Our "No Stress" Recitals

I grew up with the fancy recitals, the costumes, the make-up-- and of course the stress.  I remember my mom and dad discussing how expensive it was, especially when I was on stage for 3 minutes. 

Now, on my end, as a young dancer, I loved it. I loved rehearsing, my mom doing my hair, getting roses after....and performing in front of an audience.

As a studio owner, I wanted the happy medium.  For the parents I want it to be low-stress/ low cost, BUT for the young dancers I want it special, magical, and comfortable.

We do hold a recital in June.    In Natick, each class gets their own recital. In Brookline, our studio is a little bit bigger, so we have 4 recitals. Each recital has 4-5 classes perform. We believe that hosting the recital in the intimate setting of our studio space will help build self-confidence & performance skills while retaining the comforts of a familiar environment.

For the past 10 years these are the special things we do to make "recital day" very special and memorable.

1. We rehearse in class! No extra rehearsals. At DanceFIT we focus on technique. In our Spring session (April - June), we begin to teach the dancers classical choreography to our favorite ballets....we spend 15 minutes per class practicing because we like to keep our structure consistent.

2. No fancy costumes. Our dancers look beautiful in their dress code. Your Spring tuition will be $10 more, and we buy the dancers beautiful head pieces.  In May we give a in-studio bun tutorial to the parents/ dancers so their hair looks professional and polished.

3. We decorate. It is not fancy, but we make the studio "feel" different for the dancers.  Here are some cute backdrops. This year we did DANCE balloons :) 

My beautiful Pre-Ballet II dancer at my Brookline studio.

And smiley dancers in my Natick studio!

4. We award our dancers with certificates.

5. And flowers!

6. We invite guests!

Brookline recital

Natick recital

7. Party! And we celebrate with a reception after. Parents so kindly provide cookies/ refreshments. 

Our "recital day" showcases hard work, technique and confidence. Although there are no fancy costumes, elaborate backdrops or professional sound system, it is a day they will never forget, and one that you can sit back, relax and enjoy a sweet, short and impressive performance with your child beaming with excitement. 

At the end of the day, a recital should be the culmination of a great year of ballet where your young dancer cannot wait to begin again in September...and not the culmination of one's dancing career due to stress, high expectations, and situations not suited for young minds.