coaches what would like to post before posting it. Check grammar & punctuation before posting. Minimum must post once/week. Having people designed to this committee also helps to control the number of phones that are being used to capture photos/videos.

•          Birthdays- post a picture with compliments on who they are as a person, what makes them special as a person/teammate (not what they can physically do as a dancer).

•         Capture special events, such as; Senior Night and post.

•         Competition week- daily posts reminding of where & times.

•         Highlight team bonding activities.

•         Take pictures/videos regularly!

•         Placing posters up at school announcing fundraisers, competitions, performances, or other events.

•         Responsible for posting competition result.

#5 MUH (Make-Up, Uniform, Hair) Committee

**I cannot take credit for the name of this committee; I saw it on social media & thought it was PERFECT! **

•         Involved with the idea generating of the outfits for games & performances.

•          May also be asked to do extra running to get needed supplies. 

•          If have parent(s)/guardian(s) who sew, could help with quick fixes at competitions and alterations.

•          Create hair & make- up tutorials & create videos, if necessary. Then post on team communication app.        

• Helps teammates with hair & makeup when necessary.

•         Helps keep track of costume pieces when given & returned.

#6 End of the Year Banquet Committee

•        Help with pulling together end year decorations, gifts, etc.

•         Grabbing any trophies or awards from school to put on display.

•         Assisting parents and coach(es) with additional needs.

#7 Community Involvement Committee

•        Producing of ideas for service and school involvement.

•        Being present at all community service events.

•          Assisting in advertising of events.

•          Getting necessary information to the social committee in a timely manner.

#8 Communications Leader

•          Checks team communication app & makes sure everyone has seen new posts.

•          Report to coach if someone is not answering or responding when necessary.

•          Reminds team of important dates, items, checklists, etc.

#9 Team Support Committee

•          Help with team related issues or personal issues. This gives the team an additional person to go to with concerns outside of the coach(es) or captain(s), especially if they would like remain anonymous or feel nervous. Remind the team that if someone is sharing something that is harmful to themselves, harming another, or another is being harmed, that it is required that this information be brought to the coach(es) so they can report it to the proper authorities. This is the responsibility of mandated reporters.

“What if I have a team manager? What responsibilities can I give them?”

Here are some ideas that others have shared…

•          Take videos at practice and send them on team communication app.

•          Keep water bottles filled.

•          Take notes for dancers.

•          Takes reminder notes for coaches.

•          Keep written formations up to date.

•          Help keep practice running on time.

•          Second set of eyes on communication apps.

•          Have a set of back up music.

•          Set up the stereo and practice space.

•         Organize team closet.

•          Keep the sticky mat.

•          Have emergency back-up supplies (Hairspray, band aids, safety pins, extra make-up, etc.).

•          Handle sponsor drive letters.

This list is just a starting point to help you look at your program from a different lens. I encourage you to take a moment and consider, what are the different ways you can get as many of your team members involved as possible?

It is natural for humans to want to feel as if they belong to their community. Your dance program is a beautiful community full of talented individuals. Though not every individual has the natural ability to lead, everyone can contribute to the success of the community. Instead of giving EVERY task to a few, give many the opportunity to shine!

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