Hi all,
There is one more week of lessons for term 3. Miss Jenna & Miss Makayla are away on leave but classes are still held. Term 3 ends on Friday 22nd September and Term 4 commences on the 9th October.
Please read below important recital information. Recital held the first weekend of December, 2nd + 3rd.
Your child is automatically re-enrolled for term 4. Class times and fees remain the same as this term, costume hire for the recital will be added to next term's fees (details about this also in the cast list here).
IMPORTANT: If your dancer can not commit to the recital weekend and will not be taking part - we please need to know within a week - as choreography and costuming is well underway, it is a big task to reset a routine if even one dancer is not able to take part. Unfortunately, we can not swap classes to different casts; we have spent weeks setting the following to suit costume changes and existing un-avoidable cast requirements. Thank you for understanding.
Note: The Wine and food festival has switched their date to the same weekend as our JMSD recital. However, it is not the end of the world for you wine lovers! Each class dances twice in two different shows - so if your child is in Cast A you can try for Saturday morning show tickets, Cast B you can try for Sunday morning tickets, leaving you with Saturday afternoon/evening. I have moved the start time earlier to help accommodate those wishing to attend both. (Running time a total estimate currently around 2.5 hours)
We are also aware of a cheerleading event and possible clashes along with school camps. Please check your schedules.
Please note we book the theatre 2 years in advance and can not change weekends. We release these dates very early (FYI 2024 is booked for the same weekend). Our recital is only one weekend a year, we do hope you can prioritise this for your dancers.
MERCHANDISE
Info coming soon!
RECITAL
We are so looking forward to our December Recital. This year we will be holding a showcase style recital based on the 4 seasons.
The shows run over 2 days
Each class takes part in 2 shows (Either Cast A, Cast B or Cast C) (6 shows in total)
If your child takes multiple classes or is in a senior group they may be in more than one cast
Saturday 2nd December
Morning - Cast A (show 1) - 9.30am Start time (arrival time 8.30am)
Afternoon - Cast A (show 2) - 1.30pm Start time (arrival time 12.30pm)
Early evening - Cast B (show 1) 5.30 pm Start time (arrival time 4.30pm)
Sunday 3rd December
Morning - Cast B (show 2) 9.30am Start time (arrival time 8.30am)
Afternoon - Cast C (show 1) Start time 1.30pm (arrival time 12.30pm)
Early evening - Cast C (show 2) Start time 5.30pm (arrival time 4.30pm)
Which cast is my child in?
Please see the Cast list attachment here . The list can also be viewed on our waiting room notice board.
Why are the children split into different casts (groups)?
We must do this due to:
The amount of students we have
To fit everyone backstage safely
To ensure there are enough seats for the audience
To ensure the recital is not too long for the audience to watch.
We do wish we were able to have all siblings, cousins and children taking multiple classes into the same recital but unfortunately it can not happen.
Families who do not wish to attend two recitals are welcome to view the dress rehearsal (by arrangement). We also film all 3 casts for the cost of one.
Positives of a split cast mean siblings may be able to watch each other. (ticket required)
What is the running time of the show?
We are estimating the running time will be around 2-2.5 hours. We will let you know a more exact time once we have finished the routines.
We set the recital times to ensure there is a small rest for all dancers in between each show, as well as not having the recital too late into the evening so as not to clash with your possible Christmas work parties and not be too late for young children.
What date are the dress rehearsals? Does my child have to attend?
Dress rehearsals are our one and only full run through of the show, in costume and compulsory for all dancers to attend.
Cast A = Tuesday 28th November (After school)
Cast B = Wednesday 29th November (After school)
Cast C = Thursday 30th December (After school)
Compulsory Theatre practice in small groups: week of 20th - 24th November. An essential practice for students to be introduced to the stage & walk through the dance slowly. No costumes. Closed practice - especially important practice for dancers who are nervous about the stage. Essential for all students to please attend. Alternate timetable will run for this week (yet to be released.
The students have been working very hard on learning their show routines. It is looking fantastic already! There are only a few weeks remaining until their first stage practice; it is especially tricky to have the routine ready if a child misses a week. It takes extra time to catch up to the dancer. We ask that all students attend as much as possible. If possible, make up the missed lesson where they can. Please contact us to see if there is a matching class your child can attend. Ideally, they need to be in their usual class as it is unfair on the dancers to have their partner away.
When and where do we purchase tickets?
Tickets will be on sale from 9th October (first day of term 4) -via Town Hall Cinemas website or in the Box Office. https://www.townhallcinemas.co.nz/live-shows. We sold out some shows in past years and the best seats are usually snapped up quickly, so please ensure you get in before we open sales up to the public. It is ‘first in best seated’ - to avoid disappointment please mark your calendars for ticket sale reminders. An email reminder will be sent as soon as tickets are available for sale too. Keep an eye on our Facebook (Jenna McKenzie School of Dance) & Instagram (@jmsd_official) pages for your chance to be in to win the opportunity to be first to choose your seats and other prizes!
Tickets will be $25 each which includes a booking fee of $2.90 + GST. Children 3 and under who do not take up a seat, no charge.
An alphabetical Cast list will be available at the Town Hall so friends get tickets for the correct show.
Costume hire for the recital
Most costumes are hired through JMSD. As not a lot of parents sew, we hire out our costumes rather than ask you all to make your own. The hire fee ranges from $15 up to $70 for the more expensive costumes. We do not charge a bond and wish to keep it this way. All costumes have a lot of time put into them - so we ask you to please encourage your children to take care of these garments.
Details of costume hire fee and base items each student please needs to supply are attached, please no not pay the costume hire fee yet - the fee will be added to next term's fee invoice, the attached is to give families and idea only - the final fee may vary slightly as I am still sourcing/pricing up final details.
Some other FAQ...
When does term 4 end?
Term will finish up on Saturday 2nd of December, we will not be holding lessons the week after the show, instead we will hand out our participation certificates and gifts at rehearsal or recital TBC
Are there any extra practices for the recital?
We try to keep these to a minimum but at times require the students to have a few extra practices to ensure they are confident on stage. We hold a compulsory stage practice to introduce the stage to each class as well as a dress rehearsal. Some classes who have a more complicated routine (eg. dancing with another class or main character) may have additional practices. There is not an extra charge for these extra practices. A full term schedule reminder will be sent out early next term.
Do you need parent helpers?
Yes, we will please require parent helpers for the dress rehearsals & show days. Info & how to sign up coming soon!
Thank you all for supporting your dancers!
Enjoy your holidays!
Jenna + JMSD Staff x
Attached/linked please find:
Cast List & Costume Hire + What to Supply (Hire fee added to next terms fees this is just a heads up)
Kind Regards Charis
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