This is my favorite time of year because the dance schools and studios are putting on recitals. It’s exciting for everyone involved…. instructors, parents and of course the students. Everyone has been working all year and preparing to show off what they have accomplished since the fall when they started.
The Progression
The thing I find the most uplifting is watching a recital starting with the youngest beginning performers. These 3, 4 and 5 year olds are all dressed and made up and under the bright lights for the very first time. As you can imagine this is not the finest dancing around and often the mistakes and goof ups are the best part of these performances. Nonetheless, these little ones are showing off their new found skills and performance abilities and you can just see the work that has gone into it. Better yet is watching all the encouraging parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers and family friends support each kid and in each performance. That is really wonderful.
Then each level and age bracket of dancers follows with their performance. It is astounding to see the progression in the performances. Every dance gets better and better providing an instant visual as to the tremendous progress these students make each year. By the time you get to the advanced dancers, it is obvious that with dedication and commitment that those little ones who started out pretending to be ballerinas or jazz dancers, one day can really achieve their dreams. This is both admirable and beautiful.
Collaboration
My kids do Irish Step Dance and were one of the first to have their recital. I never tire of going to see the performances and watching each level as they progress. Of course, I too am a pretty proud Dad when my kids dance.
It takes a collaborative effort on the part of all – the dedication of the instructor choreographing the performances, the parents who encourage practice and make sure their kids are at class each time and, of course, the students who work very hard and are eager to do a great job.
I encourage anyone interested in dance, whether it is ballet, jazz, step dance or whatever to try to get to one of these recitals. You will be amazed at what you see.
Tell Us About Your Recital
Since all the studios are putting their shows on now, you can tap into their websites to find out when and where the recitals are being held. Even if your child is not in dance this might be an excellent way to get them interested. Many academies and dance schools & studios have a spring open house too.
In fact, I know it is a bit late but we invite anyone participating in a recital, or any dance school or studio having a recital soon to post a response to this blog regarding your performance dates. Just include the date, time and location so others can attend your performances.
If you’ve already had your dance recital, tell us how it went, we’d love to read about it.
