#EASY DANCE MOVES FOR MASCOTS HOW TO#

“Our school had no hope – no school spirit,” said Devon, 16. So sit back, relax and enjoy the huskys sweet moves while commiserating for dancer Jade Chynoweth. The soon-to-be senior revived the mascot program two years ago. THE LOCKER ROOM Fear of mascots is a real thing. It’s a science.”ĭevon Kendall gladly tolerates the heat and discomfort of his panther costume because of the positive impact the mascot has had on fans at Spencer-Van Etten High School in Spencer, N.Y. of the most common misconceptions out there is that you need to know a TONNE of steps in order to dance well. “People think you’re just putting on a suit and making a fool of yourself,” he said. He fell during a broomball game, lost his costume’s head while visiting an elementary school, and dodged an underwear-clad fan who charged him during a football game.

#EASY DANCE MOVES FOR MASCOTS HOW TO#

He teaches mascots how to do everything from creating a back story for their characters to managing the heat inside the costume to sewing and cleaning the suits.įiguring out what you can and can’t do in costume is crucial, said Fluegel, who has had his share of mishaps. “Every subtle nuance of movement up to very large movements is very purposeful.” “This takes practice in front of a mirror,” said Raymond, owner of Raymond Entertainment Group in Newark, Del. Learning to engage a crowd without words is what makes a mascot successful, said Dave Raymond, the original Philly Phanatic, who now runs a mascot boot camp. Staying quiet was “the hardest thing ever,” said Norman, who relied on gestures, signs and dances to rev up the crowd. “It’s something you have to learn how to do.” “There are a lot of unwritten rules of mascotting like not talking in costume,” Johnston said. Sending Norman to camp helped Lebanon High get the most out of the mascot, said school adviser Terri Johnston. “They’ll body-check you,” said the 18-year-old, who dressed as a cedar tree during football and basketball games at Lebanon High School in Pennsylvania. “Even in high school, we need to have somebody with the mascot that can be their eyes and ears and voice,” Blank said.Ĭait Norman, a high school mascot for three years, could not believe how rough sports fans can be on mascots. Mascots can face “serious physical injury” from poor visibility and from “punks” who want to hurt them, said Erin Blank, owner of Keystone Mascots. Assigning mascots companions protects them from bullies and helps them maneuver in their costumes, many of which combine big feet and poor visibility. The professionals stressed safety, which includes pairing mascots with spotters, providing safe places for them to take breaks and making sure they don’t become overheated in their suits, she said. A short and relatively easy dance with popular TikTok moves - whats not to love Learn it with this step-by-step tutorial. “We felt training for our mascot students would be valuable to them and valuable to the institution,” she said.

Easy dance moves for mascots