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Dear Parents and Dancers, Welcome to Providence Creek Academy Ballet Theater! I am very excited to begin a new school year. I want to give you an overview of the program so that you know what to expect. Please complete and return 2008/2009 registration packet and return it during the Parent Meeting. There will be a ballet parent meeting on Tuesday, September 9, 2009 at 5:30pm in the cafeteria. All registration forms, registration fees, and September fees are due on this day. This is the first year that we will have a PCABT Handbook. I will review the handbook at this meeting and point out any changes from last year’s policies. I will also briefly discuss sponsorship information, our new studio, our new faculty member, and the calendars. Dancers do not need to attend this meeting. On class days (if your child has class immediately after school), dancers will meet in the dance studio immediately following dismissal. After checking in, dancers will change into leotards and tights in the cafeteria bathrooms. If you are unable to be there to dress your dancer and your dancer is unable to dress him/herself, I recommend that your dancer wear appropriate dance attire under his/her uniform. I cannot help to dress the dancers. The students need to come to school with their hair in a bun. There will be a bun lesson at the parents meeting. To put a bun in that will stay in all day,you will need a thick elastic pony tail holder, bobby pins or hair pins (hair pins work for most hair, bobby pins work well for very thin and very short hair), and a hair net. If your child has bangs, clips and hairspray work well to get them off of your child’s face. Dancers who do not have the proper attire or do not have their hair in a bun will be asked to observe class. This rule will be enforced. All classes missed because students do not have proper attire and/or hair in a bun will need to be made up at a later date. Students who do not have class immediately after school need to come to the studio doors ready for class. These students need to be outside the doors 10 minutes before the start of class to ensure that class begins at the scheduled time. When the previous class is over, students may walk into the studio. Parents should wait with their dancers in the hallway until the start of class. A teacher teaching a class in the studio may not know the dancer is there, and the dancer is not permitted in the studio until the start of class. Parents need to come into the studio to sign their children out in the sign out book at the studio at the conclusion of class, not at the start of class. Dancers will not be released into the hallway without a parent present. Also, this year, the front doors will lock automatically at the conclusion of the last class. We will be able to get out, but after 8:00pm or 8:15pm (when the last class is finished), the doors will lock. Please make every effort to arrive a few minutes early to pick up your child. Ballet classes will focus on basic ballet technique. In all Pre Ballet and Ballet levels, will always begin at the barre, then move into the center for some stretching, do some work in the center, then finish with some work across the floor. Preschool classes will work in the center. Dancers who have been dancing for at least one year will also take a thirty minute tap class. The students will learn basic tap technique. All students (of the appropriate levels) will take both ballet and tap classes. I realize that parents are eager to see what the dancers are learning in class, however, I do not permit parents to watch class. I have found that students focus better when parents are not there. We will have an open house in the fall so that parents may observe class. This is not a performance, but an opportunity to watch class. Please save the aunt/uncle, grandma/grandpa invitations for the Spring Concert when the dancers are better prepared to perform. I look forward to seeing you at the parent meeting. Please complete and return the registration packet. Dancers will not be permitted to attend class without the completion of the registration packet. If you have any questions, my e-mail is LCreasy@pca.k12.de.us, you can call me at school, or you can reach me on my cell phone (717)497-1000 or my house phone (302)223-6424. Thank you so much for your support. I look forward to a new and exciting year! Miss Creasy Shows: A Parent’s Guide PCABT performs in three shows annually. Students in Pre Ballet 2, through Ballet 3 perform in PCA’s Winter Concert in December. Students in Pre Ballet3 through Ballet 3 perform a storybook ballet. All students participate in the Spring Performance at the end of May. Rehearsals will either be located in the studio or PCA’s auditorium in the week prior to the show. The schedule for the week prior to each show will include a full run through, a technical rehearsal for lighting and sound, and a dress rehearsal. Students cast in a part for the storybook ballet in the spring may also participate in educational school performances that take place during the school day. All dancers missing school for a performance will be given a letter that requests the school performance be an excused educational day from school. Costumes, Make-up and Accessories PCABT provides all costumes for the spring storybook ballet and the Winter Concert. Parents are asked to provide shoes, tights, skin colored body stockings (nudies), and hair supplies. The costume maintenance fee is included in monthly tuition for Pre Ballet 2 through Ballet 3. What to expect We are very fortunate that most dance parents have been through many shows before. Please rely on these parents to be the go-to people for some of the questions and frustrations that new parents will have. Some parents are new to the world of dance and many times do not understand what is going on or why the rehearsals take so long. Why aren’t rehearsals always finished on time during show week? It is difficult to predict how long it will take for the dancers to be ready for a show. Sometimes practices are longer due to the fact that the dancers need more practice. Dancers need to be comfortable with the dances, therefore, if they do the dance, and there are major things wrong with it, they need to be fixed immediately and try the dance again. There is no way of knowing how many times this will happen. That is up to the dancers. What is technical rehearsal and why does it take so long? Technical rehearsal is a time to make sure that the markings are on the stage, the dancers are familiar with entering and exiting the stage, and the dancers are comfortable on stage. Technical rehearsal takes a long time because the stage needs to be spiked. Spiking the floor requires measuring the stage and placing different colored tape on the stage. There are three white marks that are always on the stage. One marks the center of the stage, and the other two marks show where the quarters of the stage lie. Then, when dealing with young children, they must get on stage and show their beginning pose. Each child’s spot is carefully measured and each child gets a piece of tape to stand on. Every time the children change places on stage, new marks must be set. These marks serve as a road map for the dancers and tell them where to go. As the dancers mature, they will learn to use the center and quarter lines as well as each other when finding their spots on stage. Spiking the stage is probably the most difficult part of dress rehearsal. The dancers then practice their dances using the floor tape. After the dances have been practiced, the dancers need to learn how to enter and exit the stage. The dressers also need to learn how to get the dancers on and off and any fast changes are practiced. Finally, the dancers do a walk-through in which they do not dance, but “run” through the show without the steps by getting on stage, to their spots, and off stage.What can I expect at dress rehearsal? Dress rehearsal is not nearly as tedious as technical rehearsal. During dress rehearsal, the dancers run through the show as though it were the real thing. They must change into their costumes and practice being calm in the dressing room. After the run through of the show is over, the dancers re-do parts that did not work. What will my dancer have to do the day of the show? The day of the show, the dancers will each practice their dances two times in regular dance clothes. I want them to be ready for the show, but not tired. Older students (Pre Ballet 2 and up) will have a warm up class before the show before rehearsal (necessary to prevent injury). Pre Ballet 1 levels will dress for the show upon arrival. What goes into planning all of this? A lot goes into planning a show like this. Here is a brief list of the things that have to be done in order to have a show like this: tickets and programs need to be made, people need to be ready to pass out programs and sell tickets, food for the reception needs to be arranged, gathered, and set up, food needs to be arranged for the dancers, the facility needs to be set up, the stage needs to be set up with decorations, the dressers need to know what to do, someone needs to make sure there are enough hair pins, and hair nets, etc., someone needs to sew the costume straps together, the costumes need to be fitted, ordered, and tried on, headpieces need to be made, parents need to be informed of rehearsals and schedule changes, rehearsals and facilities for rehearsals need to be arranged, the photographer needs to be scheduled, the vidographer needs to be scheduled, and the dancers need to know what they are doing. Please tell Mrs. Turner things that are important during the show. Why is it so important that my child attends every practice? Finally, it is very important for each dancer to be at each rehearsal for the entire time. When one child is missing, it makes things difficult for all of the dancers, and it simply isn’t fair. In order to be in the show, the dancer must be there for all of technical AND dress rehearsal. Rehearsal information
Any dancer who does not attend all rehearsals during show week will not be in the show. Special exceptions may be made for illness. Food for rehearsals:
Supplies
Makeup Makeup will be provided to all dancers. Please do not send your child with makeup of any kind. Glitter on a child’s skin or hair is not permitted. Jewelry Students in Pre Ballet 3 through Ballet 3 may wear one pair of rhinestone stud earrings in the Winter Concert and Spring Performance. No other jewelry may be worn. No eyeglasses or hair scrunchies may be worn on stage. Extras
Lost and Found For all shows, dancers are given a designated area to dress in. Dancers should stake a claim to one spot in their area that they can call their own. Each dancer is responsible for his/her belongings. To avoid misplacing items, dancers should keep their personal items inside their duffle bags when not in use. Parents may also want to label items with their dancer’s name. It is a good idea to ask your dancer to show you BOTH shoes in EACH pair prior to leaving the studio or dressing areas after each rehearsal and performance. PCABT Parent Parents should block out the week before all shows on their calendars at the beginning of the dance season. Do not plan on getting much else accomplished during this week other than your normal activities and show preparation. Ways for Parents to Prepare for a Show
Show Volunteer Opportunities In order for all shows to be a success, we need help! Here are the committees needed for the shows as well as a brief job description.
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