Not terribly experienced - I've been in one team cabaret and done a few spotlights, but my thoughts are:
There's no way people can "copy" the main dancer and stay on time. He needs to teach them the sequences.
As far as knowing where the hits are, I would use an unambiguous way of writing down where they fall (if it works, using the words in song is probably easiest). Then let them each dancer work out the method that works best for them - different things work better for different people.
Try to avoid sequences where the only way to find the "hit" is to count a large number of beats - it takes a lot of work and practice and there is always the worry that you will lose the count in the stress of a performance.
Although I always like to aim high, there comes a point where you have to look at the time you have left and where you all are and be realistic. You need to choreograph something you can all do, not just your top dancer. It's better to do something simple you're all comfortable with than to make a lot of mistakes.
You should also have a few "sync spots" where you can get back together if something has gone wrong (e.g. some kind of rotating move where you can do an extra turn if early, or skip one if late).
In general, do everything you can do to make life easier for yourselves. Edit the music - make it slower / faster or cut bits out if it will help. Make sure you can dance in the costumes (and make sure you rehearse in them!). If there are problem sections - don't just assume that "practice will fix it" - ask people what they're finding difficult and see if a change to the choreography will make a better result.
Something we keep being reminded on (the hard way!): don't always practice in the same place facing the same direction - you'll get used to that venue and find it much harder to perform somewhere else.
Video as much as possible - you'll find it all looks very different from your expectations, and if something goes wrong, having something to analyse is invaluable.
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