Dance Recital Panic - thoughts?

[cabanafrau]

Forgive me for mentioning this, but please consider the other parents and the kids onstage. Having people hop up (even if they are in an aisle seat) and run in and out is very distracting. Remember that while your child has just exited the stage, someone elses child just entered and is performing before you make it out of the audience. Keep in mind you increase the risk of injury or loss of focus for the kids as well. They might not see much out in the audience because the spotlight is on them, but if there are flashes of light from doors opening and closing it is not safe. It can knock them off balance, etc. It is just one of my son's pet peeves during performances.....well, that and camera flashes. Thanks for your consideration.

All I can say is AMEN!

 

[Darsa]

Alrighty!

Found myself three suit bags and one gown bag at Dollar Tree; perfect, since three of the costumes are short bitty things and one's a one-piece pants suit.

Also found a perfect covered box for her makeup & hair stuff, AND a stick-up mirror that she can stick to the wall and share with her friends

Feeling much less stressed after my lunch-hour shopping trip, and it only ended up costing me six bucks for all that

 

[jen0610]

I work as a change room mom on one of dance recital nights. We have two nights and so far I have gotten lucky enough that DD11's class dances are all on Saturday night and she only has to do production on Sunday. I can honestly say that I never thought to be a helper on the night that my DD performed. That is the night for me to sit back and enjoy her dancing.

Since I get to see the production number on Sat, I help out Sunday with all the costume changes. For our studio, we have three change rooms. One is the quick change - if you only have 1-3 numbers in order to switch costumes - and the change room in the holding area for all the dancers 13 and under, then the teen+ room. The teen+ room, there is 1 mom in there. Those kids have been dancing long enough, they know the drill and they all help each other with zippers, hooks, and snaps. The quick change room is usually ran by 1 or 2 moms and a couple of the girls who have recently graduated. Most of the quick changes are done by girls/boys who have been dancing for years and know the drill. DD had her 1st quick change last year and she said they had her out and into her costume before she could blink.

For those changes that aren't quick, the kids come back up to the holding room. We have an area that is screened off for the changing. Any boys that need to change are sent into the restroom area to get the majority of the costume changed, then we verify that all the accessories are on and on correctly. For the girls, we have a master dance list - contains who is in each number and what their next dance number is, so we know exactly who is going to be coming up and can have the costumes for those girls pull and readly to go. Anybody who has costumes is given the instructions that each costume needs to be on a seperate hanger and that an empty bag for the costumes to be put in after the dance is over. The dance number, teachers name, class day and time need to be listed on the hanger. Each hanger needs to have a bag with accessories attached to the hook. On that bag, we need to know where the bow goes, flower goes, ect. It is a constant flow of kids coming in and out of the change room. As we get the kids dresses, we put the costume we just got off of them into the holding bag. The parents of the newer dancers are also told that your dancer may have more that one pair of tights on at a time. For my DD this year, her dance order is Jazz, Ballet, Tap, then Production. She will have on 3 pairs of tights. Tan, pink, and tan. Once she hits the teen+ room and she is able to quickly get tights on and off, she won't have to layer on, but for the younger kids, it is just easier to pull off a pair of tights and have the other pair already on, then try to get a pair on a sweaty kid.

I can honestly say, that in the 6 years that I have been helping, we have not had any costumes go out on wrong or missing pieces. I don't know if it is because of the preplanning that they do for who's in what dances that we have a really good system and that we have enough moms to help out back stage who have been around long enough that we are whizes at it or if we are just lucky.

I will also say, that hair and make up is simple. Everybody who is in multipule dances knows that they have to wear their hair up in buns, with part on the left. No special hairdo's, unless the girls are old enough to get their own hair up and down outta a bun.

 

[luvmy2sams]

Glad to read that you're feeling a bit more relaxed about this, OP. Enjoy being able to sit back and watch your DD perform. By age 13 I would hope that she's had enough experience that this won't be nearly as stressful as you're imagining it to be.

My DD's in her 6th year of dance and will have eleven costume changes between her classes and company performances for the upcoming recital. I've never been a backstage mom (too many crazy mommies lining up hours before to sign up as one of the 2 volunteers per class), and my DD has yet to appear onstage looking in the incorrect costume or with her hair undone.

Enjoy the night!

 

[PlainJane]

Breathe. She'll be fine.

I've been involved with theater since the age of eight and I have received help with changes twice.

1st time when I was ten and I had to have ringlets. My hair is a nightmare to curl, so one of the older girls helped me.

2nd time was when I was around fourteen and my costume was about two sizes too small. The other girls worked the zipper for me.

My mother never helped me, and I somehow managed just fine. Even if she does make a mistake it's not the end of the world. Tell her to ask her friends in the same routine to check her appearance to prevent mistakes.

Pretty much all of my wardrobe issues were avoided by someone else telling me or my asking.

 

[Darsa]

DD's in her 6th year of dance and will have eleven costume changes

Eee......leven?

 

[KSchwagg86]

We always had a backstage mom who made sure everyone was ok if there were any problems or issues with costumes--maybe suggest this to the school owners?

 

[luvmy2sams]

Eee......leven?

I know...I hadn't counted the costumes until I was responding to this post, and I almost . DH is hoping she'll rethink doing company next year (this is her first experience with it) after having to change so often during the recital. I'm thinking that's doubtful because DD lives and breathes dance.

 

[mjantz]

She's 13, and while I *know* that's old enough, I can just NOT imagine myself sitting in the audience and just waiting 'til she comes out on stage and not being in there to make sure everything's perfect; hair, makeup, tights, costume. Last year she came out during dress rehearsal with her whole costume on backwards. She also had a pair of pants that fit her fine initially, but apparently she slimmed a bit, and I was POSITIVE they were going down during the routine. They didn't, but I had to stand there with my eyes covered because I was just positive...

(bolding mine)

Isn't this what dress rehearsals are for though? She figured out she didn't have the costume on correctly before the 'big day'.

She has to do it all by herself some time. I'm working on getting DD8 to fix her own hair for dance. My goal by the end of the summer is to have her be able to put her hair in a ponytail & from that up into a bun with a hairnet & hairpins. I don't know if we'll get that far but if I can get her to put it into a ponytail by herself I'll call it a victory.

 

[My2Cinderellas]

Our recitals were May 3rd, so I've just gone through this.

DD10 (5th grade) does better when I'm not around. So I say a big "thank you!" to the 2-3 moms who volunteer to help with her class. She has been dancing for 7 years and knows them well. This is the last year they have the mom helpers. Next year they are responsible for themselves. I have a year to teach DD to put in a bun

DD9 (3rd grade) is also independent, and I have always been comfortable leaving her with the mom helpers as well. Until last year, when all 3 of them abandoned her after their last number. Every one took off immediately, and I was still in the audience watching my other daughter dance, so I didn't get down to the changing area as quickly. They were supposed to stay with her until a parent picked her up but didn't bother. One of the mom's from DD10's class happened to check the other area and found DD9 crying and kept DD9 with her until I arrived. I was beyond furious and so I volunteered this year.

OMG! Total chaos! These are 3rd graders - they should know how to put on their own tights and costumes and buckle tap shoes. Over 1/2 the moms "had" to come down and basically get in the way, slowing us down. I was fully prepared to change hairpieces, put in buns for the extra ballet class girls (regular combo class was a low ponytail for jazz/tap/lyrical) etc. but could hardly help my own DD with the crush in there. In previous years, I didn't go down there, except for the one time the helpers asked for extra hands with a difficult costume change.

 

[minkydog]

Does anyone else have any tips they'd like to share? Her recital is this upcoming weekend, and I'm already starting to freak out...

Yeah. Calm down. Let her do this. It's her recital, not yours. I'm sure everything will be wonderful. I doubt that the world with come crashing to an end if she forgets a headpiece. Now take a deep breath and give her the permission to be wonderful.

 

[Floridagal23]

Get either the giant sized ziplocs or the cheap clear garment bags - one for each outfit - and put EVERYTHING in one. Before she goes backstage, stick her hair in the "dance bun." It will be fine

 

[scrapquilter]

For those of you stressing about getting your DD's to style their hair appropriately for recital day, here is THE answer:http://whirlastyle.stores.yahoo.net/whstsm.html