Recital time! Behind the Scenes

It's the most wonderful time of the year

Nope, I'm not talking about Christmas...I'm talking about our Ballet Recitals!

Our recitals are always a favourite part of the year for our ballerinas and their families.

They are such a great opportunity to showcase what our dancers have been learning. Having the show as a goal to work towards builds teamwork skills and cements relationships with the children in each class. They love dressing up and getting into character, and it's a fantastic opportunity to explore their creativity. Getting up on stage gives our ballerinas a huge boost of confidence, self-esteem, and fosters a love of performing. It's also a great way to give back to our community- it's so rewarding for our friends and families to see their wee stars up on stage!

Of course, behind the scenes, it's a lot of work!

I spend hours and hours getting the songs organised for the show. It starts off with an idea or a theme, then it's time to find the perfect song to go with it. I am often asked how I come up with the choreography- do I watch youtube videos or are they routines I did as a child? Sometimes these things help, but almost all the time it comes from me. When I have the right song, I listen to it over and over, while I get into 'The Zone' and the creative juices start flowing. I have a few moves in mind for the girls to showcase (whether it's a Grand Jete, Echappe or Pirouette) and the rest of the routine must flow together to create a beautiful song that looks great and, more importantly, the girls have fun performing. It needs the right mix of moves they know well (so that they are confident on the stage) and moves that are challenging (to build their self-eseteem as they learn "I CAN DO THIS!") When I think the song is ready, I dance it again and again, to make sure it's perfect and also so my muscles remember it as soon as I hear the music begin. Then it's time to introduce it to the class!

This is when it's so important to be flexible.

After the first time the class has tried out the routine (or sometimes even during the first run through) I need to make changes. Is there a move or step that is too tricky for little feet to keep up with? Is there a lull in the song where the flow isn't quite right? Is there a move that the children really love doing that we should do more of? This is the time to reflect on how the routine went down, make any improvements, and perfect the routine. Of course, with children, nothing is perfect! And most of my ballerinas are so young that it takes a long time to memorise them. That is why with my youngest girls, you will always see me near the front of the stage, somewhere the girls can see me, so that they know they can watch me if they get lost. This time, we are also trialing making videos of the routines and putting them up on our Facebook page so you can practice at home- have you tried them out yet? www.facebook.com/AmeliasBallerinas

Often, there is a theme going along with the songs.

We have two or more classes performing their songs in the show- how can we link them together? Maybe they are both doing songs about princesses, or some characters that belong in the same story. Maybe each group is doing an 'animal' song; we have had ducks, mice, cats, dogs, butterflies, bears, bunnies and more! Maybe it's a the music itself; think Nutcracker suite or songs from Swan Lake. Having a theme makes it really fun when coming up with costumes. Speaking of costumes...

A Costume for Everyone!

All our ballerinas love dressing up in a beautiful costume for their performance. As we are a community group, we don't expect you to have to buy a costume each time we have a show as this is covered in the ballet fees. This does mean the funds are limited but it gives us the chance to be really creative and resourceful! I am a regular shopper at the discount/dollar stores, and since starting Amelia's Ballerinas, I've also taught myself how to sew, a skill that's come in very handy. We try to reuse the costumes each year in different creative ways...my wardrobe at home is FULL of storage containers holding different coloured tutus, animal headbands, and all sorts of props! We also give the children a chance to wear glitter hair spray and a little make up. They LOVE this and it adds to the magic of the day.

A Community Event

The community aspect of Amelia's Ballerinas really shows during recital time. I am the only teacher/worker in Amelia's Ballerinas, so I am very blessed to have a team of volunteers who help out as we near the recitals. We have a wonderful bunch of mums, dads, aunties, and grandmas who help out on the day; setting up seats, doing hair and make-up, making morning tea and serving hot drinks, costumes changes, ushering, taking tickets...the list goes on but I am so happy to say that we have never been short of helpers. We always have an amazing audience come to watch our girls do their thing! It's so great to have so much help as we make this day a special one for our wonderful little ballerinas.

Next Blog post will be some tips for helping your ballerina if she is a bit nervous about performing, as well as a run down on what to expect on the day. Til' then, have a browse through the gallery for some favourite photos from our past recitals!

<3 Miss Amelia