2021 Recital Information


We have 4 recital Performances:

Saturday, May 22 at 12:30pm

Saturday, May 22 at 3:00pm

Saturday, May 22 at 6:00pm

Sunday, May 23 at 11:00am

Dancers will only be in one show. Please click here to find out which show your dancer is performing in: Which Show Is My Dancer Dancing In?

Click Here To See The :: Recital Costume Book


Dress Rehearsal | Saturday, May 15

Dress Rehearsal Date: Saturday, May 15
Dress Rehearsal Location: Groton-Dunstable Performing Arts Center | 344 Main Street, Groton, MA
Dress Rehearsal Schedule: Please click the blue links below to see the dress rehearsal schedule. Our dress rehearsal is broken down into 4 sessions. Your dancers sessions is labeled and scheduled by the show time they are performing in. Within the schedule you will find a photo of your dancers costume, their regular class day/time and a class list so you can be sure you come for the correct time. The time listed in red on the schedule is the time they will be onstage. Please arrive for your dancers first scheduled dance about 15-20 minutes early, dressed and ready in their costume. We are running on a very tight timetable and are unable to wait for you if your dancer is late.

Dress Rehearsal Schedule | Session 1
Session 1 is dancers performing Saturday, May 22 | 3:00pm show
Doors to the venue open at 7:15am. This session will end at 11:00am - all dancers/parents must exit so the next session can enter.

Dress Rehearsal Schedule | Session 2
Session 2 is dancers performing Saturday, May 22 | 6:00pm show
Doors will open at 11:15am for this session. This session will ends at 3:00pm - all dancers/parents must exit so the next session can enter

Dress Rehearsal Schedule | Session 3
Session 3 is dancers performing Saturday, May 22 | 12:30pm show
Please Note: All Saturday dance classes WILL still be held on Saturday, May 15 at the studio, per our regular schedule

Dress Rehearsal Schedule | Session 4
Session 4 is dancers performing Sunday, May 23 | 11:00am show

All dancers that are participating in the recital will need to come to dress rehearsal on Saturday, May 15. Dress rehearsal is held at the Groton-Dunstable Performing Arts Center, which is our recital performance venue. All dancers will receive a time-block for their class (classes). Each class will get time on-stage with their instructor to practice the number in their recital costume. If your dancer is in more than one number, time will be given to change in between numbers. We have bathrooms and designated areas for dancers to change All dancers will be limited to bring ONE person with them to dress rehearsal. In order to use our venue, we must keep our numbers below a certain capacity. We will be enforcing this rule upon checking in at the auditorium. Again, only ONE person, per dancer can attend dress rehearsal.

What Should You Bring To Dress Rehearsal?: Please bring all your dance costumes, tights and dance shoes for each routine/class your dancer is in. Your child must be brought to the auditorium completely dressed and ready for their first number as listed in the dress rehearsal schedule. If your dancer is in more then one number, please have ALL of their other costumes - on hangers - and also a dance bag with all of their dance shoes. Please label all items with your dancer’s name! We understand that you may have questions about costumes and headpieces. We will answer all these questions during dress rehearsal. Please be aware that no food or drink will be allowed in the auditorium at any time. Video cameras or any recording devices are prohibited.  Pictures may be taken with a camera—by parents only. A CSDA staff member/teacher will indicate when photography can be taken during rehearsal.     


recital Safety Outline 

We have very strict capacity limitations for each show. Only dancers that are performing will be allowed backstage during their performance/show time. No siblings, parents or others family members will be allowed in the backstage area.

As with most things, this recital weekend will be very different from past years. In order to keep everyone safe and uphold the rules that our venue has set – we will be following various safety precautions such as: holding more shows/shorter shows with less dancers/dances, limiting tickets, blocking out seats in the venue to ensure distance between families, spacing out dancers and classes in the backstage area, limiting our backstage crew to only instructors, staff and class assistants, cleaning of the stage, auditorium and backstage area and much more. Please note: all dancers, staff, audience members – everyone – will be masked, this includes dancers onstage. Please watch the video below for a full outline of our recital safety procedures which includes information on dancer drop-off and pick up for our recital performances.


Recital Tickets

Recital tickets are currently on sale using an online ticket purchasing system. Online recital ticket sales will be closing at 11:59PM on Friday, May 21. All tickets need to be purchased in advance – there will be no tickets available at the door of the venue. All tickets are non-refundable and must be purchased for every person attending the show. Children/infants on laps are not permitted due to our venue’s rules and regulations. Please remember all families have ticket limitations this year. For any additional details and information on recital tickets please click the link here

Click The Link Below For Recital Ticket Day Information

Recital Ticket Day Information


Recital Day

We have new drop-off and pick-up procedures for all dancers. Dancers will need to be dropped off and picked-up at the stage door of the recital venue – NOT the through the front door. We have outlined this in our Recital Safety Procedures and Guidelines video here ::  Recital Safety Procedures & Guidelines Video

Please bring your child to the backstage area 45 minutes prior to the start of your dancer’s show. The call time for each performance is listed below: 

11:45am – for the Saturday,12:30PM show
2:15pm – for the Saturday, 3PM show
5:15pm – for the Saturday, 6PM show
10:15am – for the Sunday, 11AM show 

Dancer Drop-Off:
When dropping your dancer off backstage, they should be dressed and ready for their first number, hair and make-up ready. We would love if everyone could hang their costumes on individual hangers. Please make sure everything is labeled with your dancers name. After leaving your dancer with his/her dance bag and costumes, children will stay backstage for the remainder of the performance. Each class will have a CSDA staff member or class assistant assigned to help changing and supervising the dancers. No dancers are allowed in the auditorium during show time. Children will not be dismissed from backstage until after the show.  Please do not ask for exceptions.  This is for your child’s safety - we need to keep track of all our performers.

What Can My Dancer Bring To The Recital Performance?
Please do not send snacks with your dancer unless absolutely necessary – as we have dancers with severe allergies. 
If your child has a food allergy, please let us know. The shows this year are VERY short and there will be no intermission for any show. We will be providing activity bags with some coloring and stickers for younger dancers. We ask that dancers please refrain from bringing cellphones or other electronics backstage so they do not get lost or misplaced. 

Showtime: 
The auditorium doors will open approximately 30 minutes before the show. Please note: If you arrive late to the performance, an usher will help you to your seat at an appropriate time.  Walking down the aisle to your seat can be dangerous and interrupts the audience’s view.  Please be prompt to the show.  The doors open 30 minutes prior to the start of the show. All dancers will be backstage during the entire show - our CSDA staff and assistants will be handling everything they need from changing costumes to lining them up for their dances. 

Dancer Pick-Up (at the end of the show): Dancers will be dismissed from the same stage door that they were dropped off at. Dancers will not be picked up on the recital stage as in year’s past. All parents must exit the building and return to the stage door to pick up your dancer. Please be patient with us during pick-up time as we will have a lot of dancers that need to be dismissed.  We will make sure your dancer has their costumes/dance bag for pick-up once they show is completed.

NO ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT ALLOWED at the Recital: No videos cameras, digital, or film cameras, cell phones, iPods, iPads, Tablets etc. will be allowed to be used in the auditorium during recital—this is for your child’s safety. Please leave all electronic equipment at home.  Every year we have numerous complaints from audience members that these rules have been disregarded. The auditorium management and myself must enforce U.S. Copyright and Safety Laws.  Please don’t bring electronic equipment into the auditorium; if you are caught using a recording or photography device our technical director and/or ushers will confiscate them until the end of the show. A professional video will be taken of all shows and copies will be available for you to purchase.  Order forms will be available online for the show.

Recital hair, make-up and accessories: Please have your dancers’ hair and make-up performance ready when arriving at recital. All dancers need to have their hair pulled up, back and away from their face in a bun.  If your class has a hat or is in an acro dance, a lower bun would be preferred (at the nape of the neck). No fingernail polish, toe nail polish or jewelry is allowed. Please remove all nail polish and any jewelry/accessories before the show. Masks will be provided at dress rehearsal by Centerstage to match your dancers costume. 

Helpful Recital Hair Accessories:

  • All headpieces go on the right side of the dancer’s head unless otherwise noted at dress rehearsal

  • Bobby Pins - the same color as your dancers hair

  • Hairspray - the more the better!

  • Brush/Comb

  • Hair Net - the same color as your dancers hair

  • Optional: Bun Maker - there are many brands, sizes and colors at stores like Target, CVS, Walgreens etc. This produces a perfect dancer bun! If you are unfamiliar with how these work, please come to dress rehearsal or recital early and one of our staff or assistants will gladly help you with your dancers hair. Also there are many hair tutorials online - here is one that we like :: Bun Maker Tutorial

  • Please avoid adding glitter/glitter gel to your dancers hair - it reflects brightly on stage and gets on costumes while changing.

Suggested Make-Up:

  • For dancers ages 3 - 6 make-up is not required, but if you would like to use the following guidelines, you can.

  • For dancers ages 6 and over - here are a few guidelines to follow. Since masks will be worn during the performance, only eye make-up is necessary.

    • Eye Shadow: We suggest using browns and neutrals for eye shadow. If you are unsure what to use - we like the Maybelline brand: Designer Chocolates. The colors are perfect for the stage and they tell you where to place it (lid, crease etc).

    • Please avoid using blue eye shadow or shadows with a lot of glitter.

    • Mascara: Any brand will do - especially for dancers with blonde hair, mascara will help your eyes stand out. Also, eye liner/pencil for light eyebrows if needed.

  • Foundation: Typically, our older dancers will wear foundation to even out skin tones.


Studio Hours: 
Our final week of classes are Saturday, May 15 through Friday, May 21. That week, our studio will be open Saturday, May 15 from 9am - 11am, Monday - Thursday from 3pm - 6:30pm and Friday, May 21 from 4pm - 5:30pm for any last-minute tight purchases or for any recital questions. We will NOT be open on Saturday, May 22 due to the performances. We will have extremely limited email access on Saturday May 22 and Sunday, May 23 due to the performances.