May/June newsletter, schedule, t shirt designs

Hello All. Here is the May/June newsletter that we sent home with your child last week. It is the Holy Grail of newsletters and was highlighted just for your child. Please take a few minutes to read it and make sure you understand the schedule for recital week (class pictures, mandatory rehearsals, dress rehearsals) leading up to the performances.  There is so much information and instructions that I will be doing a video tutorial for each show on the Dancestation Facebook page this week.  I will go over the more confusing parts, and hopefully explain everything so things are clearer. To make that week go smoothly, we want to make sure we are all on the same page.  Tuesday will be a video for Once Upon a Time dancers (3/4 yrs, 5/6yrs and combo classes). Wed will be a video for Cinderella Ballet/jazz/tap modern levels 2-7. Thur will be a video for Int/Adv Cinderella dancers and also SSDC kids. Below are the t-shirt designs. They are not mandatory, but the kids love them and will usually wear them all summer. The order form for tshirts, tickets, Dvds, and tights is in your recital packet – it is due back next week. Summer sign up sheets are in the lobby!!!!

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DanceStation News: May/June 2021

Announcements/Reminders:  Lots and lots of information—PLEASE READ and then READ IT AGAIN!!!! And try to hold on to this newsletter – it is highlighted just for your child!

 

We are allowed 100 people in the audience per show this year – I know we were hoping for more, but we are happy to be allowed double what we were last year. Therefore, we will do 11 mini-shows with two classes in each performance.  This will allow each family to purchase up to 6 tickets per dancer (they will be seat reservations like last year, no physical tickets).  The shows will feel more like a ‘real recital’ with two classes dancing, and my older dancers will also be performing some of our State Street Dance Company pieces in each show as well. We will reduce ticket prices to $10 per seat again, because it is not a full performance quite yet, with the exception being both Int/Adv Ballet performances on Saturday. These are both two-hour performances. So those tickets will be $15, like the SSDC show earlier in the year. The first round of seat reservations, for up to 6 seats per dancer, will be due with your recital order form the week of May 10th.  If you do not need 6 seats, you can reserve less. The 2^nd round of seat reservations will begin May 17^th. Anyone needing more than 6 tickets can ask for more at that time, depending on how many families did not use their full allotment of 6 seats per child.  There are no ticket refunds, with one exception… if your dancer ends up being quarantined and unable to perform. WE REALLY HOPE THAT DOESN’T HAPPEN!  Remember to be extra cautious the two weeks running up to the show, so that your child can perform!

 

In order to give your dancer a real recital experience, DanceStation needs to rent the auditorium, dressing rooms, lights, music equipment, lighting staff and technicians for 4 days and evenings to perform 11 shows. This is what your tickets are helping pay for.  Give your teachers a big thank you; because this is a long week for them!!!  For each performance, arrive 15 min early and bring your dancer dressed in their ballet costume ready to go with hair and makeup done. We will start each show exactly on time, and end on time, so that we can clean the dressing rooms and the audience in between each show – per Hett rules.  If you always run late, please be early. WE WILL START WITHOUT YOU.  We have to be expedient this year. ☹  Sorry!!!

 

**Audience members will be required to wear a mask upon entering the Hett and will need to keep it on throughout the performance. Dancers will wear masks backstage and will remove them before they enter the stage to dance. We are guests at the Hett and these are their rules if we want to use their space. If you know someone in your party will not want to wear a mask, they will not be allowed in.  Know this ahead of time to prevent conflict.**

 

Picture Day is Sunday, May 30th.  Class picture times will run from 9am – 6:30pm here at the studio. We would appreciate it very much if you would show up for the group pictures, even if you choose not to buy any. After each group picture, we also offer you time for individual pictures. The picture schedule is on the back of the order form attached to this newsletter.  Dancers will take their masks off for pictures, of course. Parents can come inside with a mask on to accompany their child.

 

1. Seat reservations are $10 per seat for all shows. Exception: Sat 3:30pm and 6:45pm are $15. If you have 2 dancers, they will most likely be in two different shows. You will receive one free ticket to the show of your choice.

 

2. Parents/guardians will need to pay for the 5^th/June installment before your child dances in their performance. The final installment of tuition will be due by Wed. June 2^nd. Once the recitals are over, families take vacations, and it can be difficult to track down missing payments. Most common June question:  Why are you paying for a full month?  It is because tuition is calculated by the semester, not the month, and then broken down into five equal payments for your convenience.  There are the same number of weeks in both semesters.

 

3. Recital Order forms. The first round of ticket/seat reservations will be due the week of May 10th. You will reserve them on the recital order form, pay by check, cash or Paypal (add $3 fee), and return the form and payment to your child’s ballet class that week. The 2^nd round of tickets will be the week of May 17^th.  I will post on the app if there are extra tickets to purchase after the first round, per show, in case you need more. Recital t-shirts are $20 for Once Upon a Time and $22 for Cinderella. I will post the t-shirt designs for each show on the app.  These are optional, but fun to have!  We will be putting together Once Upon a Time and Cinderella on the DVD much like we did last recital, so it will still flow as a story. You may purchase a regular or BluRay DVD of the recital, which will include all dances in each show. We also have a photographer taking pictures at the dress rehearsals and backstage at the shows for a slide show/memory cd that is available. You will not be able to video tape or take pictures at the recitals, so this is a popular option. Tights can be ordered through the studio for $10 each. Dancers will need pink tights for ballet and tan tights for tap/jazz/modern/Broadway dances. You can get tights on your own, but no shiny tights please.  All pre/k and combo classes need pink and tan tights. We cannot do our annual bake sale or flower orders yet this year. We are hoping those will be back by Nutcracker season in December.

 

4. Sign-up sheets for our summer sessions/camps will be in the waiting room starting in May. We have some fun classes, the very popular kid’s camp (Sock Hop Theme), a Disney Pre-k and Kinder-camp, and many guest teachers this summer. Please sign up by the end of May so we can have enrollment numbers for each session!

                                                                                        

Most costumes and instructions are being sent home later in May, but costumes cannot be sent home until the balance is paid.   Recital week is often confusing for new families. Please call, email, or come find me with any questions.  J  Have a wonderful month – see you at the recital!!! Thanks, Elizabeth

 

 

**SSDC 2021-22 Auditions – Fri May 21^st 5-6:30pm**

SSDC is our student based pre-professional company that is open to all students in Ballet 5 and up. We rehearse on Wednesday evenings and some Saturday afternoons from September – mid December. All company members will rehearse in the evenings the week before regular dance classes begin as part of their choreography week to learn pieces for the Nutcracker. We also ask members to take the DanceStation Intensive held at the end of beginning of August.  ALL SSDC members will have an extra dance in the Nutcracker next year – all pre/k, combo, and ballet classes will perform in one Nutcracker dance.  For the SSDC audition:  students should wear pink full-footed tights, a black leotard, and have their hair in a bun. The audition will consist of ballet and jazz combinations.  If you have any questions, please ask Elizabeth or a current SSDC member and we would be happy to tell you more. J

Here is the schedule for the busy recital week! There are no regular classes this week – just big rehearsals and dress rehearsals here at the studio and at the Hettenhausen Center for Arts located in Lebanon, IL at McKendree University.

 

Mon. May 31^st – at the studio           4:30-5:15pm – Bway jr Tues class

                                                            5:30—6:15pm – Bway Jr Mon class

                                                            6:30-9pm – dress rehearsal Int/Adv Ballet-Cinderella

 

Tues. June 1^st – at the studio: not a dress rehearsal – wear regular dance clothes and shoes

        (we tried to stagger the times a bit for parking and pick-up ease)

4:30-5:10pm – Jenny F Tues 3/4 yrs and Jenny F Mon combo 1A

                        5:20-6pm – Jenny B Thur 3/4 yrs and Jenny B Thur combo 1C       

                        6:10-6:50pm – Jenny F Tues 5/6 yrs and Jenny B Wed 5/6 yrs

                        7-7:40 – Monica Mon 5/6 yrs and Jenny B Thur 5/6 yrs       

                        7:45-8:30pm – Tues Jenny B combo 1B      

 

Wed. June 2^nd – at the HETT

     12-4pm Dress Rehearsal – Int and Adv Tap, Int Modern Tues, Int Modern Wed, Adv Modern, Jazz 7, Int Jazz, Adv Jazz, Int and Adv Broadway

    5:30-6:15pm Performance – Goldilocks Tues 5-5:45 and 9 Princesses Mon 5:15-6:30 classes

    7-7:45pm Performance – Mice Thur 5-5:45 and Aurora Thur 7-8:15 classes

 

Thur. June 3^rd – at the HETT

 11:30am-1:30pm Dress Rehearsal – Ballet 2-4, tap 2-4, jazz 2-4, modern 1 and 2, and Broadway level 2-4 (One parent allowed in audience per child, or drop off is completely fine. All 5 teachers, and many of my company SSDC dancers will be there to help.  Arrive in ballet costume with hair and make-up done – we will change in the dressing rooms into other costumes as we go)

    1:45-4pm Dress Rehearsal – Ballet 5, 6, and 7, pointe 1, pointe 2, tap 5 and 6, jazz 5 and 6,

     modern 3/4, and Broadway level 5-6. (One parent allowed in audience per child, or drop off is completely fine. All 5 teachers, and many of my company SSDC dancers will be there to help.  Arrive in ballet costume with hair and make-up done – we will change in the dressing rooms into other costumes as we go)

5:30-6:15pm Performance – Alice in Wond. Tues 6-6:45 and Snow White Wed 5:30-6:15 classes

7-7:45pm Performance – Little Red Riding Mon 6-6:50 and Rapunzel Thur 6-6:45 classes

 

Fri June 4^th – at the HETT

   12-3:30 Dress Rehearsal – Int/Adv Ballet Cinderella

5-5:30pm Performance – Combo Tues 4:30-5:45 Aladdin and Jasmine class

6:15-7:15pm Performance – Ballet 2 Mon class and Ballet 3

8-9pm Performance – Ballet 2 Wed class and Ballet 4 (all jazz/tap/modern/bway also)

 

Sat June 5^th – at the HETT

   11am-12:15pm Performance – Ballet 5 and 6 (all pointe/jazz/tap/modern/bway also)

    1-2:15pm Performance – Ballet 6 and Ballet 7 (all pointe/jazz/tap/modern/bway also)

    3:30-5:30pm Performance – Int/Adv 1 and 2 Ballet (all pointe/jazz/tap/modern/bway also)

    6:45-8:45pm Performance – Int/Adv 1 and 2 Ballet (all pointe/jazz/tap/modern/bway also)

 

Picture times for Sunday, May 30^th

9am – Goldilocks Tues 5-5:45pm class

9:30am – Cinderella’s mice – Thur 5-5:45pm class

10am – Little Red Riding Hood – Mon 6-6:50pm class

10:30am – Alice in Wonderland and Rabbit – Tues 6-6:45pm class

11am – Snow White – Wed 5:30-6:15pm class

11:30am – Rapunzel – Thur 6-6:45pm class

12pm – 9 princesses – Mon 5:15-6:30pm class

12:30pm – Jasmine and Aladdin – Tues 4:30-5:45pm class

1pm – Aurora – Thur 7-8:15pm class

1:30pm – Ballet 2 – Monday – Coachmen

2pm – Ballet 2 – Wed – Orange dancers

2:30pm – Ballet 3 – Bluebirds

3pm – Ballet 4 – Dress makers

3:30pm – Ballet 5 – Fairy Godchildren

4pm – Ballet 6 – Harlequin dancers and Jester

4:30pm – Ballet 7 – Maidens from foreign lands

5pm – Int Ballet – Midnights stars

5:30-6:30pm Adv Ballet – Court dancers, Prince Charming, Seniors