Showcases Are Just Around the Corner! Here's What You Need to Know

Are you and your dancer getting excited about Showcases? Because we are!

At Pegasus, showcases are like a big holiday with all of the hardwork and festivities that go with it. Our students put a tremendous amount of work into showcases in their Toronto dance classes, so we strive to make sure that it’s an experience they’ll never forget every single year. 

To our parents, we want to keep you in the loop about everything that’s happening so you can keep your children on track. So, here’s what you need to know about this year’s Pegasus Dance Showcase!

Website

First, we have a new showcase website! pegasusshowcase.ca 

This can be your one-stop-shop for all of the information you’ll need for this year’s Showcase. 

What are Showcases?

Our Pegasus dance showcases are like old fashioned dance recitals—but better! This is an opportunity for your dancers to perform in front of an audience. It’s an amazing learning and life experience that they’ll never forget. 

In the Showcases, your child gets to show off what they’ve learned over their many months of Toronto dance classes. Whether they’re experienced dancers or are part of our younger student groups like our early childhood education programs, the showcase is the biggest event of the year. 

Think of it this way; if you’re a sports fan, showcases are similar to a big game! It’s the culmination of all the hard work they’ve invested in their craft. They put together all aspects of dance, including choreography, makeup, costumes, hair, rehearsal, and live performance. 

To learn more about what showcases are and what they mean to the students, click here. 

Important Dates

Every year, we are stunned by how quickly showcases can sneak up on us. One minute, it’s the beginning of the year, the next, your kids are on stage! 

Here are some of the important dates that you want to put down in your calendar for 2020.

May 2nd-7th, 2020
Picture Week and Final Costume Fitting
This week is an essential part of getting ready. We want to capture how great everyone looks in their costumes and, of course, we want to make sure that everyone looks professional on stage, so final costume fittings are a must. 

May 31st, 2020
Junior Showcases
If you have a student in any of our Junior classes, then their showcase will be held on May 31st. 

June 6th to 7th, 2020
Senior Showcases
As we have many more senior-level classes, we will be holding their showcases over two days, June 6th and 7th.

Planning and Preparing

A lot of planning goes into showcases, and not just for your kids or for the Pegasus staff. You as a parent also play a part too!

Be sure that your dancer is taking care of themselves in the days leading up to the show. That includes managing rehearsals with other schoolwork and priorities as well as eating balanced meals, drinking enough water, and getting enough sleep. 

Please also ensure that your family is not missing class and rehearsal times unless absolutely necessary. Every child is needed as part of the team effort to put on a great show. 

Please also help your child to have their costume and accessories ready for the big day. Here’s a post all about packing for the big day. 

You can also help get the word out to your family and friends who would like to come and enjoy what your kid(s) are working so hard towards. Let them know how to get tickets as well as when and where the showcase is being held. 
​
Practicing At-Home 

We will be practicing the showcase choreography every week in our Toronto dance classes and we also encourage some practice at home. 

As a parent, you can actively encourage this. Don’t worry if they forget steps; the choreography may feel out of context when they aren’t dancing alongside their fellow dancers. However, a certain amount of effort outside of class time to go through the material will really help solidify the material in your child’s mind and muscle memory. 

One of the best things your family can do is become intimately familiar with the music. Maybe play it in the car while you drive them back and forth to practice or in the kitchen while the family is cooking dinner. The better they know the music, the more musicality they will be able to put into their dancing. 

You can find more helpful information about practicing at home here. 

Costume Care

Once your dancer gets their showcase costume, they will be understandably excited! But before they get carried away, there are specific costume care instructions that you’ll need to follow. 

These costumes can’t be treated like regular clothes, as they aren’t made with the same daily wear and tear in mind. That means no playtime or eating while wearing their costume. Find a safe place to keep the costume, perhaps inside a garment bag, and make sure it’s ready to go the night of the performance. Check the night before to see if it’s wrinkled. If so, let it rest outside of the garment bag or if you have a clothes steamer, steaming would be a great option too. 

Click here for more helpful instructions about costume care. 

Expectations for Little Ones

These dance showcases are not just for our experienced, older dancers. We also hold showcase for our younger dancers. That said, it’s a good idea to work on managing your child’s expectations. 

Your little ones might be incredibly nervous about dancing in front of an audience and that’s completely normal. It’s a lot of people! They might feel strong emotions that they don’t know quite how to process, which can result in tears. If so, show them nothing but support, and we don’t advise that you try to force them onstage. That can damage their enjoyment of dance for years to come. 

They (and you) need to know that their dancing does not need to be perfect. In fact, that isn’t what we teach. Success comes in many forms, and we measure the success of our younger dancers by the fun they have and the work they put into it. That’s what really matters.

If you’d like some more thoughts about how to talk with your little ones about their upcoming showcase, you can find some extra tips here. 

Showcases are a time of celebration here, and we can already feel the excitement building in our classes! We can’t wait to welcome the Danforth, Leslieville, or Beaches communities to watch our Pegasus students perform. If you have any questions we invite you to contact us today. We look forward to seeing you on stage or in the audience!