Program Contacts:

Program Chair:

PAM LONG410-836-5257

Instructors:

ALI CHANEY443-504-8651

KATHLEEN EBNER410-893-2979

LISA MION410-688-4760

AMANDA MEEHAN301-512-3491

SHANA O’BRIEN443-834-9315

JENNY VILLANUEVA502-648-5810

WEBSITE:

CLICK ON DANCE ON THE LEFT SIDE

Our big day is fast approaching! Enclosed you will find our master schedule which includes your child’s photo and technical rehearsals times along with any special instructions for their classes. I have highlighted the lines for your child (or children).

Please be sure to mark your calendars for the following:

  • Costume Pick-Up NightFriday, April 5th 5-8PM
  • Photo WeekStartingApril 13th
  • Technical RehearsalsSaturday, May 11th & 18th
  • Dress Rehearsal Friday, May 24th
  • RecitalsSaturday, May 25th1P & 5P

Our team of instructors and many volunteers take great effort in making our recital a terrific show for all of our dancers and their families. There are a lot of details that go into putting on a good performance. To cover all of the bases, there is a lot of information included in this packet. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated for all to run smoothly. Having said that, I need to go over a few specifics with everyone:

  • The instructors and our dancers have worked very hard to prepare for this big event. Everyone coming to the performance is asked to remain for the entire show. Although your child may be finished, the other dancers want to come out and perform to a live audience, not empty chairs.
  • During the recital, the cafeteria is used as our “backstage area” and is located up the steps & at the end of the hall on right. This provides the dancers and our volunteers with plenty of room to spread out, move about and change costumes. When you arrive, Moms or a female relative should take their dancer to the cafeteria where they will be greeted by one of the backstage moms assigned to their class. To keep everything running smoothly, no one will be allowed in the cafeteriaduring the performance or during the intermission. No males are allowed in the cafeteria at any time for obvious reasons.
  • Each class will be assigned backstage moms. These volunteers will be responsible for the dancers in their class. They will keep them under control during their down time, help them with costume changes, bring them downstairs for their performances and help them gather their things at the end. You will have an opportunity to sign up as a backstage mom during costume pick up night.
  • Our usage of C. Milton Wright High School is with the understanding of our respect for the facility. When we leave, all areas should be in the same condition as they were when we arrived. In other words, everyone must clean up after themselves. The school does NOT allow food or drinks in the auditorium and all are asked to follow this rule. Should you inadvertently take something into the auditorium with you, please be sure to take all items with you when you leave. If you drop something in the rest rooms, pick it up. Don’t leave them for someone else to pick up.

The dances for every one of our classes are choreographed for all of the dancers in each class and in some instances, the dancers have partners for portions of their dance pieces. Each dancer is dependent upon the other to know their stage position. It is a group effort and thus, all rehearsals are mandatory.

Now is a good time to begin assembling items your daughter(s) may need for the recital (i.e. bobby pins, extra tights, hair spray, hairnets, lipstick, make-up, etc.) in a cosmetic bag with extras of everything to minimize last minute scrambling.

Back Stage Moms: Each class will need one or two backstage moms to stay with the class in the cafeteria. Backstage moms will be responsible for making sure the dancers (all of them, not just their child) are properly attired for their dances, escort the dancers to and from the backstage hallway and make sure their class’s area in the cafeteria is cleaned up prior to leaving. Each mom will be able to see her daughter’s performance(s). Many of you have already sign up as a back stage mom and we hope to have all assignments completed during Costume Pick Up night. If you have any questions, please contact Debbie Rochowiak, our back stage mom coordinator, at 443-567-6443 or via email at .

Costumes: All costume pieces and shoes should be labeled with your child’s name and should be in a bag or on a hanger. Tutus can be hung upside down on a hanger, by the crotch, to allow the wrinkles to fall out. Hanging the costume in the bathroom during a steamy shower will assist with this as well. Tutus can NOT be ironed! Dancers may bring something to occupy them during the program (i.e. coloring book & crayons, books or a small game). NO MARKERS, PAINTS OR CRAFTS OF ANY KIND. Please NO food or drink while your child is in costume!!!

Costume Pick-Up Night: Friday, April 5th* 5-8PM * Forest Hill Hickory Activities Center

(same building where classes are held but use the door marked Concessions)

During costume pick-up night you will have the opportunity to:

  • Pick up your daughter’s costume(s)
  • Pick up and pay for your recital tickets. A waiting list will be available for additional tickets
  • Pick up photo order forms (also available via our website)
  • Pre-order and pay fora bouquet of flowers for your dancer
  • Sign-up to be a backstage mom
  • Sign up to donate items for our concessions during our recital intermission

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please be sure to bring a form of payment (check or cash) with you for your recital tickets and flower orders.

Our doors will be open from 5-8P (we hope to be wrapping things up by 8P). Please make every effort to attend. If you have a scheduling conflict, please be sure to contact Beth Griffin, our costume coordinator, at 410-638-5203 or to make arrangements to obtain your child’s costume(s). You will also need to reach out to our other coordinators for your recital tickets, flower orders, concession donations, etc. Their contact information is listed under their respective section.

Dancers are asked to bring their costumes with them to the following week’s classes to try on their costumes with their instructors. Also, if your daughter’s ballet class is only ½ hour long, the instructors request that parents please accompany their daughters to their next scheduled class. CountyBallet staff will be joining us to sell items you may need for the show (i.e. hair items, tights, etc). A suggestion for alterations - the dry cleaners located at the corner of 924 & Broadway do a great job, Alicia Fisherfrom County Ballet can be reached at 443-299-9287 and Deanna Pron is a former parent in our program and can be reached at 410-459-9058 or via email at .

Dress Rehearsal: Friday, May 24th * C. Milton Wright High School (see enclosed schedule)

Dancers should arrive 15 minutes early to help insure a timely schedule.

Dress rehearsal is an opportunity for our dancers to practice their dances on stage in full costume and make-up and it’s going to be a little bit different this year. We have organized the classes into groups and each group has been assigned a specific time (please refer to the enclosed schedule). Dancers should arrive in their ballet costumes and be prepared to change costumes as directed. A complete schedule will be posted to our dance website.

Hair & Make-up: All ballet dancers are to have their hair in a bun. All dancers should wear pink or rose lipstick & pink blush. Ballet Levels IV classes and up should wear mascara, brown or mauve eye shadow, base if necessary, and eyebrow pencil to darken eyebrows if necessary. Ballet levels III and below are not required to but may wear mascara and brown or mauve eye shadow. Dancers should not wear blue or green eye shadow. Some classes have specific instructions for hair & make-up. Please refer to the enclosed schedule for those details or consult your child’s instructor.

Do not send makeup in your child’s backpack! It will ruin their costumes if the younger dancers decide to play with it. Your teachers will be happy to teach parents/kids in each class how to do hair and make-up. Putting your child’s hair in a bun when she’s coming to dance class helps to provide excellent practice for recital weekend!

Intermission snacks: Each family is asked to donate an item for our concession tables which will be available during

intermission. Due to our tight schedule and short intermission, we usually ask for small size bottled water and pre-packaged snacks (chips, desserts, etc). Liz Gertz, our concessions coordinator, will be available during our costume pick up night with sign up sheets. In addition, she needs volunteers to help with the concession tables during intermission. If you are interested or have any questions, please contact Liz at 443-567-6802 or .

Photo Week: BeginningApril 13th* Forest Hill Hickory Activities Center Please arrive 15 minutes early

(same building where classes are held but use the door marked Concessions)

Each class has been assigned a specific day and time for their photos (please refer to the enclosed schedule). There will be no dance classes this week. Order forms will be available during costume pick-up night, during photos and is available on our dance website. A separate order form is needed for each class you wish to purchase photos (i.e. one for ballet, one for tap, one for jazz, etc). If possible, please fill it out ahead of time and bring it with you to your scheduled photo time. This will help keep us run more smoothly. Parents are not allowed in where photos are being taken. If you have any questions regarding the schedule, please contact Jane Romm, our photo and video coordinator, at 410-638-6944 or .

Pre-Ordered Flowers: We work with a private florist who does a terrific job. You are able to pre-order flowers for your daughter during costume pick up night and then pick them up in the lobby on the day of the recital. The following bouquets will be offered:

Mixed Bunches:Roses: (red, yellow or pink w/ greens & baby’s breath)

Small Mixed Bunch$10.00One $ 5.00

Medium Mixed Bunch$15.00Three$10.00

Six$20.00

If you would like to place a flower order, please bring your payment with you. Cash or checks made payable to FHRC only. A limited number of bouquets will be on sale during the recital – it’s best to pre-order. Should you have any questions, please contact Dana Vaughan, our floral coordinator, at 410-692-2691 or at .

Recital: Saturday, May 25th * C. Milton Wright High School

1PM show12P arrival time

5P show4P arrival time

Lines at the entrances to the auditorium form quickly so,be sure to allow time to pick up your pre-ordered flowers before the show begins. The program will provide bottled water and pretzels will be supplied by the back stage moms. If your child will be performing in both shows, please be sure to send something with them to eat in between performances.

If your child is performing in both shows, please be sure to send a lunch/snack (non-messy) with them to eat in between.

Recital Dismissal Policy: Colored bracelets will be given out to parents of children in our Pre-ballet, Beginner ballet classes as well as classes numbered 1-3. When you bring your child up to the cafeteria (remember only women are allowed), you will be given a colored bracelet. Different colors represent different age groups. Parents of dancers in groups #4 and up will not be given a bracelet. The bracelets will be on the tables and given to parents by the back stage moms.

When the show is over, everyone will need to remain in the lobby until we confirm that all of the dancers have gotten back into the cafeteria. Once this is confirmed, parents (again only women allowed) will be able to come up the stairs. Those with a braceletwill line up near the colored signs matching their bracelet. Signs will be posted on the walls. Parents without bracelets should line up behind those with the bracelets. You will then be called in, one color at a time, to retrieve your child and their belongings. Once all dancers whose parents were given a colored bracelet have been dismissed, we will then have parents without bracelets to come in to get their children.

We understand that everyone wants to get their child and head out. With over 180 dancers in the performance I’m sure you can imagine how difficult a crowd of 180+ parents trying to get into the cafeteria can be to manage. For your child’s safety and to allow for an orderly dismissal, we ask for everyone’s cooperation and patience in this process.

Recital Tickets: Parents are asked to come prepared to costume pick night knowing the number of tickets they need for each show. Each dancer is allotted 6 tickets to start and this amount of tickets will be held for each dancer until April 19th. After this date all available tickets are released and made available to those in need of additional tickets. During costume pick up night, Diane will have a waiting list that you can be added to if you are in need of additional tickets. Tickets are $8 each. Please bring your payment with you to costume pick up night. Cash or checks made payable to FHRC are accepted. Should you have any questions, please contact Diane at 410-836-7539 or at .

Shoes & Tights: Unless otherwise specified on the enclosed schedule,

  • Ballet classes will wear pink tights & pink ballet shoes (not slippers)
  • Tap classes will wear tan tights & their black tap shoes
  • Jazz classes will wear tan tights & their black jazz shoes
  • Hip Hop classes will wear black jazz shoes
  • Modern classes will be barefoot

Many of the dancers find it helpful to wear a tan leotard (with the clear plastic straps) underneath their costumes. This makes costume changes much easier. The tan leotard is not to be seen while in costume. This may not work for some costumes in which case the leotard will need to be taken off.

Technical Rehearsals: Saturday, May 11th & 18th* C. Milton Wright High School (see enclosed schedule)

Dancers should arrive 15 minutes early to help insure a timely schedule.

Each class will have 15 minutes to run through their piece on stage and has been assigned a specific time for each of their classes (please see the enclosed schedule). Dancers should wear their black leotards & pink tights for this rehearsal just as they do for their dance classes. The times listed on the schedule are the stage times so, please arrive early as requested to help keep us running smoothly.

Theater Etiquette: Out of consideration for others, we kindly request that children 3 and under be left at home. If it is necessary to bring a young child and they become restless, please remove them from the theater. The back doors of the auditorium must remain closed during the show; please remember to exit through the side doors of the theater.

Videotaping and Photography by Parents: A videographer has been hired to video the recital and you will be able to pre-purchase copies during the show. A DVD order form is available via our website. They accept cash, check or credit card.

Parents are welcome to videotape and photograph their child at dress rehearsal. However, for the safety of our dancers and out of consideration for others in the auditorium, no flash photography or videotaping will be permitted during the recitals. Sadly one year, a parent taking a picture or video stood up and got in the way of our videographer’s filming. His head is now a part of our DVD of that show. People found using flash photography or video equipment during the recitals will be asked to leave the theater and will not be permitted back in with their equipment.