It’s that time of year again in Woodstock! Our dance teachers are working hard to choreograph each routine for our year-end dance recital. Our students are thinking about their chance on the stage. And our office staff is preparing for the whirlwind of costumes to start coming in. Oh, it is Recital Prep Time! But before we all get to the theatre and get on that big stage, there is a lot of hard work that needs to happen! Most importantly, our students will need to remember their recital dance.
When we begin to work on recital routines in class it is a very exciting time! Dancers are excited to see what music their teachers have picked, what beautiful costume they will get to wear on stage, and if they get to use any fun props. However once the excitement of these choices are revealed, its time for the hard work to set in. Our students start to learn their choreography and need to remember their recital dance from week-to-week.
As a parent it can be very difficult to help your dancer remember their choreography as you are not in the class with them. But don’t fret! We have a number of strategies you can put in place to help your child be as successful as possible when it comes to their big show day!
1) Download Your Dancer’s Recital Music
Our fabulous Parent Portal makes this super simple for you! All of our teachers have uploaded their recital music for each class into each and every parent portal. It is important to use this version of the chosen song as many of routines have had their song edited to fit the time length and use of the music. Some dances even have multiple songs combined into one! Watch this quick YouTube Tutorial on how to download your recital music off of your Parent Portal. Not sure where or how to access your Parent Portal? Just Contact Us!
2) Encourage Your Dancer to Practice
Dance is a physical practice and that means that not only does their brain have to remember the movement, but their body must remember how to properly perform the physical movement. Clear out some room in the basement, or send them out to the lawn to practice their dance. Mom Bonus: You will be happy to keep them occupied and off the screens, and tire them out for bed time! Yahoo!
3) Practice with Friends
My mom used to always bring me early to dance class so I could have 5-10 minutes to make sure I knew my choreography. Soon more than half the class was starting to come nice and early so we could all go over our dance before class and make our teacher proud and ready to move on when we came into the studio. Not only did we each know what we were doing but we were always able to help someone who may have missed a class due to being sick or missed an important detail the week before. Talk about team work!
We are looking forward to an amazing Recital Season this year!
For more information about our Recital Programs please visit our Teacup, Tulip, Junior, Intermediate or Senior pages.
