Performance and Dress Rehearsal Line Ups + Steppin' Out April News

This edition is full of fun announcements, including our song list, dress rehearsal schedule, and performance schedule! Please be sure to look through everything this month. Also, as a sneak preview, know that in our May newsletter we'll provide costume pricing and the specific song order of each performance.

PERFORMANCE FEE NOW DUE
Each dancer who will be participating in the annual performance will be charged a performance fee during the month of April (please see the front desk to pay by check, cash, or credit card). This fee covers free admission for an unlimited number of guests, free parking in the school yard at Everett Middle School for the dress rehearsal and all three performances, and a free video link to the recorded version of the show. Fees are $40 per dancer (for multiple dancers from the same family, add $10 for your second dancer and $5 for your third [or more!] dancer/s, etc.).

DRESS REHEARSAL DETAILS
Our Dress Rehearsal will be held on Sunday, May 20th at Everett Middle School. Find your dancer's call time here. Here are some tips from Angela for rehearsal success:

1) Please arrive on time. We have over 200 dancers and only a short amount of time. Your call window is an hour, but we may be able to dismiss some dancers earlier if we stay on schedule. You will share your hour with other classes, so please bring something to do while you wait.

2) The school parking lot will offer free parking during the rehearsal.

3) Classes rehearsing from 6:00-8:00 do not need to wear their costumes. We want to spend more time on stage working on spacing instead of changing in and out of costumes.

4) Stage make up is not necessary during the dress rehearsal (but will be for the performance).

5) The dress rehearsal is an opportunity for the dancers to get up on stage and practice before the big day. Plus it's a lot of fun!

PERFORMANCE LINE UP

• Saturday, June 2nd: Shows at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.: Find your dancer's show/s here (note that only the Saturday noon advanced class will perform both at 11 and at 2).
• Sunday, June 3rd: Advanced Showcase, 5 p.m.: See the list of invited classes here (scroll down).

All shows will take place at Everett Middle School. 

MOVEMENT OF THE MONTH: HOP LIKE A BUNNY
For dancers who might have overdone the chocolate yesterday, it's the perfect time to practice extra hopping. To hop in dancer form, dancers should engage their cores, stack their joints (ankles to knees to hips to shoulders), glue their inner thighs together, bend at the knee (pointing knees straight forward) and then push down into the floor to hop up, pointing their toes. The most critical part of hopping for knee health is the landing. Encourage your dancers to land silently by bending their knees on the way down and keeping their cores just as tight. And make sure to follow up with a carrot!

SEE TEACHER SONJA AS ALICE!
Come see Teacher Sonja dance as Alice in Alice in Wonderland with Mark Foehringer Dance Project. This is the same company that does the "Nutcracker Sweets" and its performances are highly kid-friendly and capped at 50 minutes for young (and sometimes wiggly) audiences. For more information, cool photos, and tickets, see the MFDP website. 

QUICK TIP
Download your performance songs by checking our song list here. Listen in the car, practice in your living room, live your music!