Everwood Show – Attendance & Commitment

Dear JADance Families,

I wanted to send a little reminder about show attendance and commitment, particularly as we are now just five weeks away from Everwood.

Over the past week, I have had a few students mention that they are coming to some of the shows but not others, or that they may not be able to attend certain rehearsals. I completely understand that sometimes circumstances arise, and if there is a genuine problem or something you are unsure about, please speak to me as soon as possible. I am always happy to discuss individual circumstances and work out what is appropriate.

However, I do need everyone to understand that at this stage, changes to availability can make things extremely difficult to manage.

The choreography has been created around the children who are currently in each class. In some pieces, we have actually spent weeks working on different versions of the choreography to accommodate particular students. The dances have now been put together, and if students suddenly aren't available, I may have to change choreography that has already been taught and rehearsed. This then affects not just one child, but the entire group.

Next week, the majority of our pieces will be completely finished. Some are already finished, with just one or two endings still to complete. After that, over the following two weeks, we will be working on our finale pieces, leaving us with approximately three weeks to do what I think is one of the most important parts of preparing for a show – polishing and repeating.

This is where I really want our JAdancers to understand the value of practice.

We live in a TikTok and YouTube generation where our children see incredible dancers performing amazing routines online. What they don't always see is the hours and hours of practice that happened before that video was filmed. The performance they see is the result of repetition, dedication, discipline and commitment.

That is exactly what we are trying to teach our dancers at JADance.

Coming to class matters.

Rehearsing matters.

Repeating matters.

Being part of the team matters.

When one person doesn't attend, it can affect everyone else in their group. A dance show is not an individual performance – it is a team effort. Every dancer has a part to play, and sometimes being committed to something means having to say no to other things because you have already made a commitment to your team.

I would therefore really ask all families, particularly those in our Senior School, to please look carefully at the show and rehearsal dates and make these a priority. The expectation is that Senior School students will attend the rehearsals and all performances they are involved in.

For our Junior School, the expectation is slightly different. Juniors only need to attend the performance they have been allocated to, arriving at the specified time already costumed and ready to perform.

I would also like to say a huge thank you to the parents who have already spoken to me about any potential clashes or difficulties. I really do appreciate you communicating with me early, as this allows me to plan properly and make the best decisions for the children.

If there is a genuine issue with your child's attendance at a rehearsal or performance, please contact me as soon as possible rather than leaving it until the last minute. At this stage, I need to know what I am working with so that I can make sure every dancer and every piece is prepared properly.

We have put so much time, energy and love into creating this show, and I want our dancers to have that wonderful feeling at the end of it when they know that all their hard work and practice has paid off.

Let's make these final five weeks count.

Let's commit, let's practise, let's support each other – and let's make Everwood absolutely fantastic! 🌿✨

Thank you, as always, for your support.

Love,Jennie x