Our Shows

Dreamflight® coined the phrase “Theatrical Gymnastics” by combining the disciplines of Gymnastics and Dance with the arts of Theatre and Writing into “Theatrical Gymnastics” performances twice a year. These are our Blossomstide and Winterstide recitals.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is “Theatrical Gymnastics”?

“Theatrical Gymnastics” is the incorporation of Gymnastics, Dance, Writing, and Acting into each others’ divisions. For example, Actors use their skills learned in Dance and Gymnastics in their One-Act Plays, and/or Gymnasts add learned flourish as Actors or Dancers to their routines, whether for competition or for recitals. Everything is connected when “Athleticism Meets The Arts”. Of course, not everyone is a Theatrical Gymnast, and that’s okay - everyone is more than welcome to focus solely on the division that calls to them, or even try them all to discover where their interests land!

How do the Recitals work?

Our Recitals are laid out to showcase all divisions of our program. The Actors have helped write a narrative play, in which they perform in scenes. In between these scenes, the Gymnasts and Dancers perform routines, circuits, and dances of which they’ve been learning all session. Music is played in the background of all routines and circuits that fits the theme of the narrative play.

How many performances are there?

New update! We have decided, as our program grows, we will need an additional performance; therefore, moving forward, we will be adding a show specifically for the preschoolers with the younger Actors doing short comedy sketches meant for shorter attention spans. The competitive team will also volunteer to perform their competitive routines for additional, more advanced, performances.

The above performance is meant to be supplementary performance on the Sunday of Recital Weekend. On Saturday, there are two performances, one matinee and one evening that follows the narrative structure described in “How do the Recitals work?”.

Is my kid required to do the Recital?

No. The recital is always a choice, but it is highly encouraged, since it is our biggest fundraisers of the year, with all proceeds going directly to our mission as a 501c(3) Nonprofit.

Am I allowed to read the script before deciding to attend?

Absolutely! Anyone who would like to read the script for the narrative performance before deciding to attend is more than welcome. Simply email us, and we’ll send over a copy.

Disclosure for those who have raised questions over our most recent performance:

A few parents have expressed concern, interpreting our most recent Blossomstide Recital play as “political”.  To be clear, it was not about politics.  It was strictly a social commentary on how our society might be losing its collective moral compass.  Nothing was said regarding “democrats” or “republicans”; nothing was said about “right wing” or “left wing”; in fact, one particular song lyric even stated: “…This isn’t about left or right; wrong is wrong…”. Dreamflight only seeks to convey morality, goodness, and virtue with the messages of our plays.

There was a time when it was universally accepted “American values” to be truthful, have integrity, be compassionate, and have consideration for others.  America defended the powerless, both here and abroad, from those like Adolf Hitler [mentioned in the play during a monologue speaking to how he rose to power], who sought to trample and subjugate the vulnerable.  That is part of our history.  As a nation, we collectively strove to be good people, held ourselves to a higher standard, to be a beacon of light and democracy for the world.

Our play, written with the active collaboration of the veteran teen members of the Acting class, did have a message, one they wanted to express.  This message is conveyed through the dialogue of the script, which was: "Even as young as we are, do you know what we understand?  We understand that lying is wrong.  Cheating is wrong.  Bullying is wrong.  Breaking the law is wrong.  Abusing any power you have over another is wrong."  The next line was: "You know what else we understand?  As kids?  We understand how to be kind.  How to treat others with respect, even if they're different than us.  And most importantly, we know how to love.  Our parents.  Our friends.  Our neighbors.  The world."   That is not a “political” message, it is a moral message.  The play was meant to hold a mirror up to society that the values of honesty, goodness and kindness should not be lost.

While most of the feedback on the play’s content was highly praised, the Board has taken into consideration the concerns of the civil discussion by a few of our parents. In this, we realized the mistake on our part was simple - the misinterpretation that we are doing “children’s theatre”. Dreamflight’s Theatre program is not a “children’s theatre” program, it is an all-inclusive theatre program, so the content of it ranges from children to adults in its delivery. Our audience is two-fold, but more directly for those attending the performance, not as much those participating in it (who are behind the performance, not sitting in front of it). Thus, the audience is mostly adults, not children, although it is children performing. For example, “Oliver Twist” or “Les Miserables” are plays that have large children casts, but are not written as “children’s theatre”.

Our plays will always have multiple scenes and sketches of comedy, but the overall story of the narrative may or may not be a comedic one. We remember that theatre has been used for thousands of years to reflect on, shed light on, and even criticize the state of the world in which we live, and it will continue to do so.  In the end, each of our plays is uniquely written for the Actors currently enrolled - with their brainstorming, input, and to help them speak to what they are dealing with as kids in their everyday lives.  This does mean that there is contemporary significance to it, allowing them to express and process what matters to them.

As listed in the Q&A above, any parent who wishes to read the script of a recital ahead of time is welcome to do so.  Any parent who wishes to respectfully discuss the content of a script is also welcome.  What is not welcome are anonymous, veiled threats, and attempts to bully or intimidate us.  Any intent to do so will simply be ignored.

As for the partial “No Kings” song being played during one event: On July 4th, we will be remembering the same date in 1776, when the Founders collectively said we would no longer pay fealty to a King, and instead unite as a new nation.  “No Kings” is not a “political” statement, it is an affirmation of what the Founders declared 250 years ago, and what Americans have been saying every Independence Day since our country’s founding.  

Dreamflight believes in teaching kids by example, that making good moral choices to be honest and kind, and promoting “collective positivity through mind and body” will help them grow in goodness and strength.  These are our moral values, and we will continue to express and uphold them.