“Not Your Typical Dance Recital!”
Spring has officially arrived… we’ve been dancing through a social-distancing pandemic! (What rockstars our students are!) But, what does this mean for our Spring Concert? Well to put it simply, we’re making a movie!
YES! We mean a ‘lights, camera, action’ movie!
Why?
Safety with Covid, however far the distance (3ft or 30 ft), we want to keep our students, families and staff safe! We need to be sure our PPAC family will be in a comfortable environment during this recital time.
Venue Capacity and Restrictions- The venue of choice has set their restrictions in regards to covid and the safety of their establishment and according to state mandated laws. We are following said set rules. Being able to allow our students to dance on stage PERIOD is amazing during these times, let alone still be able to allow two backstage viewing passes per student. Our fear was that in these trying covid times, we weren’t going to be able to provide even that. Our Elite Team has competed at venues that wouldn’t allow ANY audience viewing; parents had to watch their kids from livestream on their cell phones outside the performance area. Imagine that! We feel fortunate to have found a venue that will allow even a fraction of you to enjoy the performances!
Family Accommodations- There are a handful of students who have family members that are unable to attend even the backstage viewing portion of our recital due to being high risk. Venturing out into the public for some individuals isn’t an option and our movie will allow them to be able to view their dancer on stage. While not being the same experience as in person, the movie will be more in depth as to hope to make up for just some of that.
Cell Phone Quality- An option was to have our dancers dance on stage while being filmed “Live” via social media and shared amongst family. This quality would dramatically change the look and feel of even a typical recital, and not for the good. We thought outside the box to find a solution to this as our students have worked way too hard for their accomplishments not to be shown in better caliber than a cell phone!
Family Event- We know for many families, recitals are a time for families to assemble together and view their dancers perform. While the venue’s restrictions don’t allow many family members per student, this doesn’t mean families cannot get together and watch their dancers dance on the big screen! When the movie is ‘debuted’, we encourage families/friends to host gatherings to all watch the DVD for the first time together! Get the popcorn, order a pizza and enjoy the show!
What and How?
What exactly is a recital ‘movie’? This is an all inclusive, before, during, after and everything in between filming type of layout. Camera crews will be coming into weekly classes to film our students learning and rehearsing with their fellow classmates and teachers! You’ll be able to see how your student got to where they are now. Not only the dancing they do with everyone in the studio, but the real relationships that are being built everyday at PPAC. We are a family!
Backstage preparations will be filmed prior to students walking onto stage. Shots such as their teachers fixing hair, running dances and encouraging them before they perform will be included. Don’t forget the happy faces as they hop off stage and hug their proud teachers as they hug their accomplished students back! We are making memories, happy ones at that!
Onstage filming will be much more in depth than a typical single location camera capturing one specific position or angle. Multiple cameras, drones, lights, spotlights and more! When we say we’re making a movie, we mean a movie! This layout allows us to ensure we have a great ‘run’ of each performance, if it isn’t… we can run it again! Kids may be able to perform their dances twice if necessary... Definitely not a typical recital! *Bonus!*
How are we expediting this new recital ‘movie’? Many. Many. Brains. Our studio directors, managers, production crew and venue personnel are coming together to be sure this will be great for students, families and our staff!
Backstage Viewing Pass
What do we mean when we say that we offer ‘Two backstage access passes” in our recital packages? We mean that we are inviting you to a ‘behind the scenes’ look at us filming these before, during and afters with students. You’ll be able to sit and watch your student on stage performing, maybe twice! Will you have cameras in front of you and moving all around as they capture the perfect shot? Most likely. Will you have lights cris crossing the air between your seats and your student on stage? Probably. But will you have the opportunity to see your dancer perform in person on stage? Absolutely!
In conclusion, we have all been put through an unprecedented, challenging time! We are using resources in our community to go outside our normal and get creative! While we do understand that we cannot provide the same quality as a typical dance recital, it’s impossible… This is a movie and the expectations need to be different. Our hope is for a unique new way that can be equally as exciting to watch your dancers dance! We love our dance family and look forward to the upcoming weeks!
Written By: Nikki Laguesse
