One of the schools I work at had their show last night. I wore my costume even though I didn't skate in the pro number. It turned out to be a good thing that I didn't because I never could have made it through the two hour rehearsals twice a week. I was down with something on Thursday, and they were at the rink till 10 that night!

My group did great, although they had a moment of confusion at the very beginning due to the house lights being down. Three of my students who had won gold medals in our in-house basic skills comp got to do mini solos. All of the parents seemed very pleased (big sigh of relief). At the end, each group was called to come out, and they formed a circle skating around the rink (I skated with them). Then they had the coaches skate out as our names were called. We lined up across the rink, and two of the hockey coaches handed out a dozen red roses to each of us!!! I thought it was over and left the ice, only to be called back for a group pic of all the pros. They got a good smile out of us by telling us: everyone say "it's over". Everyone skated very well overall, with the only real mishap being when the assistant director's wide flare pants caught under her blades twice in a row right at the start of her solo. She took two very hard falls, and they postponed her until after the intermission. She came back out in a different pair of pants and skated beautifully.

Our theme was the 80's, so all the music was pretty high energy. I kept my group moving, and was very impressed with the solo programs, which didn't have many breathers. Most impressive, however, was the job done by our skating director in pulling the whole thing off so smoothly. Not only did she have to plan and coordinate it, but all of her students skated in it and she herself skated a pairs program with her old partner.

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It sounds great - you must be both relieved and disappointed that it's over. Another time, maybe everybody, not just the kids, should have a dress rehearsal to discover unskateable costumes?

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

Nope, just relieved

We did have a dress rehearsal, but just for the kids. In the pro locker room before the show, the assistant director expressed concern about the wide flare of her pants. They were part of the costume for the group pro number that opened the show, and weren't a problem in that program.

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Sounds awesome

(aside- do you think that all ice skating lessons end in a showcase type thing?)

Mamy schools have a show mid-season and another at the end of the season. What they do in the show, and how they do them, varies considerably. Some shows are fairly modest in terms of sets and costumes, while others go all out. Schools also have different requirements for participation in shows. One school that I work for allows anyone who is able to skate a solo program a the Preliminary level or higher to do so in the show. Of course, that is because they have few students who qualify, and even have to bring in guest performers (private students of staff coaches) to up the ante. Other schools, that have many qualified students, require soloists to be enrolled for a certain number of classes per week or meet similar requirements. Participation in shows is voluntary and pretty much always has an additional fee attached for costumes and rehearsal time.

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