The Benefits of Recital - Beyond the Performance

New knowledge and skills abound when it comes to preparing for the recital … and we’re not just talking about learning dance steps!  There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to all of the advantages of recital participation.  Check out some of the unique benefits your child will acquire that go beyond the performance itself:

Memorization Skills

Not only is your child enhancing their gross motor skills by learning choreography and improving their technique, they are also building strong memorization skills.  Remembering a recital dance requires lots of repetition with the correct movements so that the dancer’s brain and body can work together to recall the steps during the performance.

Musicality

Learning and practicing a recital dance also helps a dancer develop his or her musicality.  Counting music and using rhythmic patterns are a part of every style of dance, at every age!  From a syncopated hip hop routine to a classical ballet waltz, recital routines can showcase a range of musical skills and boost your child’s confidence with moving in time to the music.

Backstage Etiquette

Your child will also be taught proper backstage conduct, such as waiting respectfully for their turn onstage and applauding others after each routine.  In addition, they’ll begin understanding basic stage directions and terminology, such as “upstage,” “downstage,” and “wings.”  Participation in the dress rehearsal also helps acquaint them with all of the relevant cues they need to know for the big day.

Courage

Let’s be honest, being onstage can be daunting no matter how old you are!  The recital offers your child the opportunity to build their courage in front of an audience, a skill that will continue to serve them throughout school and eventually, in the workforce.  Courageously persevering through fear, anxiety, or insecurity is something we want all of our students to learn … and something we know will continue to benefit them multiple times over! 

It’s pretty cool to see how the recital positively affects our students, year after year.  It’s quite special for us to have a role in their lives introducing these benefits and helping them grow!  And while we know you expect to see your child’s progress as a dancer (and we love seeing that too) we also hope you will see their growth in unexpected ways, like the ones we’ve talked about here.

Have you noticed some of these qualities and skills in your child already?  We’d love to hear about the advantages your dancer is already experiencing as we move closer and closer to the recital!

The Benefits of Recital – Confidence

Dance is the ultimate performing art, and dancing onstage at the recital serves as a powerful tool for building a child’s confidence in themselves—a confidence that easily carries over into a dancer’s home life, schoolwork, and friendships.

So how can one special event create such a big difference?  Well, it’s not just about that day.  It’s also about the process leading up to it, followed by the culmination of all that hard work.

In our experience at Expressions Dance, a rise in confidence begins with effort in the classroom.  Our students begin learning new steps and choreography, and as they make the effort to execute those skills, their confidence builds.  With compliments and corrections from the teacher, each dancer becomes more determined to improve.

In some dancers this confidence boost comes easily over time, but in others it can be more daunting.  For example, sometimes there is a student who feels down on themselves when they aren’t learning a step or concept fast enough.  We teach them that everyone learns at their own pace, and with their continued practice and perseverance, they’ll make progress.  And when that student begins to see their effort paying off, their confidence soars!  Overcoming that temporary “slump” actually helped them see that they can rely on themselves and be stronger for it.

As we get closer and closer to the recital and the choreography for the routine is complete, we will oftentimes see a spike in confidence along with their excitement for the big day.  The more they practice, the more assured they become.  They can also begin to picture themselves performing, and that visualization inspires them from the inside out. 

Of course when recital day is finally here, sometimes shyness, nerves, or anxiety can make a child’s confidence waver.  But if they’ve already built up their “confidence muscles” in class, they can quickly conquer those fears and dance onstage with no worries at all.  We’ve seen many students over the years who’ve overcome their stage fright—and then never want to leave the stage!

One of the most magical confidence-boosting moments for a performer is hearing the audience applaud, knowing that family and friends are there!  It tells the dancers hey are appreciated for dancing their hearts out.  It is such a rewarding feeling to realize that your hard work has paid off, and that the audience loved your performance. 

The pride our students feel in themselves at that moment is well-earned.  The sense of accomplishment after getting out there and performing is a triumphant feeling like no other, and it’s not an exaggeration to say we’ve seen it transform lives.  The confidence our students develop is truly one of the most valuable benefits there is when it comes to the recital!

NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER

WESTERN NUT & POINSETTIA FUNDRAISERS GOING ON NOW!

Order forms are going home this week for Western Nut, and you can print out order forms for poinsettias HERE on the website’s calendar page. This is a great chance to help pay for performance fees this season! All orders are due by Nov. 14th.

We cannot accept late orders!

NOVEMBER 15th: Parents Night Out: 6-10pm @ BOUNTIFUL
PARTY LIKE A ROCKSTAR!

Bring your kids to our Parents Night Out from 6:00-10:00 pm at the Bountiful location. They will get to eat pizza, make a yummy treat, dress up like Rockstars, play some fun games, and more! Cost is $15 per child and $12 for additional siblings. Must be potty trained. Register HERE or in your parent portal!  Space is limited!

Nov 27-29: *NO CLASSES FOR THANKSGIVING BREAK!*

FOR PARENTS OF PRESCHOOL DANCERS- NOVEMBER THEME

This month our theme in dance is “E-I-E-I-O” We are going to have so much fun moving like horses and dancing with our duck feet.  We hope you are having fun dancing with us at home!  

This month we are focusing on:  kicks, marching, ballet arms (port de bras)

CHRISTMAS PAJAMAS AND BOOKS CHARITY PROJECT

This year’s Christmas Charity Project is going to be even bigger than last year! We are so excited to be a part of the 12th Annual Dance For Life BENEFIT CONCERT!  We are gathering new pajamas and books and selling $1 paper pajamas to donate to those in need locally.  All the proceeds from the concert will go directly towards our overall donation.  Participation details are coming. We will be sending out an email that can be forwarded to family and friends about our project.  Start bringing in your donations this month! Look for the donation box in our front lobbies.  Help us beat last year’s total of 1094 pajamas, 459 books, and $6000!

We are going to open up our Scholastic book program to ALL of our dance families just in time to order books for the benefit concert.  Scholastic is an amazing resource with GREAT books at a GREAT price!!  You can order $1 books for our book drive and they will be shipped right to the studio.  Visit Scholastic Books HERE and take advantage of this convenient way to donate to our book drive.  Online orders are due by Friday November 15th.

CHRISTMAS PERFORMANCES

Our Christmas shows include STARS ballet/jazz classes, preschool dancers, Hip Hop, Little Leapers/Dancing Dolls, and Company Teams. Dancers that filled out a consent form can view the final instructions for costume and arrival times HERE. If you turned in your consent form, costume and participation fees have been added to your October & November tuition payment!

FOR PARENTS OF SCHOOL AGED TUMBLING/ACRO STUDENTS
November Stretch of the Month- Back/Bridge  |  Strength Challenge- Wall Sit

We are so excited this year to have a “stretch of the month” and a “strength challenge” in our acro/tumbling classes! Encourage your child to work on these skills at home to help them improve even faster!  Be more involved by printing off the at home practice tracker HERE.

CLASS REMINDERS

Ö  Potty before class, especially preschoolers!
Ö  No underwear under your leotard. Tights are dancer's underwear!
Ö  LATE! We have had a lot of late comers and late pick-ups. It is very disruptive to our classes when you walk in late, not to mention unsafe for dancers to miss warming up.  Late pick-ups are preventing our next classes from starting on time, and our teachers from getting home to their families.  Thanks for your attention to this manner!
Ö  Cold and flu season is underway.  It is never fun to be sick or to have a sick child.  Let’s watch out for each other by being aware.  If your dancer is sick please keep them home.  Thanks!

HIP HOP CLASSES- SHOE POLICY

With winter weather approaching, we need to remind you that we CANNOT have wet, salty, muddy shoes stepping onto our dance floor. Please carry your hip hop shoes into the studio and change into them before you enter the classroom.  You will be asked to dance with no shoes if you don't have a dry pair! Thank you!

ONLINE CALENDAR!

We have a calendar on the website!  Please refer to it for Holiday closures and studio events. If you use Google Calendar you can copy studio events directly into your calendar by clicking on the "add google calendar" in the bottom right corner of the calendar.  http://www.dancetoexpress.com/currentnews.html

TEXT REMINDERS

Stay up to date on current events! Subscribe to our text reminders for your classes. Text your class code to 81010.
Toddlers (Diaper Dancers, Tiny Tots, Barely 3s): @edctoddler
Preschool aged classes: @edcpsdance
School aged classes: @edcsschool
Little Leapers:  @edcleap
Dancing Dolls: @eddolls

ONLINE PARENT PORTAL

The account you created online can be updated at any time. Log in on the website to update contact and billing information, register for new classes, and make payments. You can also reset your password any time.

The Recital: What Is It and Why Is It Important?

You’ve heard us talking about it.  You’ve seen it mentioned on our website and in our emails.  You know there’s a lot of excitement around it … but what exactly IS the recital? 

Just as soccer players have tournaments, football players have games, and gymnasts have meets, dancers have performances!  More than a year’s worth of planning goes into our annual performance at Expressions Dance—better known to most people as “the recital.”  

The recital is a memorable opportunity for our students to showcase their talents onstage.  From learning the first eight-count of choreography in class to the final bow onstage, the recital is definitely one of the highlights of a dancer’s year!

Consider this blog post your “recital primer,” where we break down a few key elements of what to expect these next few months—and why it’s all so important.

Choreography

Each class learns a particular routine to perform at the recital.  The choreography is the series of steps, patterns, and formations the teacher creates for each unique routine.  Your dancer will be learning and practicing this choreography during class time leading up to the recital.  This repetition allows our students to grow their confidence as well as their skills.

Costumes, Hair, and Makeup

Because dance is a performing art, this is where the “performance” aspect truly comes together!  As you’ve seen, each class will have a costume to wear onstage for their routine.  We will also be communicating specific instructions regarding their hairstyle and stage makeup.  These three things are the finishing touches that complete a performer’s look!

Dress Rehearsal

Prior to the recital, each class will have the chance to participate in our dress rehearsal.  The dress rehearsal is almost like the recital itself, except it’s just for practice.  It allows us the chance to rehearse our sound and lighting cues from backstage and helps us make sure the dancers are familiar with their new surroundings. 

Performance

This is it!  After all the preparation and practice, this is each dancer’s moment in the spotlight in front of their family and friends.  The buildup of excitement is huge.  It’s like when an athlete performs at the Olympics … our students perform at the recital!

We understand that the thought of choreography, costumes, rehearsals, and being onstage in can be intimidating at first, so we’re here to show you what an awesome experience this journey can be.  Stay tuned here to the blog for more valuable insight as we approach the big day!