Recital Season

Dance recital season is here!!!!!  This is the first year in about 10 that I have attended a recital somewhere other than at my old studio..  I didn't know what you expect because every studio handles their recitals differently.   I was more involved in the old studio, but this time I was attending Integrity's recital just as a parent.  

Recitals are to celebrate the hard work that students put in all year and to watch your kid, no matter what level, dance on the stage.   We are proud parents no matter if our child is 3 and spends the whole time starting at the audience or if they are 17 and this is going to be their final recital.   As a parent of a competitive dancer, I get to see my kid on stage more than the average parent.  Most parents only get to see their students take the stage once or twice a year.

Recital is a HUGE production.... there are students to coordinate, lighting to work out, dvds, flowers, etc etc etc.... A ton of work goes into a recital.  

I was very impressed with Integrity's  recital.   First of all they run their rehearsal the night before the first show.   The teachers were all very professional about staging and lighting.   The lighting they choose showcased the pieces well.   Sometimes I wish that it would be just the bright lights, but sometimes the lighting really highlights the piece and makes a big difference in the performance. My kid was allowed to keep her costumes there for the show the next two days.  I didn't have to lug them back and forth.   Loved that!

I knew that I had moved my dancer to a studio with a strong ballet presence... what I didn't know was how strong.  I counted no fewer than 13 ballet numbers in the recital.   I know.. some of you are thinking...... SNOOZE FEST.   But it wasn't really.  The choreography and music choices were so varied that it kept the numbers entertaining.    Ballet is the backbone of all dance, and to see all these girls and boys improving their technique through ballet was awesome.  G has been doing pointe since the age of 10, and this was the first time she got to perform it in a recital.     You can tell that Kelly Hill, Margaret Palmer and all the ballet teachers at Integrity are invested in watching their students grow and love ballet.   Sometimes getting them to like ballet is a challenge.   But all the ballet pieces were wonderful!

Besides ballet...there was a lot of varied pieces.... tap, hip hop, adults, more than a handful of boys.. which are often hard to come by in the dance world.   The classes were large enough to keep the numbers entertaining and not so large that they were overwhelming.  The dancers were varied as well.  I did not feel as though I was seeing the same dancers over and over which is often the case at a competitive studio.   Because they run two shows,  their competitive team and performance team ran half of their numbers one night and the other half the next night.  

The show was long... three hours.  It ran really smoothly and there was no extra fluff.   Just dance number after dance number with an intermission in the middle.   The finale was short and sweet with just the right amount of talking.   There was a packed house both nights.  The only time it felt like three hours is when I tried to stand at the end of the evening and my old knees were a little stiff.   

On day two, I volunteered back stage in the holding area.  While there is no perfect way to manage the young dancers, I felt that they were well contained which helped make the show run smoothly.   When I was part of the audience the night before, I had no idea what was going on behind the scenes.  There were a lot of people volunteering to make the night a success.

Maybe my favorite part of the night was the last number of the evening.   A contemporary piece by a creative genius, Hanna Bricston.   It was dramatic, well choreographed, beautifully danced and just amazing.   I took some video of it at rehearsal but nothing compares to seeing it live.  My daughter was fortunate enough to be in that number.   She was challenged by the piece, and I saw her dance with a maturity that I had not seen before.  She's grown a lot this year with her teachers at Integrity and with her choreographer from Infinity, Tess Renaud.  

I couldn't be happier with how this year has ended and with the changes I see in G as a dancer and as a person.  Well done to all my favorite dancers and teachers.  

I love seeing all the pictures from recital season..... friends from all over the country..... keep them coming!