2026 Sparkler Season
IMPORTANT DATES
Initial Rehearsals - Dec. 15th-19th, Jan. 5th-9th
Production Number Rehearsals - Saturdays from 10:00am-1:00pm beginning January 10th
CCA Leadership Awards - January 10th at 6:30pm
Donation Form Due - TBD
Lock-In - February 13th from 7pm-7am
Adjudication - March 7th
Final Rehearsals - March 9th-11th
Sparkler Weekend - March 12th-15th -
Brush-up Rehearsals - May 2nd & 9th from 11:00am-1:00pm
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 medley of music by The Beatles!
CHARITY FUNDRAISER
For this year’s fundraising efforts we have chosen to support a local non-profit started by our very own Angelia Anderson’s dad, Angelo. The organization is called Love, INC, with the INC standing for In the Name of Christ. Love INC of Clarion County is one of more than a hundred Love INC locations across the United States and Kenya, who partner with over 7,800 Christian churches to serve hundreds of thousands of people in need. Love INC fosters collaboration among churches to combine their resources in serving their neighbors.
DONATIONS
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 donations. NEW THIS YEAR... We'll be getting donors' names printed on the back of individual t-shirts for each dancer!
Sparkler Houses receive 1 point for every $25 that's collected!
Donation Form (Coming Soon!)
REHEARSAL ATTIRE
Black leotard
Black dance shorts
Tan tights
TBD shoes
INITIAL REHEARSALS
Our first rehearsals will take place December 15th-19th and January 6th & 8th. 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...
Hilton Cleveland Downtown, 100 Lakeside Avenue East, 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 Hilton.
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 10th 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: February 13th-14th
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!
COSTUME INFO
TBD
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: March 7th 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. TBD
Sr. TBD
Sr. TBD
Sr. TBD
Solos, Duos & Trios
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.
FINAL REHEARSALS
Final Rehearsals: March 9th-11th from 5:00-8:00
Acro audition prep: March 9th & 10th from 8:00-8:30
Wear your Sparkler Jacket on March 11th 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 2nd & 9th from 11:00am-1:00pm
