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Guide

Dance recital program: what to include

A dance recital program lists every routine in show order with its number, title, song and choreographer, and usually the names of the dancers in it, with the intermission marked where it falls. Print it last, from the final running order, so the numbers in the program match the numbers backstage.

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The parts of a program

  1. Cover: studio name, show title, date, venue and time.
  2. Welcome: a short note, and any house rules such as no flash photography.
  3. Running order: the part families read. Number, routine title, song, choreographer, dancers.
  4. Intermission: marked in the running order where it falls.
  5. Thanks: teachers, volunteers, sponsors, after the running order.

Program templates for word processors and design tools are easy to find, but they are typed by hand, and every change to the order means retyping the numbers. The planner prints the running order part of the program straight from the order, in one or two columns, with or without dancer names, and as CSV for a designer or a print shop.

Example program from the sample recital

This is the running order section of the program for the built sample recital, rendered by the planner from its own order. Every name is invented.

Spring recital

  1. 1. Opening Number

    Radetzky March

    Choreography: Ms Rivera

    Ava Brooks, Mia Chen, Zoe Patel, Lily Novak

  2. 2. Junior Ballet

    Swan Lake Waltz

    Choreography: Ms Okafor

    Hana Kim, Chloe Adams, Nora Quinn

  3. 3. Teen Lyrical

    The Blue Danube

    Choreography: Ms Rivera

    Owen Hart, Maya Singh

  4. 4. Tiny Tap

    The Entertainer

    Choreography: Ms Okafor

    Ella Okoro, Jun Kim, Sofia Reyes, Noah Park

  5. 5. Senior Lyrical

    Clair de Lune

    Choreography: Ms Rivera

    Ava Brooks, Mia Chen, Grace Okoro

  6. 6. Junior Tap

    Hungarian Dance No. 5

    Choreography: Ms Okafor

    Mateo Ruiz, Nora Quinn, Lily Novak

  7. 7. Teen Hip Hop

    In the Hall of the Mountain King

    Choreography: Mr Diaz

    Zoe Patel, Lena Ruiz, Owen Hart, Maya Singh

  8. 8. Petite Ballet

    Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

    Choreography: Ms Okafor

    Ella Okoro, Sofia Reyes, Isla Grant, Ruby Shaw

    Intermission

  9. 9. Junior Jazz

    Maple Leaf Rag

    Choreography: Mr Diaz

    Hana Kim, Mateo Ruiz, Chloe Adams, Lily Novak

  10. 10. Senior Tap

    Can-Can

    Choreography: Mr Diaz

    Ava Brooks, Zoe Patel, Grace Okoro

  11. 11. Teen Contemporary

    Spring, from The Four Seasons

    Choreography: Ms Rivera

    Mia Chen, Lena Ruiz, Maya Singh

  12. 12. Adult Tap

    The Stars and Stripes Forever

    Choreography: Ms Okafor

    Dana Wells, Priya Rao

  13. 13. Petite Jazz

    Flight of the Bumblebee

    Choreography: Mr Diaz

    Jun Kim, Noah Park, Isla Grant

  14. 14. Senior Jazz

    Ride of the Valkyries

    Choreography: Mr Diaz

    Grace Okoro, Ruby Shaw

  15. 15. Finale

    Ode to Joy

    Choreography: Ms Rivera

    Ava Brooks, Mia Chen, Zoe Patel, Lily Novak, Owen Hart, Maya Singh

Common mistakes

Sources

Frequently asked questions

What goes in a dance recital program?

The show title and date, then every routine in show order with its number, title, song and choreographer, and usually the dancers' names. Mark the intermission. Thank-yous, the staff list and sponsor pages go before or after the running order, not inside it.

Should dancer names be printed in the program?

Many studios print them because families look for their child's name. Some leave them out for privacy or space. The planner prints the program with or without names; it is a layout option, not a data change.

One column or two?

One column reads best for short programs and large type. Two columns fit a longer recital on a folded sheet. Both are the same order, so pick by paper size.

What if the order changes after the program is printed?

Print the program last. Because the program is built from the running order, a late change means a reprint, not retyping.

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Last reviewed 27 September 2026. Showorder is not affiliated with any dance studio software company, dance teachers association, music examination board or competition organiser.