It is October and Recital Planning has Begun!

Yes, it is only October and recitals are not until the end of the school year. We have 8 full months ahead of us, but the Pegasus staff and faculty have started working full steam on the event.

Here is a behind the scenes look at what goes into planning a recital:

May/June – While still prepping for that season’s recitals, Jane, Lisa and Lia are busy securing the theatre for the following year and setting the dates.

July/August – A bit of rest in these months, but costume work still goes on. From cleaning to proper storage to repairs, the costume upkeep is close to a full time job!

September – Teachers begin discussing ideas for the theme and begin thinking about the recitals.

October – This is where the tricky work begins. We have 8 recitals in total. 4 Junior shows and 4 Senior shows. Jane and Lia spend hours dividing up all the classes into these 8 recitals. It takes us hours because we go through a detailed process: 

Step One: Create balanced shows of ages and dance genres. This first step will take into account any families that have alerted us to a scheduling conflict. So, if you have one NOW is the time to tell us.

Step Two: Move classes around to create a balance of dancers. We do this to create the best backstage environment and prevent overcrowding as well as trying to open up as many tickets to families as possible for each show.

Step Three: Look at each family with multiple children or with dancers who take more than one class. We try to move classes around to different recitals so dancer’s classes are as consolidated as much as possible. This is the hardest step and is like a jigsaw puzzle. We really try to make recitals the most economical and positive experience for everyone!

Step Four: We now start looking at the running order of the show – a new puzzle. We try to make sure we have a small fast change list so dancers have time to breathe between their pieces. However, we are still trying to build the best show possible by balancing out the dance genres and the age groups so you, as the audience, get to see a variety of styles!

November-March – This is the bulk of the work on costuming and choreography. Teachers choose their music and begin to build their pieces outside of class time. Costume discussions begin and sets of costumes are pulled from the storage unit. In January and February teachers begin setting the choreography in class and costume fittings start. Any custom costume orders are placed and alterations begin happening full swing.

April/May – These months are spent finalizing choreography and costume details. We are also getting programmes, music, and the Finale together. Picture Week happens and from then on we are off to the races to make sure all the small details are in place for the shows.

Then we start all over again! Recitals are a lot of work but they are so much fun!!

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