Position Yourself at Positions: 4 Things That Make Us Unique

As parents who want the best for your kids, we know you have a lot of options to choose from! There are tons of dance studios and extracurricular activities that all offer different programs, many of which intrigue your children and make them light up with excitement!

So how do you choose? We know it can be overwhelming. Today on the blog we are sharing the 4 reasons that Positions Dance Studio is a step above the rest! Read on to find out what makes Positions the best dance studio in Babylon!

1. Dance Abilities

This one is by far one of our most treasured parts of the studio! At Positions, we believe dance is for EVERYONE! Which is why we love offering our Dance Abilities class every fall. This class is specifically tailored for students ages 7-adult with Down Syndrome, Autism and other developmental disabilities. 

At Dance Abilities, we LOVE seeing students gain confidence through dance. We see physical, mental, and emotional growth each week as coordination improves and our students make new friends with other dancers. Head over to our website to learn more about this class that we hold near and dear to heart. Dance has the power to bring people together, and Positions Dance Studio makes that happen. 

2. Community Connection

Positions Dance Studio takes great pride in staying connected with our community. We love Babylon village and the people that make it so special… ESPECIALLY all of our dance families. From community yoga classes, Babylon Block Parties, and giving back to the Babylon Breast Cancer Coalition in February, PDS wants everyone in Babylon to feel welcome at our studio. Sharing dance with our community is something we value that sets our studio apart from the rest! 

3. Unique, Year-Round Performance Opportunities

We couldn’t leave our Spring Musical/Ballet and December Nutcracker off this list! Each Spring, our Broadway Bound students put together a fabulous musical while our Ballet Enrichment students perform in a stunning ballet. We put these two productions together to create one day of phenomenal performances. In addition, we are excited to begin working on our Nutcracker production that will be happening this December! Many of our staff members at Positions treasure these special performances and WISH we had the same opportunities while growing up as a young dancer. 

Putting on a large production requires TONS of hard-work and dedication from the dancers. It teaches kids important life lessons (check out our past blog post about the 5 benefits of performing) and creates memories that kids will cherish for a lifetime. We have big things happening each year at PDS, and we will never stop offering performance opportunities to our young dancers! 

4. Performance Team

In addition to our weekly dance classes, Positions Dance Studio is home to 4 fabulous performance teams. By audition only, dancers are separated by age and ability, rehearsing each week and learning fun, new choreography. After perfecting these dances, our kids get the opportunity to travel and perform in the community. This past year, our performance team performed at Disney as well as half-time shows for sporting events. We LOVE watching our kids hit the stage! 

Writing this blog gave us ALL the feels… we can’t hide it! We LOVE our studio and what it brings to our dance families. Bringing these unique opportunities to kids in Babylon brings us SO much joy. It is why we do what we do! 

Want to learn more about we offer? Check out our website or send us a message! We would love to meet your family and welcome you to OUR Positions family! 

Top 10 Things To Know Before Recital

Can you feel the energy in the air?! It is recital season! We know all the information can be overwhelming so we thought today we would streamline the process. In this post, we have listed the top 10 things to know before recital. We hope that you use this list as a refresher course after you have read through all the recital handouts. All of the recital documents can be found on our Spring Recital page.  

1. Recital photos are taken at dress rehearsal: Group photos will be done on stage as they rehearse. If the parent wants to order individual photos, they may then go down the hall and take individual photos. Lasting Impressions Photography will be present to take orders the day of rehearsal AND the day of the recital.

2. When/where to report the day of the show: About a half hour prior to the show start time (12:30 pm for 1:00 pm show, 4:00 pm for 4:30 pm show), students should report to the cafeteria backstage.

3. Dress rehearsal information: The dress rehearsal is at 5:00 pm on June 4th at West Babylon High School. This rehearsal is mandatory and dancers should arrive in full costume. Hair and makeup should be done just like it will be done for the recital.  You can find the dress rehearsal schedule here.

4. What to do with costume issues: With any costume issues (wrinkles, static cling, itchiness, snags, etc.), please alert your dancer’s teacher to determine the appropriate course of action. We always recommend keeping your costume hanging in a safe place in your home, free from pets or mess.

5. Students are expected to stay for the duration of the show: Our show will be approximately 2 hours. The dancers will be backstage with ample supervision and will get to watch the recital with live streaming while they're backstage! IF THE PARENT NEEDS TO PICK THEM UP BEFORE THE END, it must be arranged with me ahead of time. We have security at the door and parents will not just be able to randomly pick up their child.

6. Each student will receive 2 programs: Additional programs can be pre-ordered on the ticket website.  Recital t-shirts can also be pre-ordered here.  

7. No photography or videos allowed at the recital: Photos can be taken at dress rehearsal. Flash photography is dangerous for performers on stage. We want you to relax and enjoy the show and that's why we have a professional videographer! You can order your DVD of the spring recital here.

8. What else can you get the day of recital: You can purchase snacks and water, flowers, and t-shirts (if you didn't already pre-order) the day of the performance.

9. Last minute necessities: Nude leotards, extra tights, shoes, hair accessories (bun maker, bobby pins, etc), dance bras/undergarments & clear straps can be purchased at the dance studio. Do you still need to learn how to make your bun? Check out this great tutorial!

10. We have class the week after recital: Make sure you don’t miss our last week of the session! We always have a great time celebrating all the hard work that went into the show! The last day of classes is June 17th.

If you have any questions about any of the recital happenings, please let us know! We can’t wait to see you at the show!

What To Know If This Is Your First Recital

Recital is right around the corner and it is sure to be an amazing show! Whether this is your first recital or your 20th, you will be blown away by all your dancer has accomplished in one year. For those new dance parents out there, you may be wondering what this recital thing about. Although there are so many moments you will cherish throughout recital week, there is a lot of information to process beforehand. Use these simple tips to prepare so that you and your dancer can have a magical time come recital week.

• Read everything. Twice. Recital is a big production. It is a multi-day event including dress rehearsal, and of course the big show. Like we mentioned earlier, there is a lot of information to process so we recommend reading everything twice. All the recital handouts are available on our website. There is important information relevant to your dancer on every handout.  

• Highlight dates, times, and locations that are relevant to your dancer. It’s a great idea to go through the dress rehearsal, picture, and recital schedules in order to highlight the call times, dates, and locations for your dancer. There are a lot of numbers in our show. By highlighting your dancer’s classes, you will ensure there won’t be a mix-up. These schedules will be posted and emailed home at the beginning of May so keep your eyes peeled for them!

• Check the website for questions. As information becomes available to parents, we will be updating the spring recital page on our website. If a question pops up, our website is there to help and is available 24/7! Need more help? Feel free to contact the studio or stop by the front desk next time you are in.

Above all, we want all of our dance parents to enjoy the moment! Recital is the perfect time to take a step back and appreciate your dancer. They have worked so hard all year and they will be so proud to show you what they have learned. Remember that this is what recital is all about! As a dance parent, you get to sit back and enjoy seeing your dancer shine on stage, what could be better than that?!

We can’t wait to see all of our Positions dancers on stage for our recital on Sunday, June 10, 2018, at West Babylon High School.