CONCERT HANDBOOK
On this page is all the information you will need regarding hair, makeup, costumes, rehearsals, videos, etc., and we recommend book marking this page so that you may refer to it easily. Feel free to read it with a coffee or glass of wine in hand! This is without a doubt the climax of our year and we are excited to show you how hard our dancers have been working!
The opportunity to perform in a concert is an exciting, empowering and confidence building part of the performing arts. This is where our students learn about the theatre, rehearsals and teamwork, whilst enjoying the opportunity to showcase their skills in a professionally run production. Concerts are a wonderful way for students to share the results of the years hard work, and for family and friends to join in the pride of their achievement. We love giving all students the chance to perform for their family and friends in this supportive and fun environment and encourage even our youngest and newest performers to be involved.
In terms of attendance, it is very important that students do not miss any of their scheduled classes before concert time, so they can spend their rehearsal time together to practice their routines, feel confident and look amazing. If your child is sick or injured for class, but is well enough to come and watch, this is preferable to missing out altogether. If, for any reason your child will miss any of their regular classes in Term 4, we ask that you let us know via phone message or email in advance. Please note that unfortunately any families with unpaid dance or costume fees will not be allowed to participate in our concert.
CONCERT WEEKEND
This year we are holding two concerts, both on the same day, Saturday 28th November.
All concerts take place at the Chris Walkling Theatre, at St Philips Christian College Port Stephens.
Please check below to know when your child/ren will be performing, and which concert to buy tickets for.
Anyone is welcome to buy tickets for any concert, not just the one your kids will be performing in – we love supporting all our students!
Ready Set Concert
9:30am start | Saturday 28th November
All preschool age classes;
Ready Set Dance, Ready Set Ballet, Ready Set Acro
Rep Teams
School Age Concert
3:00pm start | Saturday 28th November
All school age classes;
Kindy, Mini, Junior, Pre-Teen, Teen, Senior
Dancing Queens, Rep Teams
PRE-CONCERT REHEARSALS
SATURDAY REHERSALS (TERM 4)
Some students for combined classes are required for various Saturday rehearsals in the lead up to concert, the dates of which were released in our latest newsletter. Please ensure that you can be available for these rehearsals or inform reception ASAP if you are likely to not be here. These classes are not charged to parents as it is our choice to work on these routines.
Musical Theatre Recording
2:00pm – 4:00pm | Saturday 7th November
All Musical Theatre classes
Combined Ballet Rehearsal
12:00 – 2:00pm | Saturday 14th November
All school age Ballet classes;
Kindy, Mini, Junior, Pre-Teen, Teen, Senior
Combined Ballet Rehearsal
12:00 – 2:00pm | Saturday 21st November
All school age Ballet classes;
Kindy, Mini, Junior, Pre-Teen, Teen, Senior
TECH REHEARSAL
TECH REHEARSAL (DAY OF CONCERT)
Technical rehearsals are a super important part of preparing for our concert. This is where we get to bring together all the elements such as music, lighting, staging, props and atmosphere to compliment the students hard work. It gives us a chance to make any last-minute adjustments, ensure all the students are comfortable onstage, and make sure that everyone has time to get ready for their dances.
Tech rehearsals will be taking place ON the concert day.
Please ensure you arrive on time for concert day – every scheduled timeslot is EXTREMELY limited, and students need to be ready BEFORE their timeslot, not be arriving on the dot. We advise arriving 15-20 minutes before the timeslot.
Please find below the 2026 timetable for the tech rehearsal times on concert day and take note of when your child’s timeslot is.
Concert Day Timetable
SIGN IN / Out
When students arrive on concert day before their rehearsal time, they must make their way to the STAGE DOOR, and must be SIGNED-IN by a parent or guardian. Once signed in, students are not permitted to leave the backstage area. Once the event has concluded, students will be dismissed by the child’s age from both stage doors and the auditorium (listed below) and must be SIGNED-OUT by a parent or guardian. Do not ask your child to meet you outside the venue or in the car park – we will not let any student leave unless signed out by a parent/guardian. If someone else is picking up or dropping off your child, we need to know before the day who will be supervising them.
READY SET CONCERT DISMISSAL POINT
AUDITORIUM (the actual stage): all Ready Set students (2-5 years)
REP STUDENTS WILL REMAIN AT THE VENUE TO PREPARE FOR THE SECOND CONCERT
SCHOOL AGE CONCERT DISMISSAL POINT
STAGE DOOR ONE (right hand side of stage): Tiny, Kindy, Mini, Junior (ages 5-10 yrs)
AUDITORIUM (the actual stage): Pre-Teen, Teen and Senior (ages 11+ yrs)
CONCERT POLICIES
BACKSTAGE
Only Complete staff and registered helpers are permitted backstage. No one else is allowed backstage. We are unable to and will not run messages or supplies to students, so please make sure they have everything they need before they come backstage for rehearsal and concert.
NO FILMING
Private videography and photography of any part of the concert is strictly prohibited. It is against the child protection act for anyone other than approved people to video. COMPLETE PACC has signed parental consent, however you do not, not even to film your own child/ren at our concert. Again, this is a mandated law by which we are required to abide by, and we have and will follow through on reporting to authorities and/or removing from the premises anyone found in breach of these laws. We have contracted professionals attending on the day to provide these services for us, leaving you free to sit back and enjoy the show in the moment!
VENUE ETIQUETTE
Explicit language, inappropriate attire, offensive clothing or criminal behaviour will not be tolerated. Consuming alcohol or smoking/vaping of any kind are not permitted on the premises.
We also ask that all audience members, concert helpers and students abide by current government regulations with regards to Public Health Measures (e.g. COVID-19) to ensure a safe environment for all involved.
COSTUMES
In 2023 we made the transition to hiring ALL concert costumes, and this will be continued into the foreseeable future. Concert invoices must be paid BEFORE the 10th of November via Direct Bank Transfer, cash, cheque, EFTPOS, or Credit Card. Once the invoice has been paid concert T-shirts will be handed out the week before Concert.
We also keep all costumes at the studio, and our staff will bring them on concert day. This means one less thing for you to worry about, and a smaller bag to pack!
One of our favourite parts of the concert is our opening and finale routines in which all students come together on stage for a dance together. For these routines we have designed and ordered a new studio t-shirt to be worn as the costume, and this t-shirt can be worn as part of our uniform next year. The cost of these shirts is included in the concert levy.
WHAT TO BRING
Use our lists below to check you have everything you need, and download our handy checklist for packing your bags the week of concert!
Pre-School Aged Checklist
School Aged Checklist
WHAT TO BRING
- All shoes, names labelled on the inner sole
- All stockings and socks labelled on the tag or inside waistband
- A labelled bag or container with extra hair elastics, pins, hair nets, etc.
- Two labelled, guaranteed not to leak water bottles. NO SOFT DRINK, JUICE OR OTHER DRINK TYPES
- A labelled lunchbox with healthy snacks. NO POPCORN or CHIPS or SEAWEED, NO YOGHURT or HUMMUS or DIPS
- Tiny, Mini and Junior students are encouraged to bring a clothes basket or large container with a photo of them on it and their name. Some of our backstage workers do not know all the performers names so this makes it easier for them to keep belongings organised
- If a student has medical needs, we must be advised BEFORE the concert day. If packing medications is necessary, they must be clearly labelled and given to one of our main staff members, NOT THE STUDENT.
WHAT NOT TO BRING
- Makeup, especially if your child is under 10 years. We really don’t need any temptations their for “own makeup sessions”.
- Valuables including phones, iPods, iPads, smart watches, jewellery, precious toys, etc. Our studio and the venue will take no responsibility if an item is damaged, misplaced, lost or stolen.
Did you get the hint that everything should be labelled?
SHOES & STOCKINGS
All students require their OWN shoes. The studio does not supply shoes for hire/single-use in concert.
All shoes that are sneaker style must be dedicated dance shoes, and not regularly worn street shoes.
Stockings are available for purchase at the studio.
Ready Set Dance/Ballet
Girls: pale pink ballet, white frill socks
Ready Set Acro
no shoes or socks/tights
Competition Routines
same as most recent competition
All Acro
Girls: no shoes, tights TBC
Boys: no shoes or socks
Ballet
All: pink ballet flats, skin tone tights
Senior Pointe: theatrical pink tights, pointe shoes
Lyrical or Contemporary
Kindy, Mini, Junior: pink ballet flats, skin tone tights
Pre-Teen, Teen, Senior: skin-tone convertible tights, half sole shoes
Hip Hop
Kindy: skin tone tights, white sneakers
Mini, Junior, Pre-Teen, Teen: skin tone tights, black sneakers
(Rep Team’s regular shoes are fine)
Kindy, Mini, Junior, Pre-Teen: skin tone tights, tan jazz shoes
Teen: skin tone tights, tan OR black jazz shoes
Senior: skin tone tights, tan heels
Tap
Junior: skin tone tights, tan buckle up tap shoes
Pre-Teen: skin tone tights, black lace up tap shoes
(can be hired from studio if confirmed with staff)
UNDERWEAR
NON VISIBLE UNDERWEAR
Let’s keep the under in underwear. Underwear must be skin-coloured and must not be visible beneath costumes. No elastic lines should be seen underneath costumes.
Please note: dance costumes are designed with built-in support for girls with chests, so bras or crop tops are only recommended for those older girls who NEED them. If you need to wear dance bra/crop top/body stocking it also must not be visible under your costume, and the straps attached must be skin tone.
Clear/“invisible” straps ALWAYS show under stage lights and are therefore not invisible. If the straps that you have do not closely match your skin-tone you can dab small amounts of powder foundation onto them to help this.
HAIR
Hair must be neatly slicked with gel and/or hairspray (no flyaways or wispies). All hair accessories are to be secured tightly with multiple bobby pins.
Ready Set Dance/Ballet/Acro
any up style
Note – please use actual hair ties to secure your child’s hair, and not RSD accessories – we need to be able to change accessories for different dances)
Kindy, Mini
All: low figure 8/infinity
Junior, Pre-Teen
Jazz, Hip Hop, Lyrical/Contemporary, Pom, Musical Theatre, Rep Jazz, Rep Hip Hop:
low ponytail, no part (hair straight back)
Ballet, Acro, Rep Lyrical: low bun, no part
Boys / Cropped Hair
any clean, slicked style
Teen
Jazz, Hip Hop, Musical Theatre, Pom:
low ponytail, middle part
Contemporary: “hidden halo” style, middle part
Ballet: low ballet bun, middle part
Senior
Ballet: high ballet bun
Contemporary: high half-up-half-down style
Jazz: high ponytail
TIPS
- Use hair elastics, nets and pins that match the hair colour.
- Use hair spray before, during, and after styling, use gel when finished to secure the base of the hair.
- Hair is best styled when it is dirty; when it is clean everything falls out too easily.
- The most secure method of pinning accessories is placing two bobby pins one through the other to form a cross (X).
- Bobby pins actually need to be put in hair with the bumps facing down towards the scalp and the flat part of pin facing up.
- Use hair nets as opposed to bun nets – bun nets only fit around the hair once, where hair nets will fit 2-3 times creating a more secure style.
THIS SIDE FACING SCALP
All hair products can be bought cheaply from supermarkets, pharmacies, kmart, beauty shops, etc.
We have some tutorials on youtube linked below, and we will be holding hair and makeup workshops in the lead up to concert.
MAKE UP
Boys
- foundation
- simple black eyeliner (top line only, no wing)
- soft brown eyeshadow
- a soft touch of blush
2-6 years
- foundation
- eyeshadow
- mascara
- lipstain
- or as much as they will let you put on!
7+ years
- foundation
- blush
- brown eyeshadow
- black eyeliner
- mascara
- red lipstain
Optional but recommended:
- minimal eye brow product (mainly for pale natural brow colours)
- false eyelashes
The reason we do this as dancers is NOT to look like “little adults” or more grown-up. We do this because under bright light, faces become a pale skin-tone ‘blob’, and eyes, noses, lips etc., all blend together. Specifically colours, any blue based makeup turns black onstage, or green makes you look sickly. All performers of all genders wear makeup, even tv presenters.
We use lip stain so that the product doesn’t transfer during outfit changes or eating, and touch ups are not necessary. It also means not needing to pack lipstick with children, which often results in “let’s do our own makeup” sessions. Please do not pack a standard lipstick in your child’s bag.
Lip-stains are available from most supermarkets, some pharmacies, beauty shops, sometimes Kmart etc.
PERSONNEL LIST
If you have any further questions regarding concert, please talk to one of our staff members during studio operating hours.
Madelyn Comley (Miss Mady)
Principal, Creative Director, Teacher
Heather Perry-Comley
Admin, Artistic & Costume Director
Amy Norup (Miss Amy)
Teacher, Ready Set Dance, Accounts