Discouraged: Skiing, snowboarding, horseback riding, ice skating, rollerblading, ATVs—essentially, any high-risk activity that could potentially lead to injury. While this may seem cautious, it's only for a short period to ensure everyone's safety.
Rehearsals
Solo & duet rehearsals commence the first weekend of October.
Your child's consistent attendance is, of course, required to ensure their success.
Dancers should ideally arrive 10 minutes early to warm up on their own in the foyer to maximize time.
Aside from being present & punctual, we need them:
Well-rested: (8-11hrs depending on age) with good sleep hygiene in place
& Nourished: If you need help supporting your artistic athlete’s enhanced needs during training season, Rachel Fine is a fantastic dance nutritionist with a FREE podcast to help you guide your child toward healthy, nourishing eating habits.
Cancellation
For duets: If your child shows up, but your child's partner does not - we still have to count that as an absence as it would require an additional rehearsal to make up for the lost time.
Missing more than two rehearsals per month will require us to make the difficult decision of pulling the solo or duet from the competition. As harsh as that may seem, the competition landscape is harsher, and I don't want to put any dancer in a situation that could jeopardize their physical and mental safety.
Early cancellations: are 24 hours in advance and will NOT be charged.
Late cancellations: are when less than 24 hours’ notice is given. Full payment is required for late cancellations.
For parents with children performing a duet: Please put your early and late cancellations in writing by CC'ing your child's duet partner's parent, your coach & the executive director in an email. Please use the same email thread for all your cancellations & reschedules.
Scheduling
To avoid burnout - Sundays 12-4 &/or Friday evenings 5-6 may be our best times.
My goal is to minimize everyone's waiting time and ensure the girls have a break after 1 hour of dancing.
If there are other times OUTSIDE the regularly designated rehearsal times that work for you and your child, please list those below, just in case.
Parent Sportsmanship & Conduct
Competitions are long, hard, overstimulating marathon days. More often than not - we see costumes, dances, behavior, and music choices that can bristle us. Bring a book, noise-canceling headphones, and earplugs. Remember to take yourself out of the chaos periodically to recharge.
Polite golf claps, pleasant faces, and refraining from whispering (even if it's to compliment a piece) tend to keep tensions at an all-time low.
If an interpersonal issue arises, write the incident down and bring your concerns directly to your coach.
For any other queries about PTB's expectations of your children at competition - you can read up on the studio’s etiquette standards: HERE
For questions, or concerns about training methods, choreography content, or anything else, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your coach or the executive director.
Associated Costs
* Solo Rehearsals: $60/hr
* Duo Rehearsals: $30pp/hr
* Competition Entrance Fee: $500 studio deposit + each solo $155 - each duet = $85/pp)
Hair: A French Twist will be the easiest way to go from ballet to jazz numbers without the added stress of redoing their hair. The weight of this style may (or may not) alter their balance & how their pirouettes feel. This style works best on unwashed hair (3+ days), but if their hair is freshly washed, dry shampoo can help imitate that texture. Here's a quick tutorial: FRENCH TWIST
Nails: If your child is an avid nail polish wearer, have them avoid reds, blues, & purples at least 2 months before the performance. If they feel the need to wear polish for their performance, please have them stick to clear or semi-opaque shades identical to their skin tone.
Makeup: Dancers should aim for the BASIC look modeled HERE. Encourage your dancer to practice 2-3 times at home before the competition.
Dance Bag Checklist: In the dancer's agreement, I have asked your child to prepare their dance bag every night before rehearsal. The goal of this task is to help prepare them for the challenge of preparing & double-checking that their 'Dance Competition Bag' is ready when the time comes.
Costume Care
Please encourage your child to wear their costume as little as possible, excluding tailoring & dress rehearsals. Use a waterproof garment bag to store & transport it.
If your child needs to eat while they're already wearing their costume, a thick, XL button-up shirt can be used as a smock.
Tights: should be brand new and unwashed to avoid any color fades. Have your child try them on once to make sure they're the right size and hang them in the bathroom after a steamy shower to get rid of any packaging creases.
Anytime your child is wearing their new tights - please encourage them to wear socks & full coverage sweats over top. Some fabrics can leave a residue behind on pink tights - don't forget your lint roller just in case.
Parents and dancers have the option of picking out their costume (with pre-approval) or requesting the studio order from a catalogue.
Fundraising
I am here to offer my support through poster designs, printing 8x11, laminating, & event coordinating if needed.
I have loosely secured a performance space for a fundraising performance at Blackcat Pilates at 1030 Lawrence St. The space is FREE for our use if scheduled during off hours in the evening (after 6 pm)
For a fundraising performance, we would need a: GOFUNDME or a canvassing team to secure donations (or both).
In the event you wish to canvas, I've created 4 Google Map Districts, accessible HEREThese districts include local brick-and-mortar businesses that you and your dancer can visit in person, email, or cold call.
Very loose scripts for walk-ins, cold calling, and emailing are available: HERE
Both of these approaches would require social media promotions. I’ve created a calendar for the upcoming year that divides the labor and ramps up the post quantities closer to the completion of the campaign. You can find that: HERE.
For the performance,I would need help finding, unfolding, & transporting 30+ chairs to/from the venues as well as help greeting patrons at the door.
Pooling versus acting as your own agent: This one is complicated. I will leave it in your hands to decide how to handle appropriating funds unless you need counsel.
Lastly, if my ideas are too labor-intensive and you wish to go with another method you’ve had repeat success with - go for it! Please let me know what you decide and if there's anything I can do to support you in your endeavors.
