All ABDA Dancers, from Pre-dance level classes to Advanced level classes, are invited to perform in this fun and uplifting show to ring in the holiday season. Below are some details about this event.
Dates, Places and Times
Our Holiday Show Performances will take place on SUNDAY, December 15th at the Rustin High School Theatre located at 110 Shiloh Road, West Chester, Pa 19382. There will be a performance at 12noon and 4pm. All dancers will perform in BOTH shows with the exception of Pre-dance, Ballet/Tap 1, Ballet/ Tap 2 classes and Jazz 1/2 (they will only do one performance but have the option to do both). We will let you know exactly which performance your dancer will perform in within the next two weeks. Dancers will need to be there an hour before each performance (younger dancers ages 2.5-6 should be there 30 mins before each show). All company dancers must be there 2 hours before show time for a company warm-up.
The dress rehearsal will take place on FRIDAY, December 13th between 3pm-9pm (a detailed schedule with specific times for each routine/dancer is TBA) at Rustin High School in West Chester, Pa. Younger dancers will NOT have to be there the entire time.
The Holiday Show routines for the actual performances will be taught during your scheduled classes starting mid-October.
Costs
There will be a $75 performance fee for all dancers participating in two or more routines in BOTH performances and a $50 performance fee for all those participating in one routine in BOTH performances. For those in Pre-dance, Ballet/Tap 1, Ballet Tap 2 and Jazz 1/2 performing only ONE routine in ONE performance the cost is $30. For those in Ballet/Tap 1, Ballet Tap 2 and/or Jazz 1/2 dancers performing MORE than one routine in ONE performance the cost is $50. This fee will help cover costumes, rehearsals, and theatre costs. The performance fee does NOT include admission tickets. Tickets will be sold separately and will cost $15. They will go on sale Sunday, November 17th at 10am.
Costuming
Unlike the end of the year recital, where every class has a costume that we purchase from a costume company, our Holiday Show is slightly different. We may order some new costumes; we may use costumes we already have in stock; we may try to reuse some of last year’s recital costumes; and/or we may borrow costumes from other schools. Some of our routines are more theatrical in nature and will have costumes that the students create themselves (examples: in one number the students will wear their own mittens, snow jackets, and scarves; in another number the students will wear anything white; in another anything green, white, and red). Although the staff has had lengthy discussions on this topic, we can’t make a final decision on costumes until we get your confirmation letters back and obtain a final count of who is participating in the show.
MOST of the Holiday Show costumes are borrowed from the studio and must be returned on the day of the performances.
Tights and Shoes: You may need to buy tights and shoes for the routines you are in; but in most cases you should already be using these items in your regular dance classes.
Letting us Know if you Can Participate
We ask that you let us know of your ability to participate or not participate by Saturday, October 5th, 2019, sooner if possible. Please submit the following ABDA Holiday Show Agreement Google Doc Form along with your performance fee payment. If you are not interested and/or available in participating in our Holiday Show, no worries. You will still learn the fun holiday routine in class, you just won’t actually be performing it.
Injuries and Absences
As stated above, if a student has an illness or injury, they are still expected to attend their classes/rehearsals, unless their illness or injury is grave. Students should try to dance if possible, or maybe walk through the class/rehearsal or at the very least watch the class/rehearsal. If a student is attending, but is, for whatever reason, unable to dance full out (meaning giving it their all) with the group for more than 2 classes/rehearsals, we still have the problem that they are not actually physically rehearsing with their group members. We will be grateful that they are there watching (it shows their dedication and will give them a much better chance of catching up), but we still cannot fully work the dances, see what the dances look like, and we cannot make sure their partners are prepared. Even if they are in attendance, if they are not dancing, we may have to curtail what they do. We sometimes hear a student or parent say, “I’ll be fine for the show, I just can’t practice until then, but I know I can do it.” This position although extremely noble, is sometimes just not fair to the other members of the team, and can be physically dangerous to the student.
If a student has any injury or physical limitation whatsoever, they must notify the staff and let us know the nature of the injury and what limitations the student has, what the doctor said or when their appointments are, and the expected duration of the injury.
Students are still responsible for learning what they missed
If a student misses a class/rehearsal, the student (depending on their age and level) is responsible for learning what they missed before the next class/rehearsal begins. Older students may need to come to the studio to watch a video of the rehearsal (if one is available), or they may need to hook up with another student who has done the same part and learn it from them.
If a student needs to miss a class/rehearsal, they will need to call the studio to see how to best handle the absence and how to learn what they have missed. We try to make a private YouTube video of the choreography that we can email you. If you need this, please do not hesitate to ask for it ☺
Questions
If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us by calling us at 610-325-2003 or emailing us at angelabatesdanceacademy@gmail.com.