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 Simple
Solution to Multiple Recitals
By
Charlotte Klein
Advance planning keeps families happy.
I have never finished a recital week without saying that next
year I could do
x, y,
or
z
better. After more than 53 years in the dance education
business, I still feel that there is much to learn. Since
costume catalogs begin to arrive as early as August, recital
planning can take place early in the season. Advanced planning
is the key to successful dress rehearsals and performances and
satisfied customers. Those plans can include attention to your
clients’ needs.
I present four annual recitals, two from each of my studio
locations—afternoon and evening performances on Saturday and
late morning and afternoon shows on Sunday. My philosophy is
to provide my customers with service that has a personal
touch, and it extends to recital programming. As a courtesy to
my clients, I try to include all the children in one family in
the same recital. If that sounds like a logistical nightmare
to you, try this method I’ve been using for years.
After the students have been placed in their classes in the
fall, I print out an alphabetical list of all families and
their children’s classes. Cross-referencing that list to one
that includes all of the recital classes at each of the two
studio locations, I determine in which recital each class will
perform. (The highest six levels from each of my dance centers
perform in both recitals.)
The rule of thumb I use is as follows:
•
All
Monday, Friday, and Saturday classes from the main studio
perform in the Saturday night recital, with the exception of
the youngest preschool classes, who perform Sunday afternoon.
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday classes perform on Sunday
afternoon.
•
Both of
the recitals for my second studio location are in the daytime,
so all Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday classes perform on
Saturday and all Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday classes perform
on Sunday.
Parents often choose classes at registration time based on the
performance schedule so that their children will perform in
the same recital.
Next I make a list of the classes that will perform in only
one recital. I then go to my master list of students and their
classes and check for families whose children are not in the
same recital. Since I have duplicate classes in almost all of
the levels below the upper six levels (which perform in both
recitals), I give the parents the option of changing their
children’s classes so that they will perform all of their
dances in at least one of the recitals. Although this
procedure is time consuming for me initially, parents are so
grateful when their children perform in the same recital. If
this is not possible, I give the parents two complimentary
tickets to the recital of their choice. (I also give tickets
to any student whose classes are not all in the same recital).
This system applies to the dress rehearsals as well. The
dancers who perform in one recital rehearse their numbers
during the first hour (4:00 to 5:00 p.m.) of the dress
rehearsal. Then at 5:15 we run through the entire second
recital program in order. That saves time because the students
who are in both recitals rehearse their numbers only once. (I
run a piece twice only if there was a problem.) I repeat this
procedure the next day for my second studio. This allows every
dance in both recitals to be rehearsed at least once on the
same day and avoids lengthy dress rehearsals.
Being considerate of parents who have more than one child
enrolled in the studio, those with children in multiple weekly
classes, and those with very young children makes the recital
experience more enjoyable for everyone. Perhaps most
important, it keeps families coming back year after year. And
satisfied customers are your best advertisement.
Photo caption:
The
Cahill family. All 4 girls performed a total of 16 dances in
Charlotte Klein’s June 4, 2006 recital. Photo by Donner
Photographics.
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