Arabesque
Academy of
Dancing
2011 Christmas Show Handbook
438 Blue
Roaring Brook
Phone: (570) 842-8744
A
Note From The Artistic Director…..
Dear
Parents & Students:
It
is with great pleasure that we welcome your participation in our Christmas
show. As with our end of year recital,
we will strive to have an event in which our dancers can experience the fun and
excitement of performing, as well as shine in front of family and friends. This is a celebration of the
I
have put AS MUCH information in
writing as possible. Some of it is very
detailed, but I want all of us to have thorough reference material as questions
arise.
If
a question arises that is not addressed in this handbook, please call the
studio at 570-842-8744, and we will be happy to answer any questions that you have.
Thank
you for your continued support and cooperation.
Most
Sincerely,
Amy
Belcher
Rehearsal & Recital
Dates & Times
Dress Rehearsal
Friday, December 16th, 2011
5:00PM
Students Must Be Present By 4:30PM
(Costumes Required)
Performance
Saturday, December 17th, 2011
7:00PM
Students Must Be Present By 6:00PM
Rehearsal & Performance Location:
Mellow Theater at
Directions From
·
Follow I-80 West.
·
Merge from I-80 West onto I-380 North towards
·
Follow I-380 to I-81S.
·
Follow I-81S to exit 185, Central Scranton Expressway.
·
This is a long ramp. The ramp will come to a fork. Bear
left, towards downtown
·
Get in the right lane for
·
Follow
·
The 4th traffic light is the corner of
·
Turn left onto
·
Go straight through the first light.
·
The Parking Lot entrance is on
Directions From
·
Follow I-81S to exit 185, Central Scranton Expressway.
·
This is a long ramp. The ramp will come to a fork. Bear
left, towards downtown
·
Get in the right lane for
·
Follow
·
The 4th traffic light is the corner of
·
Turn left onto
·
Go straight through the first light.
Dress Rehearsal
Friday, December 16th,
2011
Check In
– 4:30PM
Rehearsal Begins – 5:00PM
·
Attendance
is MANDATORY for Dancers and Backstage
Volunteers.
·
Location:
Mellow Theater at
·
Dancers
should arrive in full make-up with hair done and costumes on. If your child has costume changes, they will
be done in the dressing areas during the rehearsal. Please leave additional costumes in the
dressing areas.
·
ONLY
Dancers and “Backstage Volunteers” will be permitted backstage & in the
student areas. This is for the safety of
the children.
·
All
students will report to their assigned backstage areas & will remain there
until called upon to line up for their dance(s).
·
Parents
will be asked to take a seat in the auditorium after dropping off their child.
·
Parents
requiring backstage access to assist their child with changing will need a
“backstage pass”. These passes will be
utilized during the Dress Rehearsal so that you are accustomed to our system
for the recital. (Instructions for
obtaining a pass are listed later in the handbook.)
·
Parents
will not be admitted backstage without a pass during the Dress Rehearsal. This is to maintain order and keep the
children organized. If there is a
problem with your child, someone will notify you.
·
The
finale will be performed at the BEGINNING of the Dress Rehearsal.
·
Please
note: It is our goal to run the Dress Rehearsal as close to the length of the
actual performance as possible. Everyone
will be working as hard as possible to make sure the evening runs as quickly
and smoothly as possible. We cannot
make any special arrangements or fill any special request to release anyone’s
child early for any reason, please plan accordingly.
·
Students
are invited to pack a snack and bottle water for backstage. Please keep in mind
they will be in their costumes so you need to pack something that is NOT messy. (For example: No PB&J, chocolate, cheese
puffs, etc.)
·
You may send books, coloring books,
hand held video games, etc. to keep your child busy while they wait. NO MARKERS PLEASE!
·
Photographs and video recording are
welcome at this rehearsal.
Performance
Saturday, December 17th,
2011
Check In
– 6:00PM
Performance Begins – 7:00PM
·
Location:
Mellow Theater at
·
Drop Off Location: Students should enter through the back door near
the parking lot or through the hallway to the right as you come into the main
entrance. Students will not be admitted
into the auditorium, and students will not be permitted to enter through the
auditorium. Parents must proceed to the
main doors of the theater after dropping off their child. Inside access to the theater prior to the
performance will not be allowed.
·
Dancers
should arrive in full make-up with hair done and costumes on. If your child has changes, they will be done
in the dressing rooms during the rehearsal.
Please leave additional costumes in the dressing areas.
·
Students
are invited to pack a snack and bottle water for backstage. Please keep in mind
they will be in their costumes so you need to pack something that is NOT messy. (For example: No PB&J, chocolate, cheese
puffs, etc.)
·
ONLY
Dancers and “Backstage Volunteers” will be permitted backstage & in the
student areas. This is for the safety of
the children.
·
All
students will report to their assigned backstage areas & will remain in
their dressing rooms until called upon to line up for their dance(s).
Important Information
Dress
Rehearsal
Please
make sure that the dancers are ready by the check in time. All dancers should arrive in full costume
with good stage makeup – blush, eye shadow, lipstick, etc. Parents and performers can enter through the
doors marked “Stage Entrance”. These
doors will be facing the parking area in the rear of the school. Parents and performers are also welcome to
enter through the main doors of the theater.
Once inside, proceed down the
hallway to the immediate right and follow the signs. Student waiting areas will be assigned behind
the stage. Parents and other family
members can relax in the auditorium after dropping off their child. Due to a problem with keeping children
together in the past, we will not be allowing the children in the Main
Auditorium during the Dress Rehearsal.
To
make sure everyone is familiar with our “backstage access” rules,
we will be utilizing both the drop off system and backstage passes for the
dress rehearsal. More information is
contained under the “Backstage Procedure” section of this handbook.
In
addition, the dress rehearsal will be running like the actually performance so
we ask that you please allow people to perform their assigned tasks. We are going to try to run through the
rehearsals as quickly as possible so that the children can get home at a
reasonable hour, and so that the dancers with changes have a relative idea of
the amount of time they will have to change.
Everyone will be doing their best to operate in a quick and efficient
manner in order to get your family home.
Please DO NOT ask to remove your child from their assigned area before we
have finished the Dress Rehearsal. It is
important for the children to get used to the length of the show and being with
other students and backstage moms during this time. If there is a problem with your child, we
will notify you.
If
you are bringing additional children to the Dress Rehearsal, we ask that you
please remember that this will be a busy night, and the theater is not a
playground. If your child cannot remain
seated and needs a play area, we ask that you please take them outside the
building so as not to disturb the rehearsal.
Please do not let any children run around unattended!!!!
THERE
IS ABSOLUTELY NO EATING OR DRINKING IN THE AUDITORIUM!!!! Anyone
wishing to eat during the dress rehearsal can do so in the hallway areas or
outside. Water is allowed in the
auditorium, but other drinks are not permitted.
Please make sure that any drink that you send with your child has a lid
to help avoid spills. Also, clear
liquids are best since they will not stain a costume if your child has an
accident.
Performance
Please
make sure that the dancers are ready and present by 6:00PM and immediately
report to their assigned areas. All
dancers should arrive in full costume with good stage makeup – blush, eye
shadow, lipstick, etc. Parents and
performers MUST enter through the doors marked “Stage Entrance”. Students will not be admitted into the
auditorium, and students will not be permitted to enter through the auditorium. Parents must proceed to the main doors of the
theater after dropping off their child.
Inside access to the theater prior to the performance will not be
allowed.
Also,
students in more than 1 class should have their suntan tights on underneath
their pink tights to make costume changing much more efficient. Older students and parents will be available
to assist these girls with their costume change throughout the end of the first
half and during intermission. We have spaced the show so that only older
students have quick changes. This will
help insure that everyone remains seated and relaxed while enjoying their child
on stage. If you should need to get up
to help change your child during the performance, please wait until the end of
a dance number or during intermission to leave and return to your seat. Remember: a “backstage pass” will be required
to get backstage during the performance.
Nervous
Dancers & Moms
Parents
who do not need to change their child are not allowed in the student
areas. These areas are a very hectic
place, and the children get anxious if they see other student’s parents and do
not see their own. Anyone concerned
about how their child will do while waiting backstage can be assured that there
will be plenty to keep them busy throughout the evening. The students are usually lined up, waiting
backstage, or coloring for the majority of the time, and they usually do not
even realize how long they are actually in the theater.
There
will not be access to the stage area during the performance and/or intermission. If you are with your child prior to the
performance or after changing them, you will be asked to leave once they are
lined up to go onto the stage. If your
child is upset, please ask one of the teachers to assist with getting your
child to proceed to the stage. If they
are still having a problem, have someone get Amy and she will make sure that
your child is accompanied to the stage. Once your child is with a teacher, please leave quickly. We understand that this may be difficult, but
if your child sees that you will stay around if they continue to cry, they
usually do not make an attempt to calm down.
Also, if your child is not calming down for you, they usually respond
differently to the teachers and Amy. Even
if they are a little nervous, they usually get themselves together after they
see their teachers ready to help them on the stage.
It
is also perfectly normal to have at least 1 child who will not perform so do
not get exasperated or upset with your child if she does not make it out to
perform. The stage is sometimes a very
scary place even for some of the best and most seasoned dancers. Please remember that performances are only
one day, and your child has had the wonderful opportunity of enjoying dancing
throughout the entire year. If your
child does not dance, one of the staff members will make sure to take them out
at the end of the recital so that your family and friends can see them on the
stage.
Pictures
and Videos
A
professional video tape of the actual performance will distributed to each
family a few weeks after the performance.
The
use of personal video and photography equipment the night of the performance is
prohibited. (This includes cameras in cellular
phones.) Use of this equipment is greatly distracting to the dancers. Additionally, fellow audience members, who
are also trying to see their performer, find it very rude to have people impairing
their view by trying to take photographs and video during the performance. Please let your family members and friends
know of this rule as it will apply to them as well.
Anyone
wishing to take any pictures or use their home video equipment is very welcome
to do so the night of our Dress Rehearsal.
The front rows in the center of the theater will be available
specifically for the purpose of taking photographs. In order to allow everyone an opportunity to
use this area for this purpose, we ask that parents do not remain seated in
this area if you are not video taping or taking photographs. Additionally, the area in front of the stage
will be utilized by staff members to have access to view the rehearsal and work
with the children. Please remember that
all of the staff is working to make the show a success so if someone should get
in the way of your video or photograph, it is not intentional.
Backstage
Procedure
We
will again be utilizing our check-in/check-out system for the children. When dropping off your child, you will be
given a colored index card with your child’s name on it. The color of the card will coordinate with the
area where your child will be waiting.
Your child will not be allowed to leave for the evening until you return
to pick them up and hand off your card with their information. Anyone not returning with a card will not be
allowed to take their child until someone finds Amy to get and official OK to
do so. High school students will not be
part of this system, but they will be required to sign out before they leave.
To
further maintain order and safety, anyone attempting to access to the backstage
area will be required to show a “backstage pass”. This is being done for everyone’s peace of
mind as well as for the safety of our performers. “Backstage Passes” will be in the form of a
wristband, and they will only be issued to those parents who would like to
assist their children with a costume change.
Parents will need to complete and return the attached form to the studio
PRIOR to Dress Rehearsal to obtain a pass. BACKSTAGE
PASSES WILL NOT BE ISSUED TO ANYONE WHO HAS NOT COMPLETED THE FORM PRIOR TO THE
EVENING OF THE PERFORMANCE!!!! All
wristbands will be distributed by our backstage personnel. Wristbands must still be on the wrist to
obtain access backstage – NO EXCEPTIONS!!
At
the end of the show, all students will return to their assigned areas. Access to these areas will be restricted
while the students are returning from the stage. Please
note that even parents with a “backstage pass” will not be admitted backstage
during this time. Since transporting
the children will take us a few minutes after the curtain finally closes, there
will be absolutely no need to rush to get to your child. Also given the hectic nature of this process,
we would ask that only one person per family go to retrieve your child. If you would like to reunite with family and
friends to congratulate your performer, we recommend using the lobby,
auditorium, or hallway area so that we can keep traffic in and out of the
pick-up areas flowing smoothly.
All
performers will be required to remain until the end of the show. Again, this is being done out of safety and
not as an inconvenience. Amy will be the
only person who can give permission for a child to leave the backstage area
before the end of the recital.
Security
personnel will be present to assist with all aspects of this process. Anyone causing a problem will be escorted
from the theater. Maintaining order
backstage and keeping the children safe is very important to the entire
staff. We have put these measures in
place to allow parents, students, and staff members to feel confident that all
of the children are secure during the show.
Miscellaneous
As
stated previously, there is absolutely no flash photography or video recording during
our performance. If you are found to be
doing either, you will be asked to either turn over your camera or leave the
facility.
Please
speak with your child about listening to the adults and remaining properly
behaved during the show. All children
must stay in their assigned area, and there can be no running around between
rooms or through the corridors.
Make
sure to place your child’s name on a piece of masking tape in all costumes and
accessories in case they should get misplaced.
Also, please keep all accessories together in a Ziploc bag with your
child’s name. We do not have extra costumes
or accessories so if a piece is missing, your child will simply have to perform
without it.
Professional
dance tights are made to be worn without underpants. However, if you and/or your child is not comfortable with that, please make sure that your
child’s undergarments are either nude colored or not visible. Remember that even if you cannot see the
undergarments when the child is standing, they might be visible when the
student moves.
All
ballet students will wear PINK ballet slippers.
Ballet slippers should have the
strings double knotted and tucked into the shoes – no bows please!!! All tap shoe ribbons must be double
knotted by an adult.
Please
make sure that all hats and headpieces are securely pinned in place. All ballet students (Age 6 thru 8) should
wear their hair pulled back and preferably in a bun. All Classical Ballet students (Age 9 &
Up) must wear their hair in a bun with all bangs and tendrils pulled back. Tap and jazz students can wear their hair any
way that they are comfortable, but it should be in a fashion so that they can
dance without touching it.
Helpful Tip:
If you have difficulty getting your child’s hair in a bun, the best
approach is to pull it in a ponytail and wrap it into a bun as best you
can. After doing that, take a hair net
and put it over the bun. Grab the
binding at the bottom of the net and twist it around the bun until it is secure.
THEATRE ETIQUETTE
We
want everyone who participates in and attends our recital to thoroughly enjoy
the performance. Below are a few items that, if followed, will greatly enhance
the experience for everyone.
Please
remember this is not an outdoor sporting event or movie. The dancers on stage
can hear and see you; your positive reactions fuel them and negative actions
will affect them as well. The dancers, instructors, and all the volunteers
behind the scenes have worked very hard to create an evening of entertainment
for you. Please show them the respect they deserve.
·
While
applause is appreciated and encouraged, yelling names and other calls to the
dancers is not acceptable.
·
NO flash photography will be allowed during
the recital - only dress rehearsal.
·
You
may NOT videotape the recital performance - only dress rehearsal.
·
All
cell phones, pagers, beepers and other electronic devices must be turned off or
silenced.
·
Please
sit still and keep your feet off the chairs in front of you at all times. As
per fire regulations no one may sit or stand in the aisles nor may children run
around the auditorium. Anyone abusing these rules will be asked to leave the
auditorium immediately and no refund will be given.
·
‘Silence
is Golden’ - talking during a performance is very distracting to people around
you, please refrain.
·
We
love babies, but if they are fussy or crying we ask that you please remove them
from the auditorium as it is distracting for both fellow audience members and
our dancers.
·
Audience members may enter and exit
the auditorium at Intermission -not during the performance. Opening and closing of auditorium doors is
disruptive, we ask audience members to remain seated during performances. If you must leave, please do so between
numbers.
·
Everyone
must have a ticket to enter or re-enter the auditorium.
·
Please
present any flowers or gifts to dancers following the recital. Do not approach the stage at any time.
·
No food or drink inside the
auditorium. This is a rule
of the administration and must be followed.
Anyone not abiding by this rule will be asked to leave the auditorium
and not allowed to return and no refund will be given.
