Choreograph Optional Floor Routine

[kristilyn73]

At our gym we pay for the coach to cheorograph the routine. It is $125. But that includes all changes, practices to memorize ( most of the time 2 practices).

For music, we can chose from the music the gym owns at no charge, but if we want something different, it is our expense.

How often does your gym change rountines? We go every 2 years.

[gymdog]

The *usual* situation in my experience is that even if the choreography is done internally, it is handled like a private lesson or some such, and there is an extra fee. However, I know of gyms that have a coach/teacher specifically for dance, and that person's salary (which comes from tuition, obviously) includes time spent making up routines (at one of the gyms I went to, it was during practice where everyone at another event. At the gym I spent most time at, we paid as much as $400-500 a routine for outside choreography and that doesn't include music. On the other hand, they were very well known choreographers). And tuition was low compared to other gyms in the area. So in the end it was basically equal, I mean the yearly tuition difference added up to more than $500 itself. Because of all of those circumstances it is hard to judge the "true" cost of routines from gym to gym. In my experience that beam choreography is more likely to be handled internally and perhaps without charge, or that routines will be recycled, or simply that all level 7s will have the same beam routine (and then do their individual variation of skills in that routine). Some gyms also hire the choreographer to do beam. I have experienced all of those scenarios.

[iluvgym]

Our gymnasts have to pay for both. Well if they find their own music and cut it then of course it's free, if they get music from us that's never been used before, it's only $25, but if they have it cut special from someone we know who does it, then it's between $60-100 for music.

Choreography costs vary from $300 per floor routine to $400, depending on if someone in the gym does it or we bring someone in. If we bring someone in then his/her travel costs need to be paid by the gymnast as well.

I guess it's possible to include all these fees in tuition, but then tuition would go up and either way then the gymnast and family would be paying for it. A good unique floor routines for the upper levels will usually be costly because you're paying for the choreographer's creativity, not just her time spent teaching the routine.

[Shawn]

Is it necessary to have a gymnastics coach choreograph the routines or can a dancer do it? My DD is nowhere near needing that yet but when she does, I have a good friend who is a dance teacher. Would it be okay to use her or would we need someone with a gymnastics background?

[flippymonkeysmom]

At our gym the gymnast pays for both the music (unless there is music already there that they like) and pays for the privates to have the floor and beam routines choreographed.

[gymdog]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shawn Is it necessary to have a gymnastics coach choreograph the routines or can a dancer do it? My DD is nowhere near needing that yet but when she does, I have a good friend who is a dance teacher. Would it be okay to use her or would we need someone with a gymnastics background?

It kind of depends but generally they will need to fit in the routine requirements so it usually is someone who is familiar with gymnastics choreography. Your gym may require x choreo anyway, there wasn't much choice for outside stuff at one of my gyms.

[Gymmonkeymomma]

For floor, we pay for the music as well as the choreography, whether it is done by one of our coaches or an outside choreographer. Music usually around $50-60 and for the routine, I've paid $120 up to $300 for my oldest DD. Little DD needed "shared " a routine with several other girls so we split the cost (I think we ended up paying $25 per child).

For beam, our previous beam coach charged around $150 but this year the new beam coach worked with the girls - the girls came up with their own routines and coach helped them with changes, etc. A freebie

[Gymtastic]

Quote:
Originally Posted by GymDad57 We have a small optional team, 1 or 2 girls, if one coach takes a special interest and uses her artistic talent and time to choreograph a floor routine; should the coach be paid extra for this choreograph or is this just part of the job. How is this handled at other gyms? One other questions; who usually pays for the optional music - $60-70$, the gym or the gymnast?

When I was a gymnast, our gym handled it pretty well I thought. Choreography took place during a private lesson and a flat fee of 100-300 dollars was charged. Of course, the amount depended on the choreographer. For example, sometimes they would bring in an outside choreographer with tons of experience and sometimes it was a "rookie" choreographer. Either way, I think that choreography is best done one-on-one, because in an optional routine, the whole process of choreographing and teaching the routine can take up to 3 hours. Every year, the optional gymnasts were required to schedule a private choreography session and at the end were presented with a hand-written copy of the routine. I always thought this was a really good way to go because of the personal attention and because it allows the gymnast to have some input into the routine as well when they have a 1-on-1 with the choreographer.

Also, we had stock music at the gym that the gymnasts could go through and select for free (with coach approval), but if we wanted different music, we were responsible for the purchase of the music.