You’ve got the team assembled, put in the practice time, and dedicated yourself to competing. Now comes the hard part… Choosing dance competition team names may seem an easy task at first, but once it comes time, “analysis paralysis” can take over. Don’t worry! Look at this as an opportunity to showcase the team’s talent as well as presenting the dance studio in the best light. Follow these steps, and you will have a team name you love:
1. Look for dance crew names not taken.
While you might want to jump right in and create a cool or catchy name, it is helpful to take some time, do some research and come up with the best name for your team. Possibly the most important piece of research is to, whenever possible, find out the dance competition team names you will compete against. You don’t want to make the mistake of naming your team the same name or something very similar. Such a mistake will confuse people (especially the judges) when it comes competition time.
2. Brainstorm fearlessly.
Pull the team together and brainstorm possible names. Consider creating a list of 20 names with the concept that no idea is a bad idea. Then, reduce the list considerably until you have at least three good choices. Keep in mind that once you pick a name and begin to use it, it will be very difficult to change it. Again, you don’t want to confuse the audience, opponents or others in the dance competition community. Thus, it’s important to pick a good name and stick with it.
3. Be inspired!
Unique dance crew names reflect your studio, the team members, dance style and message you want to send to your opponents. Think about the following:
- Team strengths
- Team philosophy
- Overall identity
- Member names
- Dance style(s)
- Studio location
- Motivational and inspirational words
If focusing on team strengths, philosophy or overall identity, names might include adjectives such as:
- Daring
- Dazzling
- Dynamic
- Crushing
- Feisty
- Funky
- Intense
- Radical
- Revolutionary
If you gather together team member names, the team name might turn into something like:
- Jack and Jennifer Times Four (A five-member team with Jennifers and one boy named Jack)
- Sullivan Vega Torres Smythe (Last names of all members)
- Shooting STARS (First initials of Samantha, Tom, Alexandra, Randy and Stephanie)
Naming a team after a dance style should be carefully considered. As the team transitions over the years, styles may be reconsidered. Some dance team names include:
- Hip Hoppers
- Rhythmic Squad
- Irish Thunder
- Boogie Bouncers
Picking a team name based on studio location may also seem a great way to go. However, if your studio expands to include other locations and/or moves to a different city, having such a name may become problematic. Some names to consider:
- Akron All Stars
- Albuquerque Angels
- Detroit Divas
- Sacramento Street Dancers
Using inspirational and motivational words can give the team a jump start during competition. If deciding to use such words as a team name, it’s a great way to get members involved. Have them write down the words that feel fit the personality of the team. Then create unique dance crew names that include them, such as:
- Great Inspirations
- Never Say Die
- Dream Big, Dance Hard
- Jazz Success
- Brave Babes
Be creative during the process. Your team is unique. Once you’ve got your final dance competition team name choices, bounce ideas off of colleagues, friends and family members to get feedback and see if the name does reflect your team as you intend.
Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/dance_photographer/4747593739/ under the Attribution 2.0 Generic Creative Commons license.