Planning, Preparing, & Packing for the Big Day

We are just a few short weeks away from the concet, can you believe it!?

With that in mind, we’ve created this checklist to make sure you’ve planned, prepared, and packed!  And of course, we are just a phone call or email away if you have any questions.

  •  First things first: find a few quiet minutes to review your concert information.  This is absolutely our #1 request because you will not only feel informed, you’ll have peace of mind!  Our team spends hours making sure we’re organized behind the scenes, and we want you to be caught up on all of the pertinent details, especially arrival/dismissal times and security precautions.
  •  If you have guests outside of your immediate family who are attending the show, make sure you have shared with them the need-to-know info, particularly about tickets, parking, and audience etiquette.
  •  In the days leading up to the show, encourage your dancer to keep a balanced schedule: help them get lots of rest, healthy snacks, plenty of water, and make sure they aren’t putting too much stress on themselves for dance.  Even young dancers can internalize outside pressures, and we want to keep concert preparations feeling fun and exciting for them.
  •  Label everything!  Add your child’s name or initials to the tags inside their costume, tights, shoes, and any other important items in their dance bag or garment bag.  An easy way to do this?  Write on a small piece of masking tape or painter’s tape and stick it inside the item.
  • Remove your child’s nail polish prior to the big day (it can be distracting from the stage) and have a practice session with their hair and make-up.  Not only is this fun, it will ease any nerves you have about making sure they are confident and ready-to-go!
  • Before leaving the house for the concertl, make sure your dancer’s costume, tights, shoes, and accessories are packed!  This seems obvious of course, but in the busyness of the day, it helps to double and triple-check before heading out the door.  Remember to leave valuables at home so they will not be left unattended in the dressing room.

And hey, don’t forget to give yourself a pat on the back for being an awesome parent!  We truly have some of the most attentive, involved, and supportive parents (and grandparents) here at Studio 56 Dance Center, and we’re happy you’re one of them.  We appreciate your dedication to your dancer at this extra-special time of year!

Practicing at Home: Concert Edition

We absolutely love it when our students say they want to practice their recital dance at home.  Their enthusiasm is contagious, and then everyone in the class wants to practice at home too! 

But as a parent, how should you go about encouraging this?  Is there such a thing as a too much practice?  We’ve got all your practicing-at-home answers right here:

Should I make my child practice their concert dance at home?

The short answer here is no.  We don’t believe practice should be forced, or it can become completely unenjoyable.  But we do think it’s helpful for you to encourage it!  You might say, “Why don’t you practice your dance for 10 minutes and then we’ll play freeze dance together…  are you in?”  (Of course, then you have to follow through on your promise to freeze dance!)

When my child practices, there seem to be a lot of forgotten or rushed steps.  Does this mean she’s going to be a mess at the concert?

Nope.  Keep in mind that the concert dance is a group dance, and so practicing at home is completely out of context.  Your child is well-oriented with her group in the studio classroom, so remembering everything at home by themselves is a challenge.  Remember also that every child develops memorization skills at their own pace.  It will “click” for them in time!

What if my child expresses that they’ll be nervous onstage?

Know that this is completely normal and expected for nearly every dancer.  Reassure them that it’s OK to feel nervous (that most people do) and their familiar classmates and teachers will be with them during the show.  Talk with them about building up the courage to do their best, and remind them that you’ll be smiling and clapping for them from the audience.  Remind them that you’ll be proud of them no matter what.

Should I practice the steps with my child?

Not necessarily.  We recommend that children practice on their own in order to build their self-reliance and confidence, without mom or dad swooping in to help.  Practicing for the concert is not like studying for a test, where you might be able to cram the material into a short amount of time.  We want the recital to truly reflect all of our students’ abilities and progress, not what they drilled at home.

What else helps with practicing at home?

Listening to the concert music is really helpful, even if it’s in the car on the way to school.  Knowing the music is key to understanding the counts and rhythms in choreography, so the familiarity can make a big difference in your child’s learning curve and confidence.  Also helpful?  Encourage your child to ask questions in class if they’re not sure about a step!  Our teachers welcome their communication so we can make sure everyone feels prepared. 

THE EXCITEMENT FOR CONCERT IS HUGE FOR SOME DANCERS AND A LITTLE SCARY FOR OTHERS.  KEEP THE CONVERSATION GOING AT HOME BY SUPPORTING YOUR DANCER’S EFFORTS TO PRACTICE WITHOUT ANY ADDED PRESSURE.  WE WANT TO KEEP THEIR SPIRITS HIGH AND THEIR INSECURITIES LOW!

Behind the Scenes at the Studio

HAVE YOU AND YOUR CHILD EVER WONDERED WHAT GOES ON AT STUDIO 56 DANCE CENTER WHEN YOU’RE NOT THERE?  THERE’S A WHOLE OTHER SIDE TO THE DANCE STUDIO THAT SOME PEOPLE NEVER KNOW ABOUT!  HERE’S A LITTLE REPORT ON HOW THE MAGIC HAPPENS AND WHAT YOU DON’T USUALLY SEE …

Documents, spreadsheets, and software, oh my … You don’t usually associate these things with teaching dance, but it’s how we stay organized and prepared.  On any given day, you’ll find Studio 56 Dance staffers plugging away at computer work, all in the name of maintaining reliable systems so we can serve you better!

Creating classes … Studio 56 Dance teachers are in constant creative-mode, working on which curricula will be the focus of which class, how that material will be introduced, and to which music.  They are always experimenting with different combinations of steps to find just the right mix for each class’s students.

Marketing development … You know the fun social media posts you see?  Created and scheduled behind-the-scenes!  That amazing master class opportunity coming up?  Contracted last year.  The new brochures, flyers, or rack cards that go up at the front desk?  You guessed it; they were all designed and printed with months of planning from our marketing calendar.

Problem-solving … Whether we’re troubleshooting a scheduling snafu, juggling a tricky music edit, or working through a budget, there’s always some element of problem-solving at play.  Our creativity can’t stop at the classroom doors; we need to use it everywhere!

Performance prep … The concert may only come around once a year, but the work needed to make it successful goes on all year long.  From planning choreography to choosing costumes, and from reserving the venue to setting the show order, every detail is sharpened before the information becomes public.

SO NOW YOU KNOW: STUDIO 56 DANCE CENTER IS FULL OF BUSTLING ACTIVITY, EVEN WHEN CLASSES AREN’T IN SESSION!  THE BEST PART OF THE DAY THOUGH, COMES WHEN WE SEE OUR FIRST GROUP OF STUDENTS FOR THE DAY.  IT’S WHEN THE BEHIND-THE-SCENES HUSTLE PAUSES AND WE ALL GET TO DO OUR FAVORITE THING IN THE WORLD: TEACH DANCE!