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O
Happy Day!
By Marcia Aller
Do your recital right and you'll bask in the glow of success.
There are so many happy times in a dance educator’s life: the day that a 9-year-old really “feels” the traveling time step; the day when Mrs. D. finally pays her bill in full; the day a budding ballerina accomplishes a lovely series of fouettés. But one of the happiest times is the annual recital—specifically the day after, when you get to reflect on your success.
Over my long teaching career I’ve smiled at how parents and students always think those performances are the culmination of “their” hard work. If only they knew! But part of a teacher’s responsibility is to keep that myth alive. The recital experience should be all about the dancers and the joy their developing skills give them and the audience. The harder you work and anticipate problems, the easier and more positive the recital experience will be for your dancers and their parents. And the easier it is for them, the more likely it is that they will return to classes in the fall, and perhaps bring their cousins and neighbors with them. Recitals are a wonderful way to grow your business, and I’ve discovered some methods that have proved successful through the years.
First and foremost, secure your venue and date with a deposit. Get a signed contract and make sure you read the fine print. Post the date in a prominent location during registration week. Current students will make a note of it and new clients will notice that you are prepared and organized.
Next, decide on a theme, taking care to choose one that fits dancers of all ages and abilities. I used a movie theme for “Reel Dance,” setting dances to Disney movie music for the young students and PG film scores for the older and more advanced dancers. “The Big Tease” included routines that started with the letter T—everything from trains to tulips, tigers, Texas roundup, and treasures. “The Hat’s It” incorporated fedoras, berets, tiaras, straw hats, and party hats into the dance routines. With “Grandma’s Attic” you can let your imagination run wild—photo albums, old toys, and even bats and ghosts can inspire your dances. We have also done shows based on seasons, colors, vacations, Broadway shows (easy), and famous people (hard but very well received). “Book Titles” was fun, as was “All About U,” with its umbrellas, unicorns, and dads dancing in long underwear. “Newspaper Caper,” with dances about comic strips, wedding notices, newsboys, and weather reports, was popular too.
One of the most important aspects of being organized and
presenting a professional attitude is making the parents aware
of all procedures. Creating a
guidebook for parents and students
that outlines your expectations and all policies and schedules
is essential. Use a different color of paper for each subject;
for example, pink for costume information
(such as a measuring timetable, cost ranges, and take-home
dates), green for ticket information, yellow for the dress
rehearsal schedule, and purple for video and photo procedures.
That way, when a parent says, “I didn’t know anything about
that,” you can respond with “Let’s look at the green pages
together.”
Choosing and ordering costumes is always a challenge. Do it early! Ordering from only a few companies will probably get you a discount and free shipping. Please consider the body types in the classes. Heavier children won’t be happy in two-piece, “let it all hang out” costumes, and older dancers don’t like “kiddie” costumes. Adults need outfits that allow them to wear good support underneath. Check all costumes immediately upon receiving them. Any problems or missing pieces can be dealt with more easily if done so promptly.
Choosing the music and setting choreography to fit the theme is the fun part. Edit the music to remove any inappropriate lyrics (or try to use music that doesn’t need editing). Try to make the music for the baby and intermediate classes approximately the same length. You can bet that if one class is on stage for 4 minutes and another for 2 minutes you will hear about it.
Determining the show’s lineup is an important part of planning. The audience deserves to be entertained, and you want them to talk about your studio positively afterward. I try to balance ability and age so that there are never three classes of lesser ability performing in a row. If needed, I insert some specialty acts like a daddy-and-daughter number or something comedic. One year one of my teachers had a baby, so her ballet class of 5-year-olds danced with dolls. The teacher performed along with them, with her own live “doll,” who kicked and cried the whole time. It was a big hit and covered up the messy changements and crooked lines. Having the dads dance second to last gets everyone in a happy mood and keeps them that way. We end with an upbeat production number danced by the most advanced dancers. Everyone should be smiling as they go out the door.
Fill your theater’s seats; a half-empty house doesn’t project the right feel to the performers, and audiences tend to be more responsive when the house is full. When I first started teaching it was difficult to fill the auditorium, so I went to senior citizen complexes and gave them complimentary tickets. They filled the seats and had a great time—and some even signed up their grandchildren for the following term.
To keep the length of the show down, consider presenting two or three shows and double or triple casting everything through intermediate classes, letting only the most advanced students perform in all shows.
Backstage helpers are key to a smoothly running show. Whether
you use a few moms, teachers, or older students, make sure they
are well prepared and on the same page for the task ahead.
Remind them to stay cool under any circumstance and to smile and
make the experience fun and exciting for all. I always set up a
master table with extra safety pins, needles and thread, bobby
pins, and other essentials, staffed by a parent. Some moms love
this job and continue to volunteer year after year. A backstage
runner/ troubleshooter is a necessity. Choose a smart, tactful,
energetic friend (preferably with dance experience) or employee
to handle all the mini-catastrophes, from misplaced props to
torn tutus. All workers should go to her first; then, if she
can’t handle the situation, she can go to you. I have found that
this filter system works very well and saves me from having to
deal with some ridiculous stuff.
Having backstage workers wear badges allows you to limit who is allowed in the backstage area. Explaining that this was a safety precaution usually helps parents follow this rule.
Finally, make time to put your printed programs together early and well; people keep them for a very long time. When your students dig them out years down the line, they should remember their dancemates, costumes, and their performances warmly.
When recital fever is in the air, do your homework, make it look easy, and let every student shine. Then you can bask in the feeling of a job well done on that glorious day after.
Contact:
Goldrush, P.O. Box 2150, Norton, MA 02766,
Phone: 888-i-dance-9, 508-285-6650, Fax: 508-285-3179,
Email: Goldrushdance@aol.com
Copyright 2006 Goldrush Magazine, a division of the Rhee Gold Company and Gold Standard Press, LLC. Goldrush Magazine and Goldrush Online is published twelve times annually. No contents of Goldrush Magazine and Goldrush Online may not be duplicated in whole or in part without permission of the publisher. Inclusion in the Goldrush does not imply endorsement by Goldrush or its employees