2025 Sparkler Season
IMPORTANT DATES
December 17th-20th and January 7th & 9th - Initial Rehearsals
Saturdays beginning January 11th - Production Number Rehearsals from 10:00am-1:00pm
January 11th - CCA Leadership Awards at 6:30pm
January 31st - Lock-In from 7pm-7am
February 22nd - Adjudication & Pledges Due
February 24th-26th - Final Rehearsals
February 27th-March 2nd - Sparkler Weekend
May 3rd & 10th - Brush-up Rehearsals
FACEBOOK GROUP
If you're new to our Sparklers team or have never joined the Facebook Group, please do so at https://www.facebook.com/groups/ccasparklers.
PRODUCTION THEME
A lyrical musical theatre piece to the song Jack and Jill, Pt. 2 by The Gray Havens! The song tells an allegorical story where Jack, after falling down and hitting his head, wakes up in heaven. He meets different classic fairytale and children's song characters along the way to finding The Lamb.
Listen to Jack and Jill, Pt. 2 on YouTube!
CHARITY FUNDRAISER
(Information coming soon!)
PLEDGES
Since our opening in 2013, we have been raising money for different charities through our competition dances. Our desire is to give dancers something to dance for that's more important than a trophy. Students use the form below to collect pledges based on the award we will receive for our Production Number. After the competition students will collect those pledged donations and turn them in to the Office. Sparkler Houses receive 1 point for every $25 that's collected!
Pledge Form (Coming Soon!)
REHEARSAL ATTIRE
Black leotard
Black dance shorts
Tan tights
Lyrical shoes
INITIAL REHEARSALS
Our first rehearsals will take place December 17th-20th and January 7th & 9th. Attendance for all initial rehearsals is mandatory since a majority of choreography will be learned at this time.
POLICY ON ABSENCES
Students are permitted one absence of a Sparkler rehearsal during the course of our season with no absences occurring during the "initial rehearsals" in December and January or during the four weeks leading up to competition. Absences should be excused three weeks in advance with the exception of a sudden death in the family, the hospitalization of the student, or a contagious illness. Please do not ask for an exception to this rule! If you are going to miss a rehearsal within the four weeks leading up to competition, then please excuse yourself from being a part of the competition for the year.
If a student is injured or ill but not contagious, s/he is permitted to sit and watch the rehearsal while taking notes.
If a student is quarantined due to a contagious illness, s/he must still attend rehearsal via Zoom. S/he may watch and take notes if too sick to physically participate.
NOTE: When a student misses a rehearsal, s/he MUST get together with a classmate to review all choreography and notes that were missed BEFORE the next rehearsal. Please make arrangements with a friend PRIOR to the missed rehearsal so your friend can pay attention to where you are in formations and what you do for choreography.
If you are unable to commit to this policy, please excuse yourself from the competition dance. Even if you're a strong dancer, missing rehearsal in the final 4 weeks before competition really throws the whole group off and makes those final rehearsals very stressful for your choreographers. 😊 Thank you in advance for not requesting special treatment on this policy. Remember, you can still join us for the exciting Sparkler Weekend by participating in audition and convention classes without being a part of the competition dance!
HOTEL
The competition and convention is taking place at the...
Huntington Convention Center in Cleveland, 300 Lakeside Ave, Cleveland, OH 44114.
You are welcome to stay wherever you'd like for the weekend, but Ohio Dance Masters has room blocks at the Marriott and Westin near the Convention Center. These rooms won't be available for long. You can make your reservation at the link below. Your teachers will be staying at the Marriott.
Cleveland Marriott Downtown at Key Tower
If you would like to split the room with another mom and daughter feel free to use our Facebook Group to connect.
CCA LEADERSHIP AWARDS - Jan 11th at 6:30pm at CCA
This awards ceremony is a special celebration recognizing the achievements of our students. At the event we will...
hear from one of our celebrated alumni
reveal the winning Sparkler House from the previous year
present new Sparklers with their jackets
induct new and recognize current NHSDA members
pay special homage to our Student Assistants and Apprentices
hear from a representative of the charity we're supporting
announce our new Gemstone Houses
Students are encouraged to dress up! Please RSVP at the link below so we know how many chairs to set up.
LOCK-IN
Date: January 31st-February 1st
Arrival: 7:00pm on Friday... parents stay for 30-minute meeting
Pickup: 7:00am on Saturday
Students should come dressed in their black leotard and shorts ready to dance for the first part of the Lock-In. Bring pajamas to change into as well as a sleeping bag, pillow and water bottle!
There will be a short parent meeting at 7:00pm before the festivities begin. We will distribute and go over the Packing List at this time.
Please use the spreadsheet below to let us know what you plan to bring to share with the group! We will need a variety of drinks, snacks and sweets as well as cups, napkins, plates and utensils. Healthy options are appreciated!
Sparker Lock-In Food/Drink Sign Up
(Download the Google Sheets app or use a desktop computer.)
PACKING LIST
The Packing List below thoroughly lists everything we recommend that a dancer have in their makeup and emergency kit. Your choreographers can provide guidance about precise shades of blush and lipstick for each routine, so feel free to wait until the Parent Meeting at our Lock-in to learn what shades you will need.
Some emergency items could be shared among dancers, but if you want to be thoroughly prepared for any situation our list will help!
All dancers will need a plain black leotard for Auditions & Classes. This leotard needs to be made of one material, which means there can be no lace, zippers, rhinestones or other embellishments. Girls will need to wear pink tights for Auditions but can opt to wear tan tights for their classes. It doesn't hurt to pack extras in case one pair rips!
Packing List (Coming Soon!)
MAKEUP
Follow the tutorial video below for a general understanding of how to do dance stage makeup. The specific brand names are not important. You can match the colors in the video with whatever brand of makeup you prefer.
Please don't stress about doing it exactly like the video! Your final product should simply resemble the final product on the video's model. Keep in mind that we may ask for a specific color blush or lipstick based on the dance. We may also request eye glitter.
For younger dancers, please follow this softer tutorial. It lets you skip the false eye lashes if you'd like!
Young Dancer Makeup Tutorial Video
Remember, makeup helps highlight a dancer's facial expressions. It should be way more dramatic than everyday makeup! But we aren't too picky. If there's something we'd like done a bit differently we'll let you know at Adjudication. Dancers should also bring their makeup kits to the offstage waiting area before they perform in case we need to fix something.
ADJUDICATION
Date: February 22nd at 9:30am
Location: Clarion Center for the Arts
This event gives students the chance to perform their dances for our teachers and CCA alumni who will give students some final feedback to prepare for competition.
Students need to be ready to go in full hair, makeup and costume by 10:00am. As soon as your dances are finished, you are free to leave. We will go in the following order:
Production
Jr. Lyrical
Sr. Tap
Sr. Contemporary
Sr. Lyrical
Solos & Duo
SCHOOL DISMISSAL LETTER
Download and print the letter below to return to your child's school office. The date field has been left blank to accommodate different families' plans. There are additional lines at the end of the letter if anything else needs to be shared with the school.
School Dismissal Letter (Coming Soon!)
FINAL REHEARSALS
Final Rehearsals: February 24th-26th from 5:30-8:00
Acro audition prep: February 24th & 25th from 8:00-8:30
Wear your Sparkler Jacket on February 26th to take some team pictures at the beginning of rehearsal!
SPARKLER WEEKEND
Here's the schedule to follow for the weekend! Be sure to familiarize yourself with it before arriving in Cleveland.
Weekend Schedule (Coming Soon!)
BRUSH-UP & FINALE REHEARSALS
Dates: May 3rd & 10th from 9:00am-1:00pm
