Recital Procedures

Arrival: Coginchaug Regional High School is located at 135 Pickett Lane Durham, CT 06422. As you arrive to the high school, there is parking on both sides of the building, however, the main entrance is located on the right side. We recommend parking on the same side as the main entrance and the athletic fields. Once you have parked and are walking towards the front loop, there are doors to the right which bring you straight to the Auditorium lobby.

Dancers: Dancers must be checked in to their dressing room area 30 minutes prior to their recital start time. Please be stage ready. This means hair & make up is done and ready to go, and nail polish and jewelry is removed. We begin lining dancers up to go backstage 15 minutes prior to the recital start time. Upon arrival, there will be a sign directing you to a hallway to the left of the auditorium lobby which leads to our dressing rooms. Safety of our dance family is our #1 priority. Every dancer must be checked in by mom or a trusted female chaperone at the check in table in our dressing room hallway. All moms will receive a wristband prior to recital day that MUST be worn in order to enter the dressing room hallway at check in and check out.  There are no exceptions.

Dressing Rooms: Once the dancer is checked in, they will be directed to their appropriate dressing room & waiting area. We have one area & dressing room for our Wiggles & Giggles, Tiny Twirlers & Tappy Feet (preschool aged) dancers, as well as male dancers, and one dressing room for all other dancers (Main Dressing Room). If you have multiple dancers, please get your older dancer(s) ready first and then bring your preschool aged dancer to their dressing room. 

If your dancer is assigned to our Main Dressing Room, then once inside you will look for the area that is designated for your dancer’s class. Each class has their own designated area in which they will remain at all times under the supervision of En L'air Recital Staff. These areas will be identified by a colored table cloth along with signs that include images of the class’ costumes and the order in which the costumes will be worn. Keeping all dancers together with their classmates is essential in maintaining order backstage. Utilizing these signs, please help your dancer get organized and ready for their first dance. One color tight is to be worn over the other. For instance, if my first performance is ballet, the nude toned tights for tap should be put on first with the pink ballet tights worn over the nude ones or vice versa if my first performance is tap. This makes costume changes much easier especially if the dancers are sweaty. We recommend making sure your dancer’s dance shoes are untied and lined up ready to go. We recommend bringing a hanging rack for your costumes and a laundry basket to quickly toss worn costumes, tights, and accessories into as they are taken off. Make sure everything has your name on it - shoes, costumes, bags etc. All of these recommendations help ensure your dancer's items remain in one place and do not accidentally get mixed up with someone else’s.

Please do not bring valuables such as jewelry, phones, ipads, or toys, into the dressing rooms as En L’air Studio of Dance will not take responsibility for any lost, stolen, or damaged items.

Parents: Moms will be asked to find their seats in the auditorium 15 minutes prior to show time as we begin to line up dancers. If your dancer is in our main dressing room, please remain seated in the auditorium for the entire show. Our shows are approximately 90 minutes in duration and there are only a few seconds in between each number. Sit back, relax, and enjoy! Our recital staff will be there to assist your dancers’ as needed with their costumes, shoes, and accessories. Parents of preschool dancers may remain in the dressing room with their dancer until we line up their class to go on stage. At that time you will take your seat in the auditorium to watch them perform. In order to not disrupt and block the view of our audience members, you should have purchased a ticket for yourself in the section of the auditorium reserved for preschool moms. Once preschool dancers have performed, we will bring them straight back to their dressing room. they will then be allowed to return with you to your reserved seat to sit on your lap and watch the remainder of the show. Please put a t-shirt or their recital t-shirt on over their costume prior to heading to the auditorium. 

Finale: Please do not leave the performance early as all dancers will take the stage for a final bow. They may wear their costume or their recital t-shirt for this. After the final close of the curtain, dancers ages 8 and up will be dismissed to the dressing room and dancers ages 7 and under will remain on stage. Moms wearing wristbands may make their way to the stairways at the front of the stage. Dancers will only be dismissed from the stage to mom with a visible wristband. This process does take a few minutes. We ask that only moms head toward the stage and all other family members wait for their dancers by their seats or in the auditorium lobby. we appreciate your patience during this process. Check out will occur at the same table in our dressing room hallway as moms return to the dressing rooms to pick up your dancer or their belongings.

Video & Photography: Flash photography and video recording is strictly prohibited. We have A professional Videographer to capture these memories for you. This service will be provided free of charge to all En L’air Studio of Dance families and you will receive your performance via digital download to your email within a couple weeks after the show. We know it is tempting to capture these moments yourself, but we invite you to sit back, relax and enjoy the show in the moment, while knowing your memories are being preserved for you. We thank you in advance for adhering to these policies and advising your recital guests to do the same. 

Items to Remember:

• Hanging Rack and/or Laundry Basket

• Safety Pins

• Bobby Pins

• hair Elastics

• hair Spray

• All Makeup

• Deodorant

• Water Bottle

• and of course, Costumes, Tights, Accessory Pieces, & Dance Shoes!