Hi I don't know if anyone else feels like this but every year around this time when I am putting together music for the recital. When I get to the ballet part which is the second half of my show and is what I love the most. I hear how audiences get bored and that puts me in a confused state.
In past I have done themes like Cinderella, Coppelia some of the fun ballets. I have choreographed to modern,pop and contemporary music. However, I feel it takes away from what I do best. This year I want to do the classics like Bach, Beethoven etc,this is apart of my theme However I ask will it go over as a crowd pleaser. How do I keep the classic pure but keep my audiences interested?

Bored may be too harsh-maybe mix it up and do some classical and add some unexpected pieces in? But yes you definitely feel the energy drain happen during a ballet portion.

Is there a way to bring in outside dancers? Maybe to do some partnering to spice it up a bit? Maybe they can even partner your advanced dancers? Check into your local colleges and performing art centers? Just a thought....I live for the ballet sections

My audiences love props--opera masks, fans, maypoles, ribbon wands, scarves, whatever, and props give you other fun possibilities for choreography. Not every one of our classes uses props, but many do for at least part of their dance. The kids love it, and I make $$ because I rent the props to them.

It seems that you arrange your shows with the ballet stuff all in the same section, right? About half of each of my 3 shows (2.5-2.75 hrs each) is ballet, but I try hard not to put 2 ballet pieces in a row, if possible. If it can't be avoided, I at least try not to put 2 beginner classes side by side--that does get boring for the dads & brothers in the audience! If they're tempted to get bored with a ballet piece, it's followed by a tap, jazz, or hip hop piece, or at least the older dancers doing some fancier stuff in ballet, so they perk right back up. I don't know if you could alter the arrangement of your show without destroying your vision for it, but it's an idea that has worked for me.

^^^ I have done the same thing. Strategically place the ballet numbers between jazz and hip-hop.

That obviously won't work if you are putting together a whole ballet.

The other thing is...and forgive me for saying this...but beginner and unrefined ballet is definitely tougher to watch than beginner anything else, just because the music can generally keep the audience alert in the other forms.

If you combine classical music and beginner ballet dancers with no real technique...well you have a deadly combination entertainment-wise. Too many of those in a row and ummmm Good Night Irene. hehe.

A long time ago we used to have ours set up in chunks - all the baby classes with maybe a couple tap dances blended in, then all the ballet, all the tap, all the jazz... but that's pretty boring. So for the past 5 or 6 years we've tried to do ballet, tap, jazz, ballet, tap, jazz, etc. so it's constantly being mixed up. It really breaks up the show. Unless you're using the second half to do the entire Coppelia ballet (or whatever ballet you pick) then I switch it up.

You can't mix up Cinderella or Coppelia.

You could put the ballet in the first 1/2 of your show so the audience leaves with the jazz/tap portion on their mind.

After some 'beating rock' songs, you can't do 'calm classical' music. That is really a downer. BUT...there are enough options to do it anyway.

Use classical music for modern dance. Lots of great choreographers do it too.

Use popmusic for ballet, it makes it easier for the audience to swallow it. (I've use 'The Rose' from Bette Midler for instance).

And as already mentioned: put classical musice/ballet inbetween two different styles. The diversity of the show makes it interesting.

Don't forget the possibility to use humor in a ballet choreography! Don't take it all to serious.

Use uptempo classical music, that helps too. Running dancers give your choreography a lot of speed.

I try to mix it up - start with my 2 year old tappers because they are just too cute, then an advanced ballet that looks really clean and impressive, then some intermediate jazz and tap, then some baby ballet....I try not to put two preschool classes or two ballet classes next to each other. It gets tricky, but it keeps the show interesting. I feel like a recital should show off the dancers' abilities AND keep the audience entertained so they are a good and responsive audience for the kids; they will perform better with a good audience. A dance recital should be 2 things for the audience - short and entertaining!

I understand wanting to expose your kids to the classic ballets, but could you do this in class? Do across the floor to Coppelia for a semester. Each week use a different piece of the music and tell them in 1 minute or less what happens in that piece? You could do one a semester or one a year and really give the students insight into the ballet without having your audience watch young kids attempt a shortened version of the ballet? If you have to shorten it you make the story hard to follow and with young kids the storytelling gets lost in trying to remember their steps.

Make up your own "ballet" for the recital and incorporate all classes (jazz, tap, hip hop) that is what we did when I was in high school, the shows were always very entertaining. We got the experience of performing a ballet and telling a story, but it was to popular and classical music.

Just an idea...

I'm a small school and do my two hour recital (weeknight 7-9 pm) like this, for these reasons:

Opening has to have the babies first, so they can go on, and leave, if necessary (crying siblings, etc.) We tend to do the jazz, tap, lyrical numbers in the first act because the kids arrive dressed in costume, and need to change into their ballet costumes during intermission. Most numbers average 2-3 minutes, and we have few, if any, solos. We also try to use a theme, such as Hairspray, or Bye Bye Birdie.

Second hour is a scaled down ballet production of Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, or Coppelia. Everyone is in this, except the babies - most of whom leave at the intermission. I hire a professional male dancer, so he can do lifts, and showy leaps. I cut out the too long pas de deux, except for one female and male solo. We keep mainly corps dances, but break it down for the kids, so they only have 2 minute routines - and use the liveliest music here. The familiar waltzes, we recruit at least 4 males, so we can do it with partnering. This keeps the ballet story intact, but breaks up the monotony of too few experienced dancers.

I do get creative. My teens get to act a little, in addition to dance, and this is fun for them too. We use our older male dancers for the ugly stepsisters in Cinderella. I added a classical Indian dance to Coppelia, as one of the dolls in the second act. I spend a lot of time on paring down the music and finding the best costumes - because we keep these in inventory, for when we repeat the ballet every 4 years. I buy multiple versions on DVD, and get ideas from going to professional touring productions too. I've even gone to NYC to see children's theatre versions.

I'm trying to educate the audience, as well as the dancers, in the classics. I feel there's too little ballet being seen, and it will die off, if we don't make this effort. Years from now, my grown up dancers will go to professional productions, and recognize the ballets they learned. (In fact, this is already happening for my teen dancers. My dream would be one of them turning pro, and my being in their audience.) I would have loved doing these productions as a kid, so I at least can do it for my students.

I agree with trying to mix the ballet in.
We also have a big finale with everyone in it(you have to be or you're not in recital), so no one can leave so we don't have an empty audience.
I would try to find some exciting music.
I can spend forever listening to some of these compilations on itunes of people's favorite movie songs.
I think it's more of the music being boring for people than the dancing.
Look up these few songs which are some of my favorites to see what i mean:
Karl Jenkins- Palladio
Holst- St. Paul's Suite
Francois-Paul Aiche - Pirates- the blue sky project
anything Sousa
There are tons of fun, classical songs(even slow ones)
People especially love the populars like Cannon in D, Vivaldi,
Tchaikovsky Concerto in B flat minor.

Thank you for the great ideas and advice. LOVE the music ideas.
I have a question on mixing up the numbers. At this time I have the first half of the show for all of the jazz and tap numbers.So the kids only have to change twice. Then the second half of the show all the students in the ballet just change once. I don't know how it will be for the dancers to change from ballet tap to jazz. And how do you organize the line-up I understand the babies are placed first in the show. But is there a format to follow?

I don't know if others follow a specific format. I used to put the babies first and then arrange the others based on costume changes and tried to mix genres so there was constantly a variety.

Line-ups are always a logistical nightmare when you have students in multiple dances, but it can be done.

I do the following:

Opening number - advanced dancers
2 year olds
combo class jazz (best elementary group)
ballet
predance

from their I alternate. I try not to put two ballet classes or two preschool classes back to back.

For combo classes, they do one dance in each act. If their is a third or 4th class (hip hop, ballet) I split those between acts. Right now, most of my kids are leveled the same for everything. I only have two students who are in Senior 1 for some classes and Senior 2 or 3 for other classes. All of my babies are in the same levels.

PreSchoolers do their tap dances in act 1 and then they all do a big number together in act 2.

I have the kids wear their hair the same for all dances. No, changes for the little ones.

They all participate in the finale, and some do the father/daughter dance at the top of act 2.

Personally, I always felt that the audience ballet drain happened when ballet was set to pop music. There is plenty of exciting classical music out there to set ballet to.

^^^ When I was a kid, my dance teacher always had a big ballet production right before the Intermission. He used stirring waltzes, and had 4 levels of classes dancing parts of it. In the finale, we would all dance back on stage, and final pose.

For me having a theme is important. Choose the right props, costume, music and choreo. and you shouldn't have a problem with boredom. When I choreograph, I like to have lots of exits and entrances, change of formations, duets and trios done within the group. People in the audience never know what is coming next. When I choose classical music, it must inspire me...I like powerful, lively and bright music that makes you sit up and take notice...but also the softer, flowy, dreamier music as well. Change in dynamics in a classical piece of music is important as well to hold audience attention.

I agree with mixing the little ones in. A. it keeps it interesting, B. it can give some older girls time to change.
We actually had a few who had to change in the wings, but it worked out(and they had on nude leotards of course) and you won't have too many of those. It is a hassle to work it all out, but I think it makes it much more enjoyable to keep the pace and the audience wondering whats next rather than , "oh, not another baby ballet number"

I'm not sure about most of the audience but I know my dad and other dads get bored and sleepy. The only ballet dance that my father liked was one where there was a story line. It was called "Breaking up is hard to do" and we had to act out finding a boy and then him breaking up with us. The dance combined pointe and reg ballet and combined modern and classical music. Groups would go on and off stage. The piece was comical because of the good acting roles. I think the audience just needs a story line and change up of music to keep people engaged no matter what level. Just a thought

I've always mixed everything up. First I would place the advanced dancers with the most costume changes, then the baby classes--so that none would be back to back, then everyone else. I, too, tried to space out the baby dances and not-so-advanced ballet dances. Also, a good rule of thumb is to put two of the best dances right at the end (just before finale if you have one), because this is what the audience will come away remembering.

I mix it up as well and do something similar to what Chepyl said.