The most important aspect of your recital is your dress rehearsal. A smooth effective dress rehearsal is essential for a smooth sailing recital. Here are some of my tips for a great dress rehearsal.
1) Think about your scheduling . There are many ways to organize a dress rehearsal. Be cognizant of how long students will be there. Make sure you organize your dress rehearsal to accomplish your goals. Doing the dance isn't always the most important goal. When I run a dress rehearsal I typically have the first half come, then have the second half come when the first half is ending. At that time I run the finale or bow then release the first half and run the second half. With multiple shows you may need to condense and have some dances run with costumes in class or only run the beginning and end of dances.
2) Be clear about what you want to accomplish at dress rehearsal. For me the dress rehearsal is mainly for the volunteers and staff. They need to practice running and getting kids, striking props and sets, quick changes, etc. It is important to practice quick changes in order to identify any problems. Prosody Backstage is great for organizing quick changes. Another goal of dress rehearsal is making sure our younger dancers have some time onstage. For our first time dancers, the stage can be scary and it is a good idea to take that fear away before the show. Spacing, lighting, and sound are also aspects of dress rehearsal that need to be accounted for.
3) Plan and delegate. You can't be everywhere at once. In order for a dress rehearsal to run smoothly you will need to make assignments and make sure everyone knows what they are suppose to do.
4) Keep it running. Pay attention to your time and make sure you aren't running too long.
5) Dress rehearsal will be a little chaotic and that is okay. Dress rehearsal is there to catch the errors and problems so you can fix them before the show.
6) Make sure you bring water and snacks. It's a long day. Take care of yourself.
7) Wear comfortable shoes. This goes for the recital too. Bring comfortable shoes if you need to change into them.
8) Use Prosody Backstage! Prosody Backstage is made for making your dress rehearsals and shows run smoothly.
You got this!
What tips do you have for dress rehearsal?
