3 Tips You May Not Have Thought of for Planning a Successful Dance Concert/ Recital 

By Erin Pride 

You’re making your list, you’re checking it twice… Nope, I'm not talking about your Santa list. I am talking about your recital/concert endless to-do list!

Truth be told, I love producing shows. I mean, if I could do that as another side gig I would. But since giving myself yet another business to manage, it’s out of the question. That being said, I do dive into this pleasure when it’s concert season at my school. 

Today I am going to share with you 3 tips that saved my butt during show season.

Tip 1: Volunteers - If you need volunteers, they don't always have to be parents. One of my missions as a dance educator is to create opportunities for students of all disciplines to learn and soar. I do this by asking the high school in my town to put me in contact with students that are in the National Honor Society. These students are in need of community service and love to volunteer. 

How? - Call the high school in your town or where your dance show will be held and ask to speak with the guidance counselor. Ask if there are any NHS students that need community service. If they say yes, ask if you can create a signup sheet for students interested in receiving community service hours for working your show. Once the sign-up sheet is set, pick a date to meet with volunteers and cover logistics. 

Bonus - NHS students are academically excellent, usually organized, and accountable. 

Tip 2: Lead Person - I recommend having a lead person for each station at your recital/concert. These lead people to look different for everyone depending on their specific needs on show day. Some basic stations you may need a lead person for are: student drop-off and pick-up, dressing rooms, food, house, etc. 

How?- I want you to think about the major areas you're going to need someone to be in charge of at your recital. Pick one person to serve as the lead for that station. Next, get on a FaceTime, Skype, or Zoom call with all of the people that you designated as a lead person. I then want you to tell them your expectations, and your needs for that day. You can write them down, or you can just say them off the top of your head. The point here is to give them enough information so they can run their station the way you would run it. This can even be a student volunteer that you received from tip 1. 

Tip 3: Phone Assistant - Find a person you can trust and rely on... 

How ?- The day of the show, I want you to give them your cell phone, yes you read this correctly...hand it over...Give them every answer to questions people might call with: directions, arrival time, showtime, food order... Basically, the common questions that come up. 

Why? - So, you are free to navigate and enjoy the day, the beautiful masterpiece you have built... 

I hope you found these 3 tips helpful... 

xo Erin 

For learning on the go check out  “Creating Quality Pieces For Your Dance Recital”  Episode 11 of the Dance Boss Podcast   Listen Now 

Erin is your personal dance education coach. Jersey girl all the way, she graduated from Montclair State University with a B.F.A. in Dance and received her Masters in Dance Education from New York University.  Erin is a dance classroom expert and specializes in lesson planning, unit plan design, and curriculum creation, as well as classroom management strategies. She has over a decade of experience teaching, writing curriculum, and developing programming. Erin is the Director of a High School Dance Program in New Jersey, and the Host of the Dance Boss Podcast.   To learn more about Erin visit erindpride.com, and you can hang out with Erin on Instagram and Facebook.