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Team: Hofstra University Dance TeamHead Coach: Kelly OlsenLocation: Hempstead, NYStyle:  College Dance Team - Jazz

University of Minnesota Dance Team | College of St. Benedict Dance Team | MN State Mankato Dance Team About 18 months ago, we noticed a dance photographer pop up in our feed named Cobey Rouse, from Rouse Productions  Since then, we've slowly watched his connection in the dance community grow - from photographing high school dance teams in his Lakeville, Minnesota community to traveling to UDA nationals with some of the most talented collegiate dance teams.   What's been even more fun to see is Cobey's approach to his photography and business.  We've never interacted with a more humble and giving photographer, and his mission - to promote the sport of dance - comes through in so much of his work!  It's clear he has a passion to elevate the sport, and this passion fuels his photography.  We asked Minnesota local, to give us a little more insight into his passion for preserving these extraordinary moments, particularly when working with dancers.  Check out his answers and some of his work below! 

  Photos via  Quinnipiac Dance Team, Hofstra Dance Team, Villanova Dance Team, University of Minnesota Dance Team Dance athletes are continuously pushing the boundaries and redefining the limits of the sport, and this holds particularly true at the 2024 UDA College Nationals.  With unique choreography, transitional costumes, and tributes to dance history - this year brought numerous surprises that will continue to linger in our thoughts! We feel fortunate to have collaborated with many exceptionally talented teams for their custom dance costumes. The vision, creativity, and performances not only inspired the dance community this weekend, but resonated worldwide.   We are truly in awe of the talent and dedication poured into perfecting these routines.  Congratulations to all the athletes at UDA!  Watching you perform is the best part of our job.  Check out performance videos and photos from some of the collegiate dance teams we had the privilege of outfitting for the competition, below!   

Team: Capital Ice Synchronized SkatingHead Coach: Becky GallionLocation: Bismarck, NDStyle:  Synchronized Skating 

Team: University of Minnesota Dance TeamHead Coach: Amanda GainesLocation: Minneapolis, MNStyle:  College Dance Team - Jazz + Pom 

  One of the easiest ways to save on dance costumes is to plan ahead and take advantage of early bird discounts. Dance is a highly seasonal business, and when everyone wants their costumes in the fall, this can translate to an increase in lead-time and cost to you, the coach. To help offset this seasonality, every year The Line Up hosts an "early bird" sale from January to May, where teams can save on their custom dance costumes. However, the most common objection we hear is this "I don't have my team yet"! Here's a simple hack that many haven't considered: You can take advantage of early bird savings by getting started with your design and prototype before you have your team formed.   

Team: Northwest Mississippi Community CollegeDirector/Head Coach: Patrice Christian and Liesl MoteLocation: Senatobia, MSStyle:  College Dance Team - Hip Hop 

Starting early on your custom dance costume design can save you time, stress, and money, but one of the main constraints we hear is, "I don't have my team or money yet!"  No worries, there are ways to get started even without your team assembled or your funds in place for the year.  You can take advantage of early bird savings by getting started with your design and prototype before you have your team or your full funding. Then, when you have your team and funding secured, you can place your full order.

  Inspiration for your next dance costume can come from anywhere: the runway, your Instagram feed, a sneaker, or even something as random as that gorgeous peach that's sitting on your desk!  We know it can feel overwhelming to narrow your focus to create a concept that is unique from your competitors.  To help, we've rounded up some of our favorite resources for finding dance costume inspiration.

One logo created with 5 different techniques.  Price will vary depending on logo size  and exclude base garment price - shown here at 7.25" high.  Most teams brand their cheer and dance uniforms with logo and lettering, but you may not realize that there are many different options available! "Which logo and lettering option is best for me?", you might ask. The answer is that it depends! Some factors that affect which option is best for your dance or cheer uniform are: Your overall budget Level of detail in your team logo  Fit of your uniform or location of logo Below, we summarize 5 ways you can add your logo to a cheer uniform - embroidery, vinyl, sublimation, spangles and rhinestones - and the pros and cons of each! 

  In our How Much Does a Custom Dance Costume Cost series, we’ll be covering a few things that will affect the price of your dance costume: patterning and set-up fees, fabric choices, the number of costumes being ordered, and embellishments. Today we’ll talk about construction details that add to your custom dance costume costs - the “cut and sew” features of your costume! Construction details include the base pieces of your costume that need to be cut out of fabric and sewn together, and doesn't include add-on features like rhinestones, appliques, or fabric choices. Generally speaking, the more construction details going into your garment, the more it will cost.   Below we break down 5 common construction details that add cost, along with average price ranges of each. Prices will vary depending on your chosen costume company and your group discount, but below we used pricing from The Line Up, before any discounts are applied.  

We've kicked off our How Much Does a Custom Dance Costume Cost series and next up we're talking about dance costume embellishments! Embellishments add the perfect finishing touch to your custom dance costume. But when designing on a budget, they're often the first thing to get cut. Why? Because they can get pretty costly and add up quickly! Not only do you have to consider the cost of the embellishment itself, but also the labor costs to have your costume company apply the embellishments for you. However, you shouldn't have to sacrifice those finishing touches because of your budget! The easiest way to save is to apply the finishing touches yourself. Here are 4 dance costume embellishments that you can add yourself for the perfect finishing touch, while also cutting costs:

Aitkin All Starz Dance Team in a Custom Jazz Costume One of the most common questions we get regarding costumes is "how much does a custom costume cost?!" This can be a difficult question to answer because a custom costume is just that - custom - and depends on what you add! Everything is completely unique, which means that the pricing is unique as well. As a general guideline, custom costumes can range anywhere from $150 to $600. The more detail and complex, the higher the price.  However, we generally tell people the average price of a custom dance costume is around $250, and to start with that budget in mind.   If you're looking for more information, here are six areas that will determine how much your custom dance costume costs:

You've got your choreography, your team is practicing hard, and now it's time to design your dance costume! This may seem like a daunting task, but designing a custom dance costume can really be broken down into 8 simple steps. If you've been following along our How to Design a Custom Dance Costume series, we've covered everything from prototypes to  fabrics. We've compiled all the posts in this series to give you a brief overview of the custom dance costume design process. Check it out below!

In our recent How to Design a Custom Dance Costume series, we've been covering all the steps to ordering a custom costume.   Once your design and prototype is confirmed, it's time to get started making your group order! The next step is sizing and measuring your team before your custom costume goes off to production. Fit is fashion! Even with the most beautifully designed costume, if your outfit doesn't fit properly, the focus will be on your flaws and not your skills. Here a few tips to ensure your dancers are fitted correctly: