Recital season is the best time of year for dancers. It's a way to show your family how hard you've worked, make memories with your dance friends, and one of the last times you perform on stage before heading off to summer intensive or vacation.
Recital can also be stressful! There's choreography to memorize, costumes to rhinestone, skills to perfect and many other factors that put pressure on dancers. Keep reading for tips to make this year a stress free, successful recital!
1. Plan extra time for warm-ups
Recital weekend is always hectic, and sometimes it's easy to skip the most important part of your dance training... WARMING UP! Be sure to allow extra time in your rehearsal and pre-show schedule to get your body moving. Grab your friends, a chair from backstage, and do your own ballet barre!
2. Rehearse your numbers
In addition to a good warm up, also set aside some extra time to rehearse all of your dances. Sometimes pressure and pre-show jitters happen right before taking the stage, so it never hurts to be extra confident in all of your choreography. Break down those confusing 8 counts and practice your turns to make sure you hit that perfect triple... you got this!
3. Be kind to other dancers
You're probably a seasoned performer by now... you've danced in many recitals and may even travel to competitions, conventions, auditions, etc. But remember that that your fellow studio members all have different levels of experience! Be there to support dancers that are nervous to take the stage, and get the little ones excited to perform for their first time.
4. Make and cherish memories
Like we said... recital is the best time of year! If your studio offers a DVD of the performance, we recommend you buy or download it. All of the Covet staff members that are retired dancers love getting together with their friends and watching old recital videos! Also, remember to take photos backstage and post-show. (PS... our "Dancer Selfie Kit" is the perfect recital gift for capturing special memories!)
5. DOWNLOAD AND PRINT "THE BEST RECITAL CHECKLIST EVER!"
Click on the link below for this handy list. Print it out the night before dress rehearsal to double check you have absolutely everything to keep your shows as stress-free as possible. This way you will be able to focus on your dancing and not on an emergency hair or costume mishap.
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