Recital Dance Parent Handbook 2016-2017

The Annual Dance Recital will be held on Sunday, June 4, 2017 At York High School Auditorium

Dear Parents and Dancers, Welcome to the Elmhurst Park District Dance Program! We are happy that you will be joining us for the 2016-2017 Dance Season. This will be an exciting year for all of the students, parents, teachers and staff to learn, grow, dance and succeed together.

Our Mission The mission of the Recreation Department and the Dance program is to enhance lives by providing opportunities to play, perform and participate. The Dance program provides high-quality instruction in which dancers may improve upon their skills, artistry, and technique, in a fun, positive, motivating, and supportive environment. Beyond studying steps, technique and choreography, dancers also learn about discipline, posture, confidence, overcoming challenges and perseverance. Our dancers are encouraged to be role models in our community and make a positive impact wherever they go!

Preparing for your Recital Dance experience This Parent Handbook has been designed to provide the participants and their parents/guardians with important reference information so that you are familiar with the program. If you have any questions regarding the dance program or the information in this handbook, please contact Susan Smentek, Cultural Arts Program Manager at [email protected] or 630-993-8670. You may also speak with your child’s dance instructor briefly in the 5-minute break before or after their dance class.

Recital Dance The Recital Dance program is designed for the dancer who will receive training in both technique and performance, showcasing their achievements in our annual June recital, held at York High School Auditorium. All students registered for Recital Dance are expected to participate in the recital. If you do not plan to participate in the recital, please notify your instructor by November 30, 2016. Notifying your instructor after this date means you will be responsible for the full cost of the costume (costume orders are placed in December). Course fees for Recital Dance classes include the cost of the costume and four tickets to the dance recital. During the first few months classes focus on technique, learning terminology, making friends, gaining flexibility, and building strength. In the Winter and Spring months, students will expand their knowledge of dance and learn their dance recital choreography.

Recital Dance Staff Our dance staff hopes to teach and inspire each dancer and help students to reach their fullest potential.

Miss Katie – Katie Loveless graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a B.A. in Dance, with a concentration in Dance Teaching, in May 2015. She has studied ballet, tap, jazz, pointe, lyrical, poms and more. Miss Katie has been teaching dance in the northwest suburbs for 6 years and coaching a high school competitive dance team for 2 years. She is very excited to be joining the Elmhurst Park District Dance Staff as the Dance Education Coordinator. The Impact Dance Company Jazz, Lyrical and Tap Companies are under her direction.

Miss Nicole – Nicole Miceli received her minor in Dance Performance from Northern Illinois University. She has a well-rounded background in jazz, tap, hip-hop, ballet and modern. Miss Nicole was a dancer at Six Flags Great America for five years and performed in “The Bad Romance Show,” a rock musical, for two years. She is excited to join Elmhurst Park District and share her love for the art of Dance. She directs the Impact Hip Hop companies.

Miss Bonnie - Bonnie Smith has experience in Modern Dance and Belly Dancing which she has studied for over ten years. Her work with children for the past thirty years has given her experience and insight on how to teach and create dances that are both fun and age appropriate for her students. Her high-energy style of teaching keeps her students eager to learn while also having fun in class. She focuses her teaching on the Early Childhood classes at Elmhurst Park District.

Miss Jess - Jess Piper earned a B.A. Magna Cum Laude in Dance and Communications at Elmhurst College. A finalist for the 2012 Luvabulls Chicago Bulls dance team, she has performed professionally in Los Angeles, Nashville, and throughout the Chicago area. Trained in ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, hip hop, modern, contemporary/lyrical and more, Ms. Piper brings her love of dance to every class.

Miss Yvonne – Yvonne Spanos began dancing at the age of four and has continued studying with teachers including Tommy Sutton, Jimmy Payne, Edna McRae, Lou Conte, and more. She has performed with the USO in Europe, on Channel 11’s Dance Series as well as in many productions. Miss Yvonne has been teaching for over thirty years at studios such as the Art Linkletter Dance Studio, the Bloomingdale and Wood Dale park districts, and here at Elmhurst Park District.

Miss Elizabeth - Elizabeth Ramel has been dancing with the Elmhurst Park District since she was 3 years old! She was a long time member of the Elmhurst Park District Dance Company. Now on staff, Ms. Ramel is excited to be teaching this year and loves to share her enthusiasm for dance with young students.

Miss Ruthie - Ruthie Picha began her classical ballet training in Elmhurst, Illinois under Geni Lucchesi at DuPage Dance Academy. In high school and college, she attended summer dance workshops at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts in Chicago, Cincinnati Ballet, and the MasterWorks Festival in Winona Lake, Indiana. At that time, she continued to perform in various classical ballet and contemporary dance works both with Elmhurst Dance Theatre and Ballet North Performance Company in the northern suburbs. She studied dance while also continuing to perform as a percussionist at Belhaven University in Jackson, Mississippi, and graduated with her BA in Dance in May of 2016. Ruthie enjoys all forms of dance and loves to see the art form bring joy to the lives of all. She hopes to continue performing, teaching, and watching dance as it brings transformation to herself and others.

Miss Abril & Miss Ella – Our dance assistant instructors this year are accomplished students at York High School.

Susan Smentek holds a B.S. in Speech from Northwestern University and a M.A. in Vocal Pedagogy from Northeastern Illinois University. As the Cultural Arts Program Manager, Susan is responsible for the Dance, Music and Theater programs at the Elmhurst Park District, including the annual Dance Recital. Contact Susan at [email protected] – 630-993-8670

Attendance Policy If the need arises, students enrolled in Recital Dance classes may miss a total of 7 classes from September through May. Dancers who have a fever or are contagious should not attend class. Frequent absences may slow down a dancer’s progress and lead to uncertainty with recital choreography for both the absent dancer and all of the dancers in that class. After missing an 8th class, parents will be notified and the student’s participation in the recital will be at the discretion of the instructor. There are no classes on September 5, October 31, November 22-26, December 22-January 7, February 20, March 27-April 1, April 14-15, and May 29.

Drop off – Pick up Procedures Students should arrive a few minutes before class to change into their dance shoes. Lockers are available in the dance hallway as is a water fountain. Any student who needs to change into dance attire should use the restroom. Students should bring a water bottle with them to class. Dancers must be attended by a responsible adult until class time. Parents remain outside of the studios during class. When class is dismissed, the adult attending to them should be inside the Wagner Center. Adults who wish to remain in the building during class may wait in the lobby/lounge area. Dance instructors are not able to walk students out to the parking lot. If a student does not see their parent/adult at pick up time, they should remain with their teacher to help them call their parent/adult from the registration desk. However, teachers often have to start another dance class. If a parent/adult is late a second time, they will incur a late fee. The Wagner Center phone number is 630-993-8901.

Dance Class Attire Proper attire is required for all Recital Dance classes

  

Hair must be secured away from the face. Hair in a bun for ballet, jazz, lyrical and contemporary classes. No jeans in any dance class.

Pre-Ballet: Solid colored leotard or skirted leotard and pink tights. Pink leather ballet shoes. Pre-Ballet/Tap Combo: Girls: Solid colored leotard or skirted leotard and pink tights. Pink leather ballet shoes. Black tap shoes. Boys: Solid colored T-shirt and athletic-type shorts. Black ballet shoes and black tap shoes. Ballet/Jazz/Tap Combo I & II: Girls: Solid colored leotard or skirted leotard and pink tights or fitted jazz pants, capris or leggings. Pink leather ballet shoes and Black tap shoes. Boys: Solid colored T-shirt and athletic-type shorts or pants. Black ballet shoes and black tap shoes. Instructors may require jazz shoes, check with your instructor after classes begin. Jazz & Lyrical/Contemporary: Black leotard or fitted tank top, black fitted jazz pants or shorts, capris or leggings, soft, tan, leather jazz shoes. Hip Hop: Girls: Fitted tank top, t-shirt, or leotard, fitted jazz pants or shorts, capris or leggings. Black jazz sneakers (sometimes called dance sneakers). Boys: Solid colored T-shirt and athletic-type shorts or pants. Black jazz sneakers or clean, black sneakers used only in dance class. No street shoes. Tap: Fitted tank top, t-shirt, or leotard with fitted jazz pants, capris or leggings or skirted leotard with pink tights. Black tap shoes. Poms: Fitted tank top or leotard with fitted jazz pants, capris, or leggings. Soft, tan, leather jazz shoes.

Classroom Etiquette       

Dancers practice respectful behavior. Honor your teacher and fellow students by giving your full attention and cooperation in class. Arrive before class to change into your dance shoes and attire and visit the restroom. Bring a water bottle to class. Cell phones must be turned off and stored in students’ dance bags, backpacks, purses, etc. Do not bring valuables to dance class or leave any such items in the hallway lockers. Do not make negative comments about other dance students or teachers or post negative comments on social media. No running in the studios or hanging from the barres.

Communication Your child’s instructor will be briefly available in the moments between classes and they will do their best to address and questions you may have. You may be referred to the Cultural Arts Program Manager for a response to your questions or comments. Instructors will distribute dance department newsletters and announcements in class. These will also be sent via email to the primary email address on file with your Elmhurst Park District household account. In addition, we post updates on Facebook, Instagram and on our website, www.epd.org/programs/dance. The forms in the Dance Recital packet distributed in the Spring will also be available via download on our website. Facebook: www.facebook.com/EPDDance Instagram: #epdimpactdance

Bring a Friend to Dance Week – October 1-7, 2016 This is a special opportunity to share the fun of your dance class with a friend! If there is space available in your class, your instructor will provide you with an invitation to bring one friend to your dance class. Your friend will need to wear comfortable clothes they can easily move in. Your friend’s parent must sign a Bring a Friend Week participation and waiver form. Recital Dance registration closes on October 12.

Costume Measuring Week – November 7-12 A parent or responsible adult must come to dance class to measure their dancer, select the costume size, and sign off on the measuring form. Instructors will be available to assist and to consult on costume sizes. Please note that costume sizing is generic. Alterations are occasionally needed in order to fit the costume. Costume size selection and alterations are the responsibility of the parents. Costume orders are placed in December and arrive in May.

Parent Volunteer Backstage Helpers Every dance class will need 1-3 volunteer parents, depending on the size of the class, who are dedicated to remaining with their group of dancers throughout the dress rehearsal and recital process. The duties of the volunteer parents will include assisting your class moving on and off stage, to their photo session, and planning quiet activities in the “dressing room” backstage area at York High School on the day of the show. Volunteer parents will get to see their child’s class dance in the show from a front row seat! It is impossible to produce the dance recital without our volunteer parents. There is space on the Costume Measuring Form to indicate your availability to volunteer. Please consider helping.

Dress Rehearsal & Photo Day – Saturday, June 3, 2017 Attendance at Dress Rehearsal is mandatory for all recital participants. Any unavoidable conflicts should be addressed with the instructor prior to rehearsal. A schedule of dress rehearsal and photo times will be handed out in the spring. Your dancer will be at this event for about one hour (per dance, if they are in multiple classes). Dancers arrive, dressed in costume with hair and makeup done, at their scheduled time to meet their parent helpers in the lobby Dancers will enter the theater and sit with their group until they are called to the stage. Each class will perform their dance twice. Parents are permitted to watch the dress rehearsal as long as they are quiet and do not disrupt the rehearsal process. Afterwards, dancers will exit through the stage door and go with their group to photos. The photographers are set up in classrooms near the theater. Dancers will take an individual and a group picture. Only dancers, dance staff and photographers are allowed in the photo rooms. Photo order forms and online pre-ordering instructions will be distributed prior to June 3.

Dance Recital Show Assignments To avoid lengthy recitals and to have enough seats available for the audience, dance classes are divided into three shows. Each dance class performs in one show (Impact Dance Company performs in every show). When creating the show assignments and lineup, our priority is to have students who participate in more than one class have all of their dances in one show. After that, we attempt to have families with multiple children in classes appear in the same show. We cannot guarantee that siblings will be in the same show. Families with children in three or more dances should expect to participate in multiple shows.

Dance Recital Tickets Each individual dancer will receive four complimentary tickets to the dance recital, regardless of how many dance classes they are in. Additional tickets go on sale in May. Ticket sale information will be distributed with the Recital Information Packet in the spring. Due to fire code occupancy rules, every person in the audience needs a ticket to the show.

Dance Recital Day –Sunday, June 4, 2017 Dancers arrive, dressed in costume with hair & makeup done, at their scheduled drop off time. As you enter the York High School Auditorium lobby, turn right and go to the dancer drop off table. Dancers may bring a water bottle. Please, no drinks that will stain costumes. Dancers remain with their class throughout the show. Your dancer does not need a ticket to the recital, as they will not be sitting in the auditorium. Dancers will come out for a final bow during the Grand Finale of their show and then go with their group to the Commons area. Send one parent outside of the lobby, to the left, and to the next door to the school to pick up your dancer from their parent volunteers. Please, save your flowers and photos until you are reunited outside in front of the building. Elmhurst Park District Dance department strives to provide a positive learning environment for all dance students including age appropriate costumes, music and choreography.