How to Prep for the Best Dance Year Ever!

Prepping for the BEST Dance Year Ever!

We are SO excited to get back to dance! We’re looking forward to a year filled with classes, performances, workshops, and more! Whether your child is returning or BRAND new to Positions Studio, we are so excited to welcome them back. 

Most parents are very accustomed to prepping and shopping for the school year. In order for your dancer to have the best experience possible, we recommend taking a little time to also do some dance year prep! 

We’ve rounded up some of our BEST tips for prepping for a new dance year. If you have questions or need more information, please feel free to reach out to our team. We are always happy to help and want you to feel confident as we head into another dance season. 

Four Tips for Prepping for the Upcoming Dance Year: 

1. Make Sure Your Dancer Has the Proper Dance Supplies

Different dance classes require different supplies. It’s important for dancers to wear the appropriate attire and shoes for their classes. Just like any other sport or activity, having the right dancewear and shoes will help students perform better and focus on their technique. Luckily, we have everything you might need for classes in our Dance Store! Located in our lobby, we maintain a large inventory of shoes, leotards, and accessories! 

You can stop by our store during our office hours and our knowledgeable staff is always there to make recommendations and answer any questions you may have! 

2. Start Stretching and Cross Training Before Our Season Starts to Avoid Injury

We hope everyone had a fun, restful, and exciting summer! Fall may mean a return to more technique classes and longer, fun-filled dance days for your child. 

In anticipation of a more rigorous schedule, we recommend taking some time to stretch and do some cross-training. We recommend taking a look at this wonderful article discussing all the ways dancers can continue to care for themselves and maintain a healthy dancing body! 

3. Prepare Your Child’s Dance Bag

Having a dance bag is SO helpful when you’re running out the door! All shoes, clothing, first-aid (for older dancers), and accessories can be put in your child’s dance bag. Giving your child’s shoes a home and reminding them that they are only for dance class can help you avoid last-minute scrambles to locate your child’s dance gear.  Please put your child’s name on everything, including their bag. 

4. Discuss Expectations for Dance Classes 

If your child is a bit older, you already know that it is perfectly fine to drop them off and pick them up later. For younger students, we recommend taking some time before the first week to discuss what they can expect when they arrive at the studio. 

Parents will walk their child into the studio, help them get ready for class, and then pass them on to their teacher to take the lead. We will ALWAYS come find you if your dancer needs you. Things tend to go much better when you give your child a little space. This may be a new space and experience for them! Please give your child a few weeks to adjust. After class, be sure to greet your child with an enthusiastic hug and let them show you what they learned! 

We are ready for another amazing dance year filled with learning, new memories, and growth! We’re ready to watch our dancers soar this dance year. Our team is passionate about continuing to make Positions a dance studio that your child loves being at and training at! 

Registration is ongoing in classes with availability for the 2022/2023 dance year. We’d love to have your family join us. Cheers to the best dance year ever! Please remember we are ALWAYS here to help! 

4 Signs That Your Child is READY To Hit the Recital Stage!

Did you hear?! A celebration is in order! This year, our Positions Dance Studio recital theme is Celebrate Good Times. If you’ve recently visited the recital page on our website, you’ve probably marked your calendars for the big day on July 3rd! We thank you for your patience as we continue to confirm all the details.

Have you ever met a child that is a natural-born entertainer?! You know, the ones that take every opportunity to get all eyes on them! Many of our students are similar, and it’s rewarding to see them find their home on stage. What’s even MORE rewarding is seeing our shy students move out of their comfort zones and into the spotlight!

So how do you know if your child is ready for their big moment on stage? Throughout the end of the school year, you’ll notice the excitement start to build! It’s the most adorable thing and we absolutely LOVE sharing the hype with our students! 

4 Signs That Your Child Is Ready to Hit the Recital Stage:

1. They CAN’T Stop Peeking at Their Costume

Over the past couple of months, we’ve been sending our dazzling recital costumes home with students. Check out some of our beautiful costumes on our Facebook Page! 

Costume day can be pretty magical for our students, but what’s even MORE magical is the day they finally get to dress up and head on stage. We tell our students not to wear their costumes around the house to keep them looking fresh. But if you catch your little one peeking and begging to put it on, they are just itching to perform! 

P.S. Click here to check out some more costume care tips in our last blog post!

2. They Love Practicing Their Routine At Home

Are you seeing your child’s stellar moves every time you turn around?! For our older dancers, are their tik tok favorites being replaced by their recital moves? It’s official, they’ve fallen in love with their recital dance! 

Need the zoom links to follow along with their recital video? Email us! 

3. They Ask to Listen to Their Recital Song Over and OVER

Have you downloaded your child’s recital song on your devices? If your child can’t get enough and knows ALL the words, that’s when you know that they can’t wait to perform their routine. Pro tip: grab them a pair of headphones so the sound of their music doesn’t make you crazy before recital! 

4. They Can Perform Their Entire Routine For You With No Help!

The tell-tale sign of a performer who is stage-ready is being able to get through their whole routine without the help from teachers, videos, or classmates. That’s when you can be sure that they really know their routine. 

We strongly encourage all of our dancers to do mock performances at home. It’s one of the BEST ways to combat stage fright and engrain those dance moves into their muscle memory. Make it fun by creating pretend tickets, entering your living room theatre, and turning those stage lights on and off with the music! 

So… is YOUR dancer ready to hit the stage?! If you checked off any of those tell-tale signs, Recital 2021 will be a total hit in your house! We can’t wait!

If you’re loving these at-home recital prep tips, be sure to follow us on Facebook! Over the next couple of months, we’ll be busy posting our Recital Tip Series that is dedicated to helping parents out during recital week! 

We are SO excited to celebrate our students on the dance floor at Recital 2021! Continue checking our website for updates, as we’ll be updating our recital page with important details in the coming months. Happy at-home practicing!

5 Recital Tips for Dance Parents

Can you believe it?! Recital 2021 is just 3 short months away!! Here at the studio, we are gearing up to celebrate on the dance floor! Check out our earlier blog post to learn all about our recital theme this year, Celebrate Good Times! 

With the excitement brewing over here at the studio, we’d like to take a moment to make sure that all that excitement doesn’t turn into stress for our dance parents! We know that recital can be a lot of information. Especially for new dance parents, it can feel overwhelming. 

Whether you are a returning dance parent with years of recitals under your belt, or you’re experiencing your child’s very first recital this year, it’s our goal to make things as easy as possible. So we’ve put together a list of our top 5 tips for a smooth, successful, and joyful recital!

5 Recital Tips for Dance Parents:

1. Be sure to read your Positions emails!

This one is at the top of our list because it is simply the KEY to making sure you stay in-the-know. Over the next few months, our recital details will continue to take shape and we’ll be updating you every step of the way. ALL important information will go straight to your inbox.

If you haven’t marked your calendar yet, be sure to pencil in our photo day, dress rehearsal, and performance day in now! Access these dates HERE. 

2. Handle your costumes with care!

• Keep them hanging up inside their garment bags, away from pets and children.

• We know the kids will be tempted, but don’t let your dancer wear their costume around the house until AFTER recital. 

• Hang tutus upside down in the bathroom for a few days as shower steam flattens the wrinkles. 

• Keep small accessories and hair pieces with each costume in a bag or other safe compartment. 

• Be sure to save an extra pair of tights for recital day, or double check that yours don’t have runs or holes. 

3. Encourage your dancer to practice their routine at-home and perform for family members!

This is one of the BEST ways to limit pre-show jitters and nervous mind-blanks on stage. Practicing their routine at home without other dancers to follow ensures that they REALLY know their choreography well. In addition, getting used to having a set of eyes on them can make them comfortable in front of an audience before the big day! Plus, it’s fun for YOU to see their progress!

4. Practice doing stage make-up and hair before the big day! 

Getting your dancer’s hair and make-up looking stage ready can be one of the biggest challenges for new dance parents. We’ve got some tutorials for you! Click HERE for a great tutorial on ballet buns. Click HERE for a stage make-up tutorial. Dress rehearsal is a great time to try out these techniques, so be sure to leave some extra time and practice doing it exactly how you will for recital day!

Pro Tip: Be sure to secure hair pieces with PLENTY of bobby pins, as they can easily fall off on stage. 

5. Organize everything the night before so you can really cherish the special moments with your child. 

A stressful recital day can take away from the magic that you and your child will feel on their performance day. Trust us, you’ll want to have plenty of time for pictures, smiles, and hugs. Pack your bag the night before, organize costumes, and plan your day out. Thank us later!

Putting this list together already gave us the warm and fuzzies that we feel EVERY single year during recital time. It is truly a magical time for all of our dance families. Parents, prepare to be amazed by your child’s bravery, beauty, and skill when they take the stage. 

To stay updated on ALL things recital over the next couple of months, be sure to check out Recital 2021 Info Page on our website. It’s our one-stop-shop for all of our recital information. We will continue to update it as details take shape. As always, contact us if you have any questions