Light up LED gold pom poms glowing on a band dance line in gold sequins in front of the marching band at night

Band Dance Teams and Dance Lines: What Band Directors and Boosters Order for Halftime, Parades and Contest

For band directors, dance line and drill team directors and band boosters: how a band dance team differs from cheer, who orders what, and what works when the lights go down.

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A band dance team, called a dance line, drill team or auxiliary depending on the school, performs with the marching band rather than the cheer squad: in the pregame and halftime field show, in the stands and in parades, usually on the band’s budget and its boosters. What the line orders follows its style. Pom and drill lines need matched poms, majorette-style lines need sequins, fringe and white boots, and every line needs uniforms that match. For night games and parades, our light-up poms are $120 a pair on 10 or more pairs; our LED fringe sequin bodysuit is quoted per line.

How is a band dance team different from a cheer squad?

Light up LED gold pom poms glowing on a band dance line in gold sequins in front of the marching band at night

A band dance team belongs to the band. At UAB, the colour guard, the majorettes and the Blazerettes dance line are “considered sections (like trombones, percussion, or clarinets)” within the Marching Blazers, with band scholarships and spring auditions (source: UAB Bands). At Stephen F. Austin, the Angels Dance Team learns marching fundamentals in the fall and performs drill around the field with the band (source: Halftime Magazine). That changes who orders, who pays and what the line needs.

Cheer squad Band dance team
Runs it Athletics or the spirit program The band program, with a dance line or drill team director
Performs Sideline, timeouts, crowd cheers Pregame and halftime field show, stand routines, parades
Music Crowd cheers and band cues The band’s show music
Paid for by Athletics or cheer boosters The band budget or band boosters
Signs off on gear Cheer coach and athletic director Band director and dance line director

What does each kind of line carry and wear?

Line style What it carries What it wears What we make for it
Pom and drill lines, such as Texas high school drill teams Matched poms for pom routines; Southern Illinois’ band director told Halftime Magazine the Dazzlers are “usually carrying pom poms” during drill A field uniform: Denton High’s Fillies list leotards, skirts, overlays, belts, gauntlets, tights, boots and hats Light-up poms, $120 a pair on 10+ pairs
Kick-line drill teams, such as the Kilgore Rangerettes Kick routines, plus pom routines and props such as small staircases, by alumnae accounts Red, white and blue, with a white hat and boots Light-up poms for the pom routine
Majorette-style dance lines in the HBCU tradition Their founders put down the baton; Southern’s Dolls use white gloves and parasols Sequins, capes, boots and long gloves The LED fringe sequin bodysuit, quoted per line
College band dance teams Poms for pom numbers; Purdue and Indiana both list pom among their styles A long-term uniform design Light-up poms, and a second look for theme nights

Sources: Halftime Magazine, Denton High School Fillies Booster Club, Cotton Bowl Classic, Handbook of Texas: the Kilgore Rangerettes, Andscape, Daily Dot, Purdue Bands, IU Marching Hundred. Ask which style your line dances before you price anything: a pom line needs poms first, and a majorette-style line needs the costume first.

Who orders for a band dance team?

Role What they decide
Band director The show, the music, the field calendar and final sign-off on anything the line carries in the show
Dance line or drill team director Routines, the look, sizes and the order itself
Band boosters Fundraising and payment
School purchasing The purchase order, which needs a written quote
Captains and officers Sizes from every member, and charging and spares on game day

Speaking about uniforms for his band’s auxiliary groups, Southern Illinois University’s director of athletic bands put it plainly: “It is a financial commitment, and I’ve made that commitment to all of them” (source: Halftime Magazine). Get the quote in front of the band director and the boosters at the same meeting, so one person isn’t waiting on the other.

What changes when the stadium lights go down?

Metallic poms, sequins and fringe all reflect. They are made for field lights, and they read well under them. When a stadium drops its lights for a halftime feature, a light show or a band’s closer, reflective gear goes dark with the field. Light-up poms make their own light, so a line of 20 dancers switching colour on one count reads from the top row. The remote changes every pom together, which keeps the line as precise in the dark as it is under the lights. See stadium floodlights vs dark arenas for how each venue changes what reads.

Talk to the band director before you plan a lights-down moment. The cue belongs in the show, and the stadium’s operations staff decide what the lights can do.

What works in a night parade?

A parade is the opposite of a stadium: the crowd is ten feet away, the streetlights are patchy and the route is long. The look has to carry at curb distance for an hour, not from the top row for four minutes.

  • Costume first. On a majorette-style line, our LED fringe sequin bodysuit lights the whole dancer in one colour by remote.
  • Poms second. On a pom line, light-up poms keep every arm motion visible between streetlights.
  • Charge the night before and carry spares at the start of the route.
  • Give the remote to one person, the director or a captain walking alongside the line.
  • Ask the parade organiser about any rules for lights on the route.
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How many pairs does a dance line need?

At our team rate of $120 a pair on 10 or more pairs:

Group Pairs Cost at the team rate
Dance line of 12 14 $1,680
Dance line of 20 22 $2,640
Drill team of 40 42 $5,040

Pair counts include two spares. Remote colour-changing means one set covers every colour the band uses: school colours all season, a theme colour for one show.

How should a band program plan the order?

When What to lock in
Spring auditions The line is set; collect sizes from every member
Before band camp Request quotes for poms and costumes; agree the look with the band director
Band camp Routines set to the show music
First night game Poms charged, remote with the director, spares on the sideline
Homecoming Parade route and the stand routine
Contest season and spring show Judged routines follow each contest’s rules; the spring show is your own stage

Send your first performance date when you ask for a quote and we will tell you plainly what fits.

Which guide fits your line?

How do you request a quote for a dance line?

Email or DM us with your line size, the band’s colours, sizes for costumes and your first night performance. We make our light-up products ourselves and will tell you plainly what fits your date. See team orders for how a group order works.

What do customers say about the LED Fringe Sequin Dress?

The LED Fringe Sequin Dress holds a 5.0 out of 5 rating from 11 customer reviews. A few of them, unedited:

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Frequently asked questions

What is a band dance team?

A dance line or drill team that performs with the marching band: in the pregame and halftime show, in the stands and in parades. It usually sits under the band program, not athletics.

Is a dance line the same as cheerleaders?

No. Cheerleaders lead the crowd from the sideline for the athletic program. A dance line performs choreography with the band and is usually run and funded through the band.

What is a marching band auxiliary?

The visual sections of a band, usually the colour guard, majorettes or twirlers, and the dance line. At UAB all three are sections of the band, like trombones or percussion.

Do dance lines use pom poms?

Some do and some don’t. Pom and drill lines carry poms through their pom routines; majorette-style lines in the HBCU tradition are known for sequins, capes and boots.

Who pays for a dance line’s gear?

Usually the band budget or the band boosters, with school purchasing issuing the purchase order against a written quote.

How much do light-up poms cost for a dance line?

Our team rate is $120 a pair on 10 or more pairs. A dance line of 20 with two spares is 22 pairs, or $2,640 at that rate.

See also: majorette line costumes, majorette and drill team poms and how team orders work.

Sources: UAB Bands, Halftime Magazine, Denton High School Fillies Booster Club, Cotton Bowl Classic, Handbook of Texas: the Kilgore Rangerettes, Andscape, Daily Dot, Purdue Bands, IU Marching Hundred.

Team, school and contest names are used only to identify them. None is affiliated with or endorses Neon Cowboys.

Questions: info@neoncowboys.com.

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