The Greatest Rhythm Show: Dress Rehearsal

Year-End Show Series: Episode 2
Dress Rehearsal for The Greatest Rhythm Show: A Sparktacular Circus Spectacle

Welcome back to the second episode of our RhythmPod Year-End Show Series with Dani Rosenberg and Becca Moore!

In this episode, we’re talking all things Dress Rehearsal for The Greatest Rhythm Show: A Sparktacular Circus Spectacle—what to expect, how it works, and how to make this exciting milestone as smooth and fun as possible for your dancer and your family.

Dress Rehearsal is one of the most important events of show season. It’s your dancer’s first full-out performance in costume and an exciting chance to experience the magic before show day!

In this episode, we cover:

• Dress Rehearsal dates: May 11–14
• Why rehearsal will be held at our current main location
• How to use the MyRhythm App for arrival times, practice schedules, rehearsal times, and drop-off details
• Which weekly classes are replaced by rehearsal—and which classes still meet
• Exactly how dancers should arrive: costume, hair, makeup, and ready to go
• Why being on time is absolutely essential (we cannot hold or re-run routines)
• Step-by-step drop-off and parent flow around the building
• What dancers experience backstage before they perform
• Individual costume photos, performance run-throughs, and class group photos
• Important photo information every family needs to know
• How long rehearsal typically lasts (about one hour—and yes, we run on time!)
• T-shirt pickup, optional merch, and fun extras available during rehearsal
• Dressing room availability for quick costume changes
• Why rehearsal is the perfect time to video your dancer
• Guest guidelines, including the 2-guest limit

Whether this is your first year at Rhythm Dance Center or you’ve been with us for years, we highly encourage all families to listen to every episode in this Year-End Show series so you feel confident, prepared, and ready for the most SPARKtacular show yet! 

Thanks for listening to RhythmPod—we can’t wait to celebrate with you at The Greatest Rhythm Show!

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:04

Welcome to Rhythm Pod, the podcast from Rhythm Dance Center for Rhythm Dance Center. We're here to bring you studio updates, tips from our teachers, and fun chats about everything happening in our rhythm community.

SPEAKER_00 0:15

Rhythm Pod will be your go-to source to stay inspired and connected. We can't wait to share all the rhythm fun. Hello and welcome to the Rhythm Pod. I'm Jamie Rosenberg. Hi Becca Moore. And we are super excited to be back for the second episode of our year in show series that we started recently. So on today's episode, we are going to talk all about the Greatest Rhythm Show dress rehearsal. We're going to talk about how it works, what to expect, and all the fun details to make you, your, and your dancers' experience the best it can possibly be throughout the show season. All right, let's get started.

SPEAKER_01 0:53

All right, so dress rehearsal. Dress rehearsal is a very important part of our year-in-show experience. It's going to be the first time the dancers are going to perform full out in their costume with their hair and makeup done. And we used to always do our dress rehearsals at the theater, but we actually switched over to doing it at our main studio location, like back during COVID times. And honestly, it was something that just worked really, really well. It's a lot more convenient for you guys. You don't have to drive downtown, deal with parking and all of that. It also really gives us the opportunity to see your kids like up close and personal and for you to do that as well. And you know, you can stand right in front of them, you can film them, you can take photos of them. Um, so anyway, it's just worked out really, really well. So we're really excited to get to see the dancers for the first time in their costume out of the dress rehearsal. We're gonna have the studio, um, our big studio A set up to feel as much like the stage as possible. This is also when your dancer's class and individual photos will be taken. They're gonna get to pick up their t-shirt, and it's just a really exciting day for your dancer. So, when is dress rehearsal? Dress rehearsal is Monday, May 11th through Thursday, May 14th. Your time is very specific to your dancer and your dancer's class, or if they take more than one, you're gonna have multiple. We encourage you to use the My Rhythm app to see the specific day and time for each of your dancers' rehearsals. In the in the um, in the year-in-show packet, there's a link directly for instructions to access this app. You also could access it through a chart. We have a very detailed chart with all the information that you need to know. But I really think that you guys should use the My Rhythm app because it is really great. You can access all the most important information about your dancers' dress rehearsals, their year and show performances. It's all right there at a glance without having to like peruse the lengthy chart. So this app is not in the app store, but again, it's accessible through the link in the packet. And then you can bookmark it and save it on your phone. So there's also an info sheet to show you exactly how to use this app. And in that app is where you're gonna find all the information that you do know. And again, also if you don't want to use the app, you can link to the chart, which also tells you all the things.

SPEAKER_00 3:13

Yes. All right, next up, where is dress rehearsal held? Becca just mentioned, but it is actually gonna be held at our main location at 3980 Shallowford Road. Um, everything will happen there. And the actual big, you know, practice works happens in Studio A, but we'll get to the details of that in just a minute. Um, so everything will be held there. If you have classes that are normally held at the annex, just know that they are not happening at the annex. Dress rehearsal does not happen at the annex, everything happens at our main location. So make sure to make note of that. Um will I still have my regular classes during dress rehearsal week? Good question. Um, you will not for the most part. If your dancer usually comes for their classes on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, their dress rehearsal is actually taking place of their regular class. That being said, the times might not line up, and I'll talk about just that in just a minute. But they will not have regular class, they'll just have the rehearsal. If your dancer normally takes class on a Friday or Saturday, they will have their regular class in addition to their dress rehearsal. So again, make sure you check the MyRhythm app or the chart that's in the packet so that you know when your dancer's dress rehearsal time is. If they dance on Friday or Saturday, it's not going to be on Friday or Saturday. It's going to be Monday through Thursday. So make sure to check that and know where you're going and at what time. Like I said, the times don't line up perfectly. We attempted the best we could to create a rehearsal schedule that does line up close to your regular class time, at least for the Monday through Thursday dancers. Um check that. You may, it may be right in the middle of it. It may, you may have to arrive 15 or 20 minutes early, or it may be a few minutes after your normal class time. But we did try to schedule it as close to the regular class time as possible, with the exception of Friday and Saturday classes. Um, who is allowed to watch dress rehearsal? Um, while there is no charge to watch your dancer at the dress rehearsal because it is held at the studio, we do have to um limit the number of guests that can come. So we ask that you only bring two guests per dancer to the dress rehearsal. This is a very short performance by the time they get in and do their performance for you, and space is limited because, like I said, it is in the studio. So it will be standing room only. We may have one or two chairs available if um if needed, but it will be standing room only. You'll come in and you will be out in just a few minutes. So two guests per dancer, please. All right, what is the dress rehearsal process? So you will drop your dancer off at the studio entrance noted in the chart or in your My Rhythm app. Uh dancers must arrive dressed in their costume with their hair fully done and their makeup done at their designated time. Your dancer will briefly practice with their class and with their teacher in their class. That is also a time noted in your My Rhythm app or in the chart. There's a specific drop-off time, there's a specific practice time.

SPEAKER_01 6:02

I was gonna say, just going back a little bit, what Danny said, you'll drop your dancer off at the studio entrance. There's only gonna be two options there. It's either gonna say B or C. And that is the entrance that you're gonna enter through. And it's all on the front of the building. If you're standing at the front of the building, about to walk in the door, studio B is gonna be to your right, Studio C is gonna be to your left. Don't worry, we will have plenty of people out there guiding you, helping you get there. But you're you're gonna have in your My Rhythm app, you're gonna have an arrival time, a practice time, a rehearsal time. So we wanted to make it as specific as we could so you will see all those things. So, like let's say it says Studio B, three o'clock, that's your arrival time. And then there'll be practice time and then there'll be a rehearsal time.

SPEAKER_00 6:50

It's just very important. You note it that very first time. The arrival time is really, really important that you're checking your dancer.

SPEAKER_01 6:56

Yeah, if you get the arrival time, you're good to go. Except you, as the parent, you're gonna have to get in to watch them. So we'll talk about that in just in just a minute.

SPEAKER_00 7:06

So after you've dropped them off, they're gonna have a little bit of practice time, like a short class with their teacher where they're gonna practice. Um, again, that time is listed in the app and in the chart. Um, after that, we escort them um through the lobby to have their individual photos taken. All every single dancer is going to have a photo taken, individual photo taken in every single costume they're wearing, um, whether you pre-ordered one or not. So every dancer is having a photo taken.

SPEAKER_01 7:30

But in your fundle, you and it's included, you have one class photo included in your fundle. So that's why we take it. So you didn't have to pre-order. Yeah. If you have more than one class and you wanted to order an additional photo, that's where you would need to pre-order. But we're gonna take the photo no matter what. So you don't have to worry about that. There's gonna be a photo. If you decide you want it, you can get it.

SPEAKER_00 7:52

Yes. Um, after they have their individual photo taken, we will escort them into Studio A, which is where they're going to have their actual rehearsal and where you're gonna get to watch them and all that fun stuff. Um so after your dancer's class performs, we will end up taking their class photo, the full group photo, right after the performance on the backdrop. And then you and your dancer will have the opportunity to take some fun individual photos of your own and um escort your way through the studio. We'll have lots of other photo ops where before you exit, you will grab your greatest rhythm show t-shirt before you exit. Um, what time do I arrive at the dress rehearsal? We've talked about that a lot already. We're just going through the packet right now. So if you're following along and you're confused, we're going through the packet right now and all the possible questions that we might get. We've talked about all of that, so I feel like we're good on that um on that front. Can I expect the dress rehearsal schedule to run on time? Yes. Sometimes we even run a little bit early. We typically run right on time almost to the minute. So if you do not arrive at your schedule time, your dancer might miss the rehearsal, which is not fun for anybody involved. Um, it stresses them out, it stresses everybody out. This is the one time they're gonna get to practice it all before the before the big day. So please make sure to check that arrival time and you're dropping them off in plenty of time.

SPEAKER_01 9:13

Where do I drop my dancer off for dress rehearsal? Again, we've already talked about this a little bit, but the My Rhythm app or the chart, whichever you're referring to, it's gonna give you that information. Uh, it's gonna be either at Studio B or Studio C, and also it's gonna tell you the exact time your dancer should arrive. Where do I go to watch dress rehearsal after I drop my dancer off? So you will not enter in the studio with your dancer, you'll get them all checked in. And then after that, you can walk around the building um and you will get in line to enter to watch your dancer. If you want to go back and sit in your car, you can, but just make sure that you are back in line uh at your designated, probably a couple minutes before your designated rehearsal time. 10 minutes before would be great. Just so that you don't um so that you don't miss it. We all we have somebody will come out and we like say, you know, it's gonna be the come join the circus, Miss Jenny, Tuesday 3:30 class. So just make sure that you are there. And we do sometimes run early, but we try to we try to start their dress rehearsal time right at the exact time we said we're going to. So we're not probably gonna start that routine early. We're gonna go as soon as we can. Again, if any of this sounds confusing, it's really not confusing. Sometimes the more detail you go into, the more confused you get. Yeah, it's a simple flow once you're it's very, a very simple flow. It's a very simple flow. So all you have to do is just make sure, like I said, you get your child there, you drop them off, they're gonna practice, you're gonna grow inside the building, and you're going to wait, and then you're gonna come in and you're going to do um to watch them do their dress rehearsal, and you're gonna take photos, you're gonna take videos, and it's gonna be really great. Okay, when will individual photos take place? Individual place photos take place at the dress rehearsal right after they practice their class, before they perform for you. And this happens behind the scenes. Um, our staff is gonna escort them to the area, they're gonna assist them with their poses, they're gonna make sure that they're smiling really cute, and we're gonna take a photo of every dancer in every costume. And once that is ready to go, you're gonna get a link to download the one image that was included in your fundle. And then if you want to order any other photos, you can also do that. We also will do a group photo at right after the dress rehearsal. We will do that in Studio A in front of our backdrop. And then we also will share the group photo with you as well, and you'll get a link to download that class photo mid-summer. Should my dancer arrive at dress rehearsal in costume? Yes. Please, please, please bring your dancers dressed in their stage makeup and with their hair styled ready to go. There isn't really a lot of space for you to get your dancer dressed when you arrive, so just come ready to go. If you have a dancer that has multiple routines or multiple costumes, then you will have a space to change. It's going to be in studio E. Again, we can direct you to that spot. So let's say you have maybe you have two kids coming on one day. You can take them to studio E to change. You can, if they have two dances, whatever you need to do. Um, and then you will just go through that same process again and drop them off at Studio B or C when it's time for the next routine.

SPEAKER_00 12:35

Yes. Um, how long should I plan on being at dress rehearsal? I would say if you have a dancer that just has one class, about one hour is is pretty much um what it will take. Um, so yeah, just plan on plan on following that schedule and you should be good to go for your dress rehearsal experience. Okay. I think that that's think that that's it.

SPEAKER_01 12:58

It feels weird because that's it, but it went really fast.

SPEAKER_00 13:00

Um it is like a what it's like a one-way directional flow. Once you get in, you'll understand. And when we said go around the side of the building, it it's like the gravel side where the gravel parking lot is. You'll just follow the sidewalk all the way around, wait on the side of the building. Of course, if weather is not cooperating, we will let you wait. He'll wait in the lobby.

SPEAKER_01 13:16

Yeah, we've been doing it this way for a couple of years, so it's all good. It works. Um, and like also just we we thought we were gonna be in the new studio by now, but obviously we're not in the new studio. It's gonna be worth the wait. We keep saying that, but it really is. But so, you know, I think uh one thing is just, you know, the our current studio has been loved a lot through the years. Uh, and you know, it's it's not looking its absolute best right now. Our mirrors are gone. We like a lot of things are off the walls. It's kind of crazy looking. But um, we are getting closer to the move. So the dress rehearsal will happen. We will finish the season at Rhythm Dance Center. We are currently so appreciative of your patience through all of this. Yes, for sure.

SPEAKER_00 14:02

It will be well worth the race. Okay, I think that wraps up all of the information for dress rehearsal week. Um, just remember again that dress rehearsal is such an important part of the process and it really sets you and your dancer up for success when we get to the actual shows. Speaking of the actual shows, the next episode will be all about the big day and all the things to look forward to and what you can expect on the day of your dancer's show. So until then, thank you so much for listening. Bye.