May/Recital 2007 Newsletter

Dear Parents and Students:

We are SO excited about our 4^th Annual Recital, “The Magic of Disney,” scheduled for Saturday, May 12^th, 2007, at Myers Auditorium at Gaston College in Dallas, NC.  The Preschool Recital will be at 2:30pm and the Youth Recital will be at 6:00pm, both on Saturday, May 12^th.  There is no admission fee, so invite all your family and friends to come and support you and celebrate the “Magic of Disney” as we show off the talents of all our dancers!!  This Newsletter contains VERY important recital information for you and your child, so read very carefully!

Recital Dress Rehearsal Dates/Times:

We WILL have regular dance classes at The Perfect Step the week prior to the recital (May 7-10).  In addition to regular classes that week, we will have our recital dress rehearsal at Myers Auditorium at Gaston College in Dallas, NC, based on the following rehearsal schedule:

Friday, May 11, 2007 – YOUTH RECITAL REHEARSAL ONLY 5:00pm-9:00pm (SEE ATTACHED BLUE SHEET FOR SPECIFIC REHEARSAL TIMES FOR EACH CLASS)

Saturday, May 12, 2007 – PRESCHOOL RECITAL REHEARSAL ONLY 10:00am – 12:30am (SEE ATTACHED YELLOW SHEET FOR SPECIFIC REHEARSAL TIMES FOR EACH CLASS) 

***To determine if your child’s class is performing in the Pre-School Recital or the Youth Recital, please see the costume posters for each recital posted at The Perfect Step. 

Note – All Tuesday Jazz Technique Class members, ALL competition team members, and all of Miss Jaime’s Tuesday 7:45-8:30 Hip Hop Class members will perform in BOTH the preschool and youth recitals, however these students only need to attend the rehearsal for the YOUTH recital on Friday evening from 5:00-9:00!  Thank you.

Recital Dress Rehearsal Requirements:

All dancers should arrive at Myers Auditorium at their scheduled rehearsal time dressed in your costume and ready to go!  It is not necessary for dancers to have their makeup on and hair fixed for dress rehearsal – they only need to wear their costumes for dress rehearsal!  PLEASE ARRIVE ON TIME AND SIT IN THE FRONT ROWS OF THE AUDITORIUM UNTIL YOUR CLASS IS CALLED ON STAGE.    We will rehearse with each class and will try our very best to stay on time with the rehearsal schedule; however it depends on everyone’s timeliness and cooperation! 

During the youth recital rehearsal on Friday night, May 11 from 5:00-9:00, we will have concessions, including pizza and drinks, for sale at the auditorium.  Dancers may purchase these items for dinner in between their rehearsals.

Costumes:

Parents, please be sure to have your dancers try on their costumes now in preparation for the recital to see if any alterations need to be made.  You are responsible for having the costumes altered or adjusted prior to the recital.  Many times, costumes need to be hemmed to the proper length with the dance shoes or straps need to be adjusted for each individual dancer.  Do not wait until the last minute to take care of these important details.

Also, please be sure to take your dancers costumes out of the plastic bag they came in and hang up the costumes so that any wrinkles can fall out prior to the recital.  We want the dancers to look their very best on stage!

Dance Shoes

Parents, please make sure your dancers have appropriate dance shoes for each class (style & color) – see specific class requirements attached.  Shoes should also be clean and polished for the recital.

Tights

Attached to this newsletter is a 10% discount card to Olivia’s Dancewear for the purchase of your recital tights.  Please go as soon as possible to purchase your recital dance tights.  The specific color that is required for each class is listed on the attached blue or yellow sheet (blue sheet for youth recital, yellow sheet for preschool recital).

Makeup and Hair

Makeup:  All dancers (pre-school and youth) should wear make-up (parents use your best judgment).  We encourage blush, eyeshadow, pink or red lipstick – depending on the color of their costume – and mascara.  The stage lights are very bright and tend to wash out the dancers on stage without a little makeup.

Hair  Specific hair styles required for each class is on the attached blue or yellow sheet (blue sheet for youth recital, yellow sheet for preschool recital).  Regardless of style, please make sure hair is secured with hairspray, bobby pins, etc, so that it doesn’t fall down in the middle of the dance.

Competition Team Members – wear hair and makeup as you normally do for competitions.

Volunteers Needed

We are in need of recital volunteers to be “backstage moms.”  These volunteers are assigned two moms per class and are there to watch the dancers in the dressing room, help them prepare for their performance, and lead them to the backstage area at the appropriate time.  If you volunteer to be a backstage mom, you will be able to leave the backstage area and go into the auditorium to see your own child perform.  We appreciate all volunteers!!  To sign up, please put your name on the sign-up sheet in the lobby.  Thank you!!

Perfect Attendance

We will give special recognition at the recital to those dancers who have had perfect attendance.  If you believe your child has had perfect attendance this year, please check the perfect attendance list posted in the lobby to make sure your name is included.  We try to keep the most accurate attendance records, but we ask that you check the perfect attendance list to make sure we haven’t missed a deserving dancer’s name.

Recognition for your Dancers/ Flower Orders

At the end of the recital, we will recognize each dancer by name and present them with a special award.  At that time, their parents, etc. will have an opportunity to approach the stage and present your dancer with flowers, balloons, a special gift, etc.  For your convenience, we have a florist who will deliver pre-ordered bouquets to the auditorium for your dancer.  If you would like to pre-order a bouquet so that you can pick it up at the auditorium during the recital to present to your dancer, you may do so by filing out an order form (see attached PINK sheet) and submitting it to the front desk at The Perfect Step no later than Thursday May 3rd.  We will not have bouquets for sale at the recital other than those that have been pre-ordered.

DVD’s of the Recital

We will have a professional videographer who will be capturing our recitals on DVD this year.  DVD’s can be ordered prior to the recital or at the auditorium on the day of the rehearsal or recital.  Payment must be received at the time the order is placed.  Please use attached PINK order form.  We will not allow any individual video cameras to be used during the rehearsal or recital due to space limitations.

Photos

This year we will have picture night on Thursday, May 17th, 2007.  We will have a professional photographer at The Perfect Step and each class will have a designated time to come in for group and individual pictures.  Dancers should come in costume with full hair and makeup ready (just like recital).  See attached photo order form and time schedule for each class (GREEN sheet).  All dancers should attend the photo shoot whether you plan to purchase photos or not.  Since ALL dancers will take part in picture night on Thursday, May 17^th, we will NOT have regular dance classes that week (May 14-17).

Bring a Friend Week, May 21-24

Our final week of dance classes is May 21-24.  Each dancer is encouraged to “Bring a Friend” with them to class this week – we will be learning fun new dances and it will be a great way to finish out the dance year!!

Summer Programs at The Perfect Step

The Perfect Step will offer four exciting summer camps!  Be sure to pick up a detailed brochure and register now – spaces are limited and are filling up quickly!!  More details, including the summer camp brochure, are available at www.theperfectstep.com

-         July 16-20 – Hip Hop Camp (ages 6-18)

-         July 23-27 – Princess Camp (ages 4-6)

-         July 23-27 – Movie Star Magic Camp (Ages 7-10)

-         August 6-10 – Dance Camp (ages 6-18)

Pre-Registration for Fall Classes

The Perfect Step will be taking pre-registration for Fall dance classes throughout the summer.  To reserve your spot early and to save some time once school starts back in the Fall, please fill out one of our 2007-2008 registration forms available on-line at www.theperfectstep.com or at the front desk.  The registration fee before July 20^th is $30.00 – after July 20^th, the registration fee increases to $35.00.  We will begin Fall dance classes on Monday, August 20^th.

Thank you!!

All of us at The Perfect Step would like to thank all of our dancers and their parents for making our 4^th year such a great success!!  We have seen many wonderful changes this year, including our beautiful new facility, and we are so lucky to have such a supportive group of individuals to work with.  Thank you….and get ready for the best recital yet!!        Stacey & Stephani

Pre-School Recital Notes:

Recital Rehearsal

The preschool recital rehearsal will begin promptly at 10:00am on Saturday, May 12^th.  Dancers should come in costume at the designated times (see below) with their tap shoes on first.  Classes will practice in the following order:

Following classes should arrive at 10:00am for rehearsal:

• Tinkerbell/Peter Pan (Monday 5:15 class) - tap
• The Lion King (Monday 5:45 class) - tap
• Snow White (Thursday 9:30 class) - tap
• The Jungle Book (Tuesday 5:30 class)- tap
• Tinkerbell/Peter Pan - ballet
• The Lion King - ballet
• Snow White - ballet
• The Jungle Book - ballet

Following classes should arrive at 10:45am for rehearsal:

• Cinderella (Monday 6:00 class)– tap
• Little Mermaid (Thursday 5:30 class) - tap
• Aladdin (Monday 6:30 class) - tap
• Cinderella (Monday 6:30 class) – ballet
• Little Mermaid - ballet
• Aladdin - ballet
• Doodle Bops (Monday 7:00 class) - jazz/hip hop

Following classes should arrive at 12:00 noon:

• Boys – (Monday 5:30 class) Davy Crockett – tap
• Boys – (Monday 6:00 class) Kung Fu Fighting – hip hop

Arriving at the Recital

We anticipate that dress rehearsal should be finished around 12:00 noon on Saturday, May 12^th.  All dancers should arrive back at Myers Auditorium for the recital with their first costume on and hair and makeup ready no later than 2:00pm on Saturday, May 12^th.  The recital will begin promptly at 2:30pm.  Dancers should report to the dressing room (directly behind the stage) and find a chair with their name on it to sit in until it is their time to perform.  There will be 2 parent volunteers per class backstage to stay with the dancers.  Dancers may NOT go into the auditorium during the recital – they must wait backstage with their class.  Parents are allowed to come backstage during the recital to check on their children or to help them change into their dance shoes.  All dancers will participate in the finale and awards ceremony at the end of the recital.

Shoes

All pre-school classes should wear pink leather ballet shoes and black tap shoes.  If your child does not have the appropriate colored shoes for each dance, please either buy leather spray and paint them the correct color (can be purchased at Snipe’s Shoe Repair in Gastonia) or purchase new shoes in the correct color – this is very important for the recital!!

Specific Preschool Recital class instructions:

• Preschool Dance I  (Monday 5:15) – Tinkerbell
  • Tights:  Light pink color dance tights (from Olivia’s Dancewear)
  • Hair:  wear in a high ponytail with the extra boa piece wrapped around the base of the pony tail.
  • Other costume notes:  be very careful with the wings, as they are very delicate.
• Preschool Dance I (Monday 5:45) – The Lion King
  • Tights:  Light Suntan color dance tights (from Olivia’s Dancewear)
  • Hair:  Wear in a ponytail in the middle of the head (so it doesn’t interfere with the feather headband) – be sure to bobby pin the headband in tightly so that it doesn’t come off.
  • Other costume notes:  wear arm bands with the feather end at the wrists.
• Preschool Dance I (Thursday 9:30) – Snow White
  • Tights:  White Dance tights (from Olivia’s Dancewear)
  • Hair:  Wear hair pulled up on the sides with the bow on top.
• Preschool Dance II (Tuesday 5:30) – The Jungle Book
  • Tights:  Light Suntan color dance tights (from Olivia’s Dancewear)
  • Hair:  Wear hair in a high ponytail with the bow up on top of the head.
  • Other costume notes:  The armbands should be worn with the feathers to the top of the arm.
• Preschool Dance II (Thursday 5:30) – Little Mermaid
  • Tights:  Light Suntan color dance tights (from Olivia’s Dancewear)
  • Hair:  Wear in a ponytail in the middle of the head (so it doesn’t interfere with the sequin headband).  Wear the sequin headband around the back of their head (under the ponytail) around to the top of their head with the puff on the right side.  Be sure to bobby pin the headband in tightly so that it doesn’t come off while they are dancing.
  • Costume notes:  wear arm bands with the sequins at the top and the ruffles facing downward.
• Preschool Dance III/IV (Monday 6:30) – Aladdin
  • Tights:  Light Suntan color dance tights (from Olivia’s Dancewear)
  • Hair:  Wear in a high ponytail with the gold head piece around the top of the ponytail (see costume picture in studio lobby for example)
  • Other costume notes:  drape two rows of gold beads to connect the front of the vest (beads can be safety pinned in place once the dancers put on the cotumes, or they can be sewn in place ahead of time.  Also, drape 3 loops of gold beads from the sequin V-shape on the front of the pants (see picture of costume in studio lobby for details of how it should look).
• Boys Tap & Tumbling (Monday 5:30)
  • Tap (Davy Crockett) – wear a white T-shirt under the top and black socks with the tap shoes
  • Hip Hop (Kung Fu Fighting) – wear a white T-shirt under the karate top and boys will dance bare footed.
• Mini Dance I – Monday 6:00 – 7:30
  • Tap & Ballet – Cinderella
    • Tights:  Light Suntan color dance tights (from Olivia’s Dancewear)
    • Hair:  Wear hair in a low ponytail with the tiara securely bobby pinned on top of the head (do not activate the light up tiara until just before the dancers perform at the recital – NOT for rehearsal)
    • Other costume notes:  don’t forget choker.
  • Jazz/Hip Hop – The Doodle Bops
    • Tights:  Light Suntan color dance tights (from Olivia’s Dancewear)
    • Hair:  Wear hair in a low ponytail with the headband securely bobby pinned at the top of their head and tied underneath their hair at the back of their neck(see picture in studio lobby)
    • Boot covers – put jazz shoes on first, then slip boot covers over the shoes.

Youth Recital Notes:

Recital Rehearsal

The Youth recital rehearsal will begin promptly at 5:00pm on Friday, March 11^th.  Dancers should come in costume and should arrive at least 15 minutes prior to their scheduled practice time.  Classes will practice in the following order – we will try our very best to stick to this order and this time schedule:

5:00pm

• Wednesday Mini Ballet (5:30-6:00 class)– The Aristocats (Miss Ashley)
• Thursday Mini I Ballet (6:30-7:00 class) – Beauty & The Beast (Miss Ashley)
• Thursday Mini II Ballet (5:30-6:00 class) – Mary Poppins/Chimney Sweeps (Miss Ashley)
• Thursday Junior Ballet (7:30-8:00 class) – Mulan (Miss Ashley)
• Wednesday Mini Tap (6:00-6:30 class) – The Aristocats (Miss Amy)
• Thursday Mini I Tap (5:30-6:00 class) – Beauty & the Beast (Miss Stacey)
• Thursday Mini II Tap (6:00-6:30 class) – Mary Poppins/Chimney Sweeps (Miss Stacey)
• Tuesday Mini Hip Hop 7:00-7:30 class) – Lizzie McGuire (Miss Stephani)

6:30pm

• Thursday Junior Tap (6:30-7:00 class) – Inspector Gadget (Miss Stacey)
• Pocahontas – All of Miss Kate’s Wednesday Ballet Classes
• Wednesday Mini Jazz/Hip Hop (5:00-5:30 class) – Kim Possible (Miss Lauren)
• Thursday Mini I Jazz/Hip Hop (6:00-6:30) class – High School Musical (Miss Stephani/Miss Lauren)
• Thursday Mini II Jazz/Hip Hop (6:30-7:00 class) – Hannah Montana (Miss Stephani/Miss Lauren)

7:15pm

·       Finale – ALL DANCERS (wear any costume you have on at the time)

• Opening Number – All of Miss Stephani’s Tuesday Jazz Technique Classes

7:45pm

• Thursday Junior Jazz/Hip Hop (7:00-7:30 class) – Cheetah Girls (Miss Stephani/Miss Lauren)
• Thursday Mini Clogging (7:00-7:30 class) – Bare Necessities (Miss Amy)
• Thursday Junior Clog (7:30-8:00 class) – Hampster Dance (Miss Amy)
• Tuesday Teen Hip Hop (6:15-7:00 class) – Whomp There It Went (Miss Lauren)
• Tuesday Junior Hip Hop (7:45-8:30 class) – It’s a Small World & Dance to the Music (Miss Jaime)

8:30pm

• Any non-competition solos that want to practice.

We anticipate that the rehearsal will be complete by 9:00pm on Friday night.  However, once your child has rehearsed all their dances AND the finale, they are free to leave for the evening.  No costumes or other belongings may be left in the auditorium between Friday night rehearsal and the recital on Saturday.  Also, as a reminder, we will have pizza, drinks and other concessions for sale during rehearsal on Friday night as a convenience for the dancers and parents.

Arriving at the Recital

All dancers should arrive at Myers Auditorium for the recital with their first costume on and hair and makeup ready no later than 5:30pm on Saturday, May 12^th.  The recital will begin promptly at 6:00pm.  Dancers should report to the dressing room (directly behind the stage) and find a chair with their name on it to sit in until it is their time to perform.  There will be 2 parent volunteers per class backstage to stay with the dancers.  Dancers may NOT go into the auditorium during the recital – they must wait backstage with their class.  Mothers, grandmothers, etc (females only) are allowed to come backstage during the recital to help their children change costumes.  All dancers will participate in the finale and awards ceremony at the end of the recital.

Specific Youth class instructions:

• Mini Dance Tap & Ballet  (Wednesday 5:30-6:30) – The Aristocats
  • Tights:  Light Suntan color dance tights (from Olivia’s Dancewear)
  • Hair:  wear in a high ponytail with the cat ears securely bobby pinned.
  • Shoes: Pink leather ballet shoes, black tap shoes
  • Other costume notes:  Criss-cross the sequins in the back and pin to the leotard; hang up the net skirt to fluff it out prior to the recital.  Use the extra fur piece to make two wrist bands (see picture in studio lobby – you can pin the wristbands on).  Don’t forget to wear the choker.
• Mini Jazz/Hip Hop  (Wednesday 5:00-5:30) – Kim Possible
  • Tights:  Light Suntan color dance tights (from Olivia’s Dancewear)
  • Hair:  wear in a high ponytail with scrunchie around the base of the ponytail.
  • Shoes:  Black jazz shoes
  • Other costume notes:  be sure to hem pants, if needed.
• Mini Jazz/Hip Hop (Tuesday 7:00-7:30) – Lizzie McGuire
  • Tights:  Light Suntan color dance tights (from Olivia’s Dancewear)
  • Hair:  wear in a medium-high ponytail with headband around the top of head and under the ponytail in the back.
  • Shoes:  Black jazz shoes
  • Other costume notes – check straps – they may need to be altered or adjusted.
• Mini I Tap (Thursday 5:30-6:00) – Beauty & The Beast
  • Tights:  Light Suntan color dance tights (from Olivia’s Dancewear)
  • Hair:  wear in a ponytail with bow on top of head (see picture of bow in studio lobby)
  • Shoes:  Black tap shoes
  • Other costume notes:  be sure to pin or sew flower in middle of bodice (see picture in studio lobby).  Pin fringe skirt on either side of leotard, so that it is higher on the sides and lower in the front (see picture in studio lobby)
• Mini I Ballet (Thursday 6:30-7:00) – Beauty & The Beast
  • Tights:  Light Suntan color dance tights (from Olivia’s Dancewear)
  • Hair:  wear in a low ponytail with bow on top of head (see picture of bow in studio lobby)
  • Shoes:  Pink Leather Ballet Shoes
  • Other costume notes:  be sure to pin or sew flower in middle of bodice (see picture in studio lobby).  Tutu should be worn with the polka-dot side on top (see picture in studio lobby)
• Mini I Jazz/Hip Hop (Thursday 6:00-6:30) – High School Musical
  • Tights:  Light Suntan color dance tights (from Olivia’s Dancewear)
  • Hair:  wear in a low ponytail
  •   Shoes:  Black Jazz Shoes
  • Other costume notes:  Be sure to pin or sew belt up to waist level, so that it doesn’t hang down too low.
• Mini II Ballet AND Tap (Thursday  5:30-6:30) – Mary Poppins/Chimney Sweeps
  • Tights:  Light Suntan color dance tights (from Olivia’s Dancewear)
  • Hair:  wear in a low ponytail with hat securely bobby pinned into hair (do not wear hat too low so that it covers the dancers eyes)
  •   Shoes: Pink Leather Ballet Shoes and Black Tap Shoes
  • Other costume notes:  Pin or sew the 3 little daisy flowers to the two top corners of the front of the overalls and one to the left side of the hat (the dancer’s left side when wearing the hat) – see photo in lobby for details.  Also, pants should be cropped between the ankle and calf – it may be necessary to hem the pants.  For Ballet, we will bring the brooms to the recital for you.

• Mini II Jazz/Hip Hop (Thursday  6:30-7:00) – Hannah Montana
  • Tights:  Light Suntan color dance tights (from Olivia’s Dancewear)
  • Hair:  wear in a low ponytail with scrunchie around base of ponytail
  •   Shoes: Black Jazz Shoes
  • Other costume notes:  It may be necessary to have the skirt taken up or to pin it to the leotard so that it doesn’t slide around.
• Mini Clogging (Thursday 7:00-7:30) – Bare Necessities
  • Tights:  Light Suntan color dance tights (from Olivia’s Dancewear)
  • Hair:  wear in a low ponytail with scrunchie around base of ponytail
  •   Shoes: Black Clogging Shoes (if you do not have black clogging shoes, please paint them black before recital!)
• Junior Tap (Thursday 6:30-7:00) – Inspector Gadget
  • Tights:  Light Suntan color dance tights (from Olivia’s Dancewear)
  • Hair:  wear in a low ponytail (so that it doesn’t interfere with the hat!)
  •   Shoes: Black Tap Shoes
  • Other costume notes:  It may be necessary to have the skirt taken up or to pin it to the leotard so that it doesn’t slide around.  We will bring all the hats to the recital for you.
• Junior Jazz/Hip Hop (Thursday 7:00-7:30) – Cheetah Girls
  • Tights:  Light Suntan color dance tights (from Olivia’s Dancewear)
  • Hair:  wear in a low ponytail  Shoes: Black Jazz Shoes
  • Other costume notes:  Be sure to have all the straps taken up to fit – many of them were a little loose when the girls tried them on.  Also, tie extra strip of fabric around right arm.
• Junior Ballet (Thursday 7:30-8:00) – Mulan
  • Tights:  Light Suntan color dance tights (from Olivia’s Dancewear)
  • Hair:  wear in a low ponytail
  •   Shoes: Pink Ballet Shoes
• Junior Clogging (Thursday 7:30-8:00) – Hampster Dance
  • Tights:  Light Suntan color dance tights (from Olivia’s Dancewear)
  • Hair:  wear in a low ponytail with headband going around the top of the head and tied at the back of the neck.
  •   Shoes: Black Clogging Shoes
  • Other costume notes:  Be sure to hem pants, if needed.
• Junior Advanced Hip Hop (Tuesday 7:45-8:30) – It’s a Small World & Dance to the Music
  • Tights:  Light Suntan color dance tights (from Olivia’s Dancewear) – if you want to wear them under jeans
  • Hair:  wear in a low ponytail with bandana tied around head (rhinestones on top) – be sure to securely bobby pin bandana
  •   Shoes: Hip Hop Shoes or Sneakers
  • Other costume notes:  Dancers must provide and wear their own blue jeans for this dance – Miss Jaime will talk to you about the style/color needed
  • SPECIAL NOTE – THIS CLASS WILL PERFORM IN BOTH THE PRESCHOOL AND YOUTH RECITAL – PLEASE MAKE PLANS TO BE PRESENT FOR BOTH RECITALS!!
• Teen Advanced Hip Hop (Tuesday 6:15-7:00) – Whomp There it Went
  • Tights:  Light Suntan color dance tights (from Olivia’s Dancewear)
  • Hair:  wear in a low side ponytail
  •   Shoes: Hip Hop Shoes or Sneakers
• All of Miss Kate’s Wednesday Ballet Classes - Pocahontas
  • Tights:  Light Suntan color dance tights (from Olivia’s Dancewear)
  • Hair:  wear in a low side ponytail (just like for competition) with hair tie at base of ponytail.
  •   Shoes: Pink Leather Ballet Shoes
• All of Miss Stephanie’s Tuesday Jazz Technique Classes – Opening Number “Mickey Mouse Club Mix”
  • Tights:  Light Suntan color dance tights (from Olivia’s Dancewear) Hair:  wear in a low side ponytail (just like competition) with polka dot ribbon tied like a headband around top of head and tied behind neck.
  • Shoes: Tan Jazz Shoes for Mini’s and Junior’s; Foot Undeez/Dance Paws for Teens.
  • SPECIAL NOTE – THIS CLASS WILL PERFORM IN BOTH THE PRESCHOOL AND YOUTH RECITAL – PLEASE MAKE PLANS TO BE PRESENT FOR BOTH RECITALS!!
  • SPECIAL NOTE – THIS CLASS (MINI, JR & TEEN TECHNIQUE) SHOULD ARRIVE TO THE AUDITORIUM AT 12:30PM ON SATURDAY, MAY 12^TH FOR AN EXTRA REHEARSAL ON STAGE BEFORE THE PRE-SCHOOL RECITAL.  THANKS!