It may seem a little early, but right now is probably the best time to get ready for recital. Right now everything dance-wise is pretty calm, and it is much easier to think about what you may need. Here are some ways to begin your recital prep. Feel free to add or subtract things to the list to make it work for your family and your dancer!

• Prep for your costume: If you need a garment bag, now is a great time to get one. You can add your dancer’s name to it so it won’t get misplaced in the dressing area. If you have a tutu that may need to be steamed, make sure you get the garment steamer out of storage (or purchase one) so it is ready when the costume comes home.
• Start buying/gathering the “essentials”: Bobby pins, hairspray, gel, clips, hair ties, extra tights, make-up, make-up remover wipes, sewing kit, the list goes on. All of these items can be bought bit by bit so they don’t make as big a dent in your budget. Make a list of what you’ll need to completely dress your dancer and break it up into smaller parts if you need to.
• Take a head count now: Tickets for the recital will be going on sale in May, so now is great time to get the word out to family and let them know that you need to know who wants to attend. The earlier they can get the date into their calendar the better for you if you are buying tickets for the whole family!
• Make a Recital Checklist: While you have the advantage of time and a less stressful atmosphere, make a list of what you need to bring the day of the recital. You can also have that list cover all of your general “end of year to-dos” from ordering flowers and t-shirts to making sure your stars are decorated and returned to the studio to they are ready to greet your dancer after they perform. I am crazy about details so I even include what snacks I pack for in-between shows, water bottles for everyone, and reminders to bring my phone charger and all the camera “stuff”. Every year I use it as a template and update it to fit the current year.
• Check in with your dancer: Do their shoes fit properly? Better to find out now than after they’ve been painted! Do they need anything for their costume that isn’t included as part of the package? Is there anything they might need for recital that they didn’t realize before last year?

Once you have a good working list and start to check off items it will definitely give you a feeling that you have a handle on recital prep. You can revisit these lists and adjust them from now until recital, especially during Dress Rehearsal week when you’ll really have an idea of what both you and your dancer will need to have things go as smoothly as possible!