Dance the Magic???

[N&B'smom]

Anyone got any info on this? My DD8's dance team is participating in this year's Christmas parade and I just wanted to get some insight! Any info you have would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks!!

 

[N&B'smom]

No one!?!?!

 

[kaligal]

Sorry, never heard of it.

 

[chartle]

My sons' band has done the parade before the parade twice and I have read a few questions about doing a show on a stage by dance groups, but nothing like this. Are they actually going to be in the xmas parade that tapes around Dec. 4?

 

[N&B'smom]

Yes, they are going to perform at Hollywood Studios, do a full parade through the Magic Kingdom and they are going to be in the taping of the Christmas parade as well.

We are super excited!! Just booked the room through Group Reservations today!!

 

[chartle]

Yes, they are going to perform at Hollywood Studios, do a full parade through the Magic Kingdom and they are going to be in the taping of the Christmas parade as well.

We are super excited!! Just booked the room through Group Reservations today!!

Forgot about this thread but wanted to get back to it.

I can only give you general advice from my own trips and what I have read here about the parade taping.

The biggest advise I can give you is don't expect this to be like a regular Disney trip. Your time is not your own. And since you are part of the taping how much time are going to have to spend in rehearsal?

As for the parade you do know that its a 5 or 6 hour long for lack of a better term an ordeal for even just the spectators.

My sons band has been in a few televised (local only) parades and every 10 minutes or so they have to stop for commercial breaks. At the Disney Parade taping they do multiple takes of every "act" from multiple angles. My sons band had issues keeping everyone in line and ready to go after those commercial breaks. I can't imagine how you are going to keep 8 year olds happy for 5 hours.

Like I posted above right now you know more about this than anyone here.

 

[N&B'smom]

Forgot about this thread but wanted to get back to it.

I can only give you general advice from my own trips and what I have read here about the parade taping.

The biggest advise I can give you is don't expect this to be like a regular Disney trip. Your time is not your own. And since you are part of the taping how much time are going to have to spend in rehearsal?

As for the parade you do know that its a 5 or 6 hour long for lack of a better term an ordeal for even just the spectators.

My sons band has been in a few televised (local only) parades and every 10 minutes or so they have to stop for commercial breaks. At the Disney Parade taping they do multiple takes of every "act" from multiple angles. My sons band had issues keeping everyone in line and ready to go after those commercial breaks. I can't imagine how you are going to keep 8 year olds happy for 5 hours.

Like I posted above right now you know more about this than anyone here.

Thanks, yes...I know we're in for some long days. Her rehearsal is for 5 hours the one day. (during which my DS12 and I will hit the park!) We are staying for 3 extra days so we can chill and do our own thing after it's all said and done!

 

[Me!Thatswho]

Sorry for asking months after the fact, but how did things go? My DD(10)'s studio has been selected, and we'll be going to this coming year's taping. Did you post a trip review? And, if not, would you care to share a few thoughts on your experience.

Thanks!

 

[alayne]

I actually got to meet the OP at Disney during the taping of the Christmas Parade. My niece was also dancing for the first time at Disney and I had lots of questions. When I went looking for information on the DISboards I came across her post and we started chatting. It was the first time I have meet someone in person from the boards and it was lots of fun.

Our family had a wonderful time and we are really hoping we get to go back this year. I can tell you each group is a little different. For example: our dance teacher booked all our reservations and handled all of the trip, however, the OP booked her own room.

First let me tell you who went on our trip - it was me, my DH, my DS8 and my DD 7 months in one room and then my mother and 2 nieces (10 and 12) in another room.

My mother took care of getting my niece to her required appointments and the rest of us were pretty much able to do what ever we wanted to. The only person who really has to follow a schedule is the dancer herself. Parents are not allowed to go with the dancer at any time. My mother would just take her to the lobby of the hotel to meet up with her dance teacher and other dancers then they would be taken by bus to where ever they needed to be.

Our dance teacher sent us photos and updates via text all along the way - she even told us exactly where to be standing during the parade so we would be on the right side to see our dancer. However, not all dance teachers did this and I heard a few parents complaining about lack of information.

Because this was our first trip and we weren't really sure what to expect (plus our dance teacher told us not to) we did not have any ADRs or set plans at all. It was a little frustrating because we were a large party of 7 and most sit down places didn't have room for us without the ADR. Now that we have been and I have an idea of how things work I will be making ADRs if we get to go back this year.

You do not have to stay for the whole taping of the parade. My niece had to be at the bus at 4 am Saturday morning for the taping. My mother and older niece had to be at the park by 6 (if I remember correctly) - with a 7 month old and 8 year old my family didn't even try to make it. They were let in a back entrance and watched my niece perform with the Newsies. After her performance they were free to do what ever they wanted. That morning was not as long as I thought it would be.

There were two groups of dancers - the younger ones did a dance with Brave and the older girls did a dance with the Newsies. The girls where given a list of items to bring and then Disney provided the rest. For example - my niece was dancing with the Newsies so she was required to find her own shirt and pants (which we had to take a picture of and have approved by Disney). Then Disney provided her vest and hat.

The dancers also got to perform in the regular Disney Parade (3:00 at MK). During this parade they had on a different costume provided by Disney. The girls were not allowed to wear the costume or their make-up in the parks.

We were provided a schedule with the times and such a few weeks before we went, however, they will tell you that it can change at any time.

We arrived on Wednesday morning and went to DHS for the day. She had to meet with her dance teacher and group that night at 9:00 for a short meeting. Then Thursday she had her big rehearsal day - Disney provided her lunch, took a group photo and individual photo and then she performed in the parade at MK. On Friday she had rehearsal and then Saturday was the early morning taping. We were not allowed to leave officially until Sunday at 3:00 just incase they had to redo something or if there was a rain delay. Some of our parents didn't read the part about being available until 3:00 on Sunday and they had booked early morning flights. Lucky we didn't have any rain or do overs so it was no big deal. However, I wouldn't recommend taking that chance.

As the OP said she booked extra days at the end of the dance trip for her family. My kids had already missed three days of school just for the dance portion of the trip so we were not able to add any extra days.

We were able to spend a full day at DHS when we arrived, a good amount of time at MK and we even went to Epcot for a few hours.

It was not a normal Disney vacation for my family but it was a lot of fun and something I do hope we get to do again. Oh we were also able to go to the MVMCP. My niece was able to go Thursday night but she was not able to go Friday night because she had to get up so early Saturday morning. Because we didn't know the schedule until really close to the trip we didn't purchase those tickets until a few days before we left.

Hope this helps some. Feel free to ask any specific questions and I'll do my best to answer them.

Plus maybe the OP will post too. If I remember correctly I think her dance group does the Disney Christmas Parade every other year because they have another event they do. I don't think she will be going back this year.

Our dance teacher is still waiting on information regarding the 2013 details. For 2012 they had a new rule that your dance group had to have a minimum of 8 girls go. We only had 6 but because our group had been going for many many years they let us slide by. Our dance teacher isn't sure they will do that again this year.

Keep me posted if you do get to go. Maybe we could meet up too.

Allison

 

[Me!Thatswho]

Wow. Thanks for the info Allison. This is exactly the info for which I has hoping.

FYI: we are definitely going. DD(10)'s studio was invited back by Dance the Magic, after their first trip two years ago. They made the decision not to include girls younger than 8, so DD just missed the cut-off. This time around, we definitely want to make the most of it.

Our plan is pretty straight forward. DW & DD are going to head down the weekend prior. This way, DD will be able to get a few days of park fun in before going to work. DS & I probably are going to fly down a few days later, on the Wednesday before. And we'll all stay until Sunday evening, thanks for the bit of advice on that.

As we get closer, I may drop you a PM or two if you don't mind. I'm sure we'll have tons of questions.

Thanks again for a great report!

 

[alayne]

Wow. Thanks for the info Allison. This is exactly the info for which I has hoping.

FYI: we are definitely going. DD(10)'s studio was invited back by Dance the Magic, after their first trip two years ago. They made the decision not to include girls younger than 8, so DD just missed the cut-off. This time around, we definitely want to make the most of it.

Our plan is pretty straight forward. DW & DD are going to head down the weekend prior. This way, DD will be able to get a few days of park fun in before going to work. DS & I probably are going to fly down a few days later, on the Wednesday before. And we'll all stay until Sunday evening, thanks for the bit of advice on that.

As we get closer, I may drop you a PM or two if you don't mind. I'm sure we'll have tons of questions.

Thanks again for a great report!

Any time! I love to share info about Disney. I'm so hoping we get to go back to Dance. We are booked Nov. 23 thru Dec. 8th at the Fort. All of my family including my Mom and two nieces will be at the Fort for Thanksgiving and if we get to Dance then they will go home for a few days and then come back with the dance group. If we don't get to dance then it will just be my family of 4 the last part of the trip.

I am so excited for you!!! It is so much fun!

 

[alayne]

Just got a text message from my nieces dance teacher - Disney called and asked if she wanted to bring her dance team in April!!!! Still no word about Christmas but at least I have a reason to go in April. Can't wait!!!

It's going to be a short trip - April 19-21. But I'm still super excited!!!

 

[2totsmom]

Does anyone have a break down of the cost? My DD dance studio will be going in Dec and I am anxious to know the cost. Thanks for all the great advice above!

 

[alayne]

Does anyone have a break down of the cost? My DD dance studio will be going in Dec and I am anxious to know the cost. Thanks for all the great advice above!

I don't remember exact numbers but here is an estimate - we got a 4 day park hopper ticket for $245 (or something close). The room was at POR and was something like $130 or $145 a night. There was no dinning plan. I saw on the website that you could purchase meal tickets but our dance teacher didn't offer that to use.

 

[alayne]

Does anyone have a break down of the cost? My DD dance studio will be going in Dec and I am anxious to know the cost. Thanks for all the great advice above!

Found it!!! I found the Package of paperwork for the Dance the Magic trip - our dates where Nov. 29th thru Dec. 2nd.

It was a 5-Day Performer Package approx $599 for dancers 8 and up / not including a $200 application/registration fee.

The $599 included
Park Hopper Ticket
Holiday Spectacular Parade down Main Street with Holiday Costume included. New white KEDS are required along with other items not included with this fee.
Parade rehearsal workshop with the Dance the Magic Staff
Props for the parade
Special lunch for dancers and directors
Professional 8x10 Dance the Magic Individualized Magazine Cover Photo
Professional 8x10 Dance the Magic Group Photo
Professional Holiday Dance Spectacular Memory DVD
Souvenir Pin
Special Dance the Magic Gift
Motor coach transportation from designated Disney Hotel


Other info
Option to purchase tickets to MVMCP - approx $60

Discount Park Tickets for Family and Friends $245 for 5-Day Park Hopper Pass

Host Hotel $160 plus tax per night - we stayed at POR
Complimentary transportation on the Disney Magical Express if flying.

Then we had a list of required items from our Dance Teacher that were not required by Disney but it was required by our teacher / things like a Warm Up Suit, T-Shirts for the girls to wear while in the parks, a Special Disney Parade T-Shirt with all the Dancers names listed on the back, Mom Shirt, Neck Wallet (your child will have to keep up with their ticket, money, room key, photo pass card.

We also had to purchase a hair piece, special make-up, shoes, etc.

Hope this helps more.

 

[hygienejean]

My DD will be doing this in Dec. We are looking forward to it! We have Ap's. Do you think we would be able to forgo buying a hopper ticket in that $599 package? It would be such a waste!

Can you tell me how much (or how little) free time the dancer will have during those 4 days? Seems very busy! Will she be able to visit the parks with us on TH or perhaps Fri? Or is all of her time going to be with DTM? Just thinking about a little preplanning now.....

TIA!

 

[hygienejean]

bumpity bump

 

[nonstopdisneymom]

Just got a text message from my nieces dance teacher - Disney called and asked if she wanted to bring her dance team in April!!!! Still no word about Christmas but at least I have a reason to go in April. Can't wait!!!

It's going to be a short trip - April 19-21. But I'm still super excited!!!

Exciting!! Can you tell me what event they will be dancing for during these dates? I have a friend that will be there then.

 

[alayne]

Exciting!! Can you tell me what event they will be dancing for during these dates? I have a friend that will be there then.

It didn't work out. She didn't have enough girls to sign up. It's a small dance company and a lot of the parents said they couldn't afford to do two trips to Disney. She still hasn't officially said we are going in Dec. but the parents who want to go in Disney said they could not do both trips. So we are not going in April just hoping we get to go in December.

 

[alayne]

My DD will be doing this in Dec. We are looking forward to it! We have Ap's. Do you think we would be able to forgo buying a hopper ticket in that $599 package? It would be such a waste!

Can you tell me how much (or how little) free time the dancer will have during those 4 days? Seems very busy! Will she be able to visit the parks with us on TH or perhaps Fri? Or is all of her time going to be with DTM? Just thinking about a little preplanning now.....

TIA!

Sorry it took me so long to get back on here. I'm planning my DD's 1st Birthday and soccer season is in full force for my DS. It's been a busy few weeks.

Yes she will be able to go to the parks with you. Most of your time is going to be spent in MK when it comes to the dancing part. She will get to perform in a 3:00 parade on Thursday - then filming on Friday and Saturday (maybe Sunday depending on the weather). Our family just stayed at MK because we were already there. My DD was only 7 months old and with a stroller, diaper bag and dance stuff we didn't like get on the bus more than we had too.

There was one really early morning. She had to be at the hotel lobby at 4:30 in the morning so she wasn't able to go to the MVMCP with us. My Mom took her back to the room after dinner so she could get some sleep.

We didn't find out we were going until September so you have a big jump on planning. Our dance teacher told us not to make ADR's because we didn't have a schedule and we found it to be very hard especially for dinner. We were a family of 7 and we stuck eating counter service a lot. I would make reservations if I was you. My niece never had any practice or filming at night. So make dinner ADRs when your window opens.

On Thursday my niece had a full day of dance. This was the day they did the lunch, pictures, practice, and parade. We were able to meet up with her after the afternoon parade and spend the rest of the evening together. We had an early dinner at BOG then attended the MVMCP. It was a long day for my niece so we left around 9. On Friday we had most of the morning with her and Saturday we had almost all day with her. That's the morning she had to be there at 4:30 but she was done by 10 or so with filming if I remember correctly.

I wish I had taken better notes but I had just had a new baby and like I said we didn't even find out about the trip until September. It was our first time so we didn't know what to expect or what questions to ask. We didn't even have a schedule until about a week before we left.

You have all day Sunday - you can't leave until 3:00 once you receive the "all done" notice from Disney. We used this day to do Downtown Disney since our flight left at 7. Some of the other dance groups I noticed added extra days at the end of the trip to have some full days at Disney. Our kids had already missed three days of school so we didn't have any extra non-dance days.

We are currently booked for Nov. 23 to Dec. 8 this year with our fingers crossed that she gets to dance again. This trip is a little up in the air since we don't know yet. My DH and I (plus our two kids) are staying the whole 16 days at the Fort. We are taking our camper down. My Mom is taking her camper on Nov. 23 but she is coming home on Nov. 30 with my two nieces. If we get to do the Dance the Magic then she will bring my niece back on Wednesday and do the package deal with the dance company. They will stay at the hotel and we will just meet up with them daily. Even if she doesn't dance we are going to Disney.

Hope this helps some. Oh check out the Dance the Magic website. It will be updated with info.