Simple Solution to Multiple Recitals
By Charlotte Klein

Advance planning keeps families happy.

I have never finished a recital week without saying that next year I could do x, y, or z better. After more than 53 years in the dance education business, I still feel that there is much to learn. Since costume catalogs begin to arrive as early as August, recital planning can take place early in the season. Advanced planning is the key to successful dress rehearsals and performances and satisfied customers. Those plans can include attention to your clients’ needs.

I present four annual recitals, two from each of my studio locations—afternoon and evening performances on Saturday and late morning and afternoon shows on Sunday. My philosophy is to provide my customers with service that has a personal touch, and it extends to recital programming. As a courtesy to my clients, I try to include all the children in one family in the same recital. If that sounds like a logistical nightmare to you, try this method I’ve been using for years.

After the students have been placed in their classes in the fall, I print out an alphabetical list of all families and their children’s classes. Cross-referencing that list to one that includes all of the recital classes at each of the two studio locations, I determine in which recital each class will perform. (The highest six levels from each of my dance centers perform in both recitals.)

The rule of thumb I use is as follows:

• All Monday, Friday, and Saturday classes from the main studio perform in the Saturday night recital, with the exception of the youngest preschool classes, who perform Sunday afternoon. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday classes perform on Sunday afternoon.

• Both of the recitals for my second studio location are in the daytime, so all Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday classes perform on Saturday and all Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday classes perform on Sunday.

Parents often choose classes at registration time based on the performance schedule so that their children will perform in the same recital.

Next I make a list of the classes that will perform in only one recital. I then go my master list of students and their classes and check for families whose children are not in the same recital. Since I have duplicate classes in almost all of the levels below the upper six levels (which perform in both recitals), I give the parents the option of changing their children’s classes so that they will perform all of their dances in at least one of the recitals. Although this procedure is time consuming for me initially, parents are so grateful when their children perform in the same recital. If this is not possible, I give the parents two complimentary tickets to the recital of their choice. (I also give tickets to any student whose classes are not all in the same recital).

This system applies to the dress rehearsals as well. The dancers who perform in one recital rehearse their numbers during the first hour (4:00 to 5:00 p.m.) of the dress rehearsal. Then at 5:15 we run through the entire second recital program in order. That saves time because the students who are in both recitals rehearse their numbers only once. (I run a piece twice only if there was a problem.) I repeat this procedure the next day for my second studio. This allows every dance in both recitals to be rehearsed at least once on the same day and avoids lengthy dress rehearsals.

Being considerate of parents who have more than one child enrolled in the studio, those with children in multiple weekly classes, and those with very young children makes the recital experience more enjoyable for everyone. Perhaps most important, it keeps families coming back year after year. And satisfied customers are your best advertisement.

 RE012 ©2006, Rhee Gold Co. All rights reserved.