The recital may seem far away right now, but months of preparation are needed to make sure every dancer is as ready as they can be. Just as football teams must practice for months before the Super Bowl, dancers must practice for months before the recital!
The time required for recital preparation helps teach our students how to work towards a goal—a goal they can take personal pride in achieving. Some dancers may also be reaching for individual goals, such as improving on a specific step in the choreography or dancing with more poise and confidence than they did last year.
So, what are some of the ways our students are working toward their goals?
Well, as soon as we begin learning choreography in class, each dancer is beginning to develop their memorization skills, both in their mind and in their muscles! Our instructors are also continually offering corrections and adjustments for the dancers to apply; these small tweaks help each student fine-tune their individual part in the group’s dance.
Once the full routine has been taught, “cleaning” the choreography begins. This is a simple way to say that our teachers will be helping the dancers improve their routine by practicing the recital dance many times, making it stronger and more polished with every run-through. This process makes it possible for the dancers to reach their full confidence with the steps, which in turn makes the goal feel truly achievable!
With the outcome of their recital performance in mind, many dancers also take it upon themselves to practice at home. Others write down their corrections from class in a journal, so they can remind themselves what to work on between classes. And still others spend time building up their mindset, using positive self-talk and affirmations to strengthen the belief that they can accomplish the goal they’ve set.
What’s extra-awesome about working toward the goal of recital is that it’s a long-term goal and can’t be met by immediate gratification. Through dance, your child is learning what the “compound effect” is, how small efforts over long periods of time contribute to success. This lesson is going to benefit them time and time again as they set new goals.
Even our youngest dancers are beginning to understand what it means to work toward a goal. Although they are still developing their sense of time, the seeds are planted for them to know that we are practicing with a special event in mind … one where they’ll get to show off everything they’ve learned!
Performing in the recital, after all of the preparations and hard work in the classroom, is the ultimate example of goal achievement. Though the months and weeks leading up the show can feel long, your child will experience the incredible thrill of achievement once the performance is complete!
