Ms. Hetal’s Productions – From one of the emails..
People often ask why I don’t allow late entries into my productions.
Here’s the simple reason. 😊
My productions are story-based, curriculum-based, by genre and some are explicitly by styles and planned almost an entire year in advance.
Every dance, role, costume, formation, transition, backstage responsibility, photography schedule, interviews, and production timeline is carefully designed.
By the time we’re in the last three months, almost everything is finalized.
Many people think,
“We’ll save money and join just for the last three months so we can perform.” Unfortunately, that’s usually not possible.
Here’s what the last three months actually look like for us:
- Final 2 months: Closing choreography, production polishing, role confirmations of various dancers or drama final music dubbing and sound, Elite planning, costume checks, formations, props, certificates, medals, photography schedules, sponsor coordination, and countless production details.
- Last month: Mostly rehearsals.
- Last 15 days: No regular classes at all. That’s my time to prepare as the Artistic Director for the production itself.
At that point, there are simply no extra roles left. Sometimes the stage is literally full. 😊, Run time is super full.
Most of my productions have anywhere between 30 to 70 performers, with approximately three to four hours of stage programming.
We also have strict venue timelines—we have to finish on time and hand the hall back. Adding even one additional performer affects formations, rehearsals, backstage flow, costumes, photography, lighting cues, and timing.
Since students are in “learning phase”, it is becomes too much for them to accomodate changes. Most are kids that’s why. Adults are usually not a problem.
Sometimes Adults too are not able to because of “learning phase”. It is that full.
On top of the performances, many productions include:
- Live video shoots
- Model shoots if any we have on list
- Interviews
- Professional headshots
- Sponsor recognitions, if any.
- Felicitations of our Student of the Year awards
- Felicitations for various parents and Elites
- Costume showcases
- New choreographers, staff or interns launches
- Product/Brand launch activities, if any
- Special guest appearances if Ms. Hetal invites somebody.
- Media coverage – One photographer and videographer is in-house.
Everything is scheduled well in advance.
Our students also progress through a structured curriculum and graduate by level. Many use these performances and certifications as part of their college portfolios or artistic achievements. Because of that, I have to maintain very high production standards. I simply cannot compromise the quality or fairness of the process.
People sometimes pay for a drop-in class just to see rehearsals, sometimes to see if they can catch up to work or hoping they’ll get included in the production.
I honestly remember many of them who come like this because I genuinely feel bad when I have to say no. Sometimes I can accommodate someone, as some are really good. Sometimes I simply cannot.
It depends on the year’s story, theme, choreography, character requirements, available stage space, costumes, rehearsal time, and countless production logistics.
Certificates and medals too are planned way in advance. Sometimes even the certificates, medals, and production materials have already been printed months in advance. Usually, Ms. Hetal is on her way to pick those. That’s all.
One thing people may not realize is that saying “no” isn’t personal.
It’s logistics.
It’s planning. Costumes to name a few.
It’s respecting the students who committed and rehearsed throughout the year and that itself takes on their brain space.
One interesting example was during the pandemic.
Our rehearsals had already been completed just before the lockdowns, and several groups had even finished costume rehearsals.
We hadn’t reached lighting rehearsals yet, but because everything else had already been prepared, we were able to use those recorded performances throughout the following year in various competitions and showcases despite the lockdowns.
It did not affect my anything.
My classes simply continued for the next level and that too was because people had “nothing to do” because of lockdown. Usually we have 2 months of holidays but that year in particular, next level continued, without break.
This made August 2021 as one of the biggest list of number of productions.
Morning 9 am to Night 9pm, 8 productions back to back including drama, some refused to do indoors so 1 production was added outdoors and 1 shoot was part of it. Run time was so tight, that 2 shows were overlapped indoor and outdoor 🙂
Dhamaal Events workshop students did not even perform that year as some were just workshop students – uncertainity in completion, uncertainity in online mode of learning, uncertainity of when the pandemic is over type of issues.
It did not matter to them if instructor could not come to DFW, it all went online. Anyways, Dhamaal Events package was not about performance. Eg – Manojbhai’s workshop students did not perform, neither did Mansi’s as that too was heavy in expressions and lot of practice was needed, Santosh’s only Elite level performed. All were strictly supervised and penned by Hetal Joshi Nagaraj as Hetal’s students were taking those as their next level. #YES
Students actually graduated that year as well and the costume and semi-costume rehearsals were their keep sake.
So if anyone ever wondered why I couldn’t fit them into a production at the last minute, this is the reason.
It’s never because I don’t want to. Sometimes there’s simply no room left on the stage.
Sometimes, i have back to back productions through out the day and then I have shoots for certain projects or submissions. Photographers or videographers are paid for their time. I have to stick to time.
And when every role, formation, cue, costume, and production minute has already been assigned, there really isn’t anything left to add.
I truly appreciate everyone who wants to be part of our productions. If I say “not this time,” it simply means the production has already reached the point where it cannot be expanded fairly or safely.
There will always be another opportunity to begin the journey from the start, where everyone has the chance to grow, rehearse, and become part of the story together.
Lot of people come for drop in. They actually pay for it to even take 1 class.
Open house and batch trial class are usually free. For that too trial class registration is absolutely required. Email, Phone Number, Details of class. Trial class does not mean enrollment of the program, be it paid or unpaid.
Once the enrollment is completed (which means transaction is completed and there is record of it and thus, is allowed in class,
Upon reaching certain number of students, Ms. Hetal does not allow new students simply for these logistics reasons.
It is 100% allowed to take a paid-drop in class. Drop prices vary.
Anybody who visits also, are required to sign waiver or some forms.
In house productions and recitals are for own students only and enrollment is absolutely required to be part of these programs.
People who were upfront refused in 1st visit (2011 to till date). These individuals wanted to meet Hetal Joshi Nagaraj in classes or in person and wanted to perform or do activities but Hetal Joshi Nagaraj had to refuse for above reasons.
It was not advertised that company needed anybody.
- Suroma Sinha – role play was full.
- Deepika Pillai – production was full.
- Deepika – other than deepika pillai – Arya international choreographer – she came during the mess time of g2. So Hetal did not want to take new people until everything is cleared. Hetal was in a huge mess.
- Jayesh Patel. Role play was full.
- Kalpana Dixit – She became student after the 1st refusal in 2011 production.
- During Kalpana’s request —Company was in process of formation but Hetal Nagaraj had 1 hour run time of performances on series – Dil to pagal hain, Gujarati literature series, and Hritik roshan series – these were recital performances.
- These were showcased as an external season later in recital production “The Catalyst” at an American Dance School (Dancers Workshop-it used to be in Lewisville, Texas) which allowed indian dance time slot.
- The recital production “The Catalyst” was directed by Ms Barbara Mebane with a specific theme and concept within genre and Hetal Joshi Nagaraj just matched it through Hetal Joshi Nagaraj’s own work and bought 1 hour of time on her audiences and Hetal Joshi Nagaraj invited her own audiences too. 26 students of Hetal Joshi Nagaraj who were in Grace And Grooves company launch programs performed in that program and several series as part of company itself — as their 1st in-house recital, production and demonstrations with Hetal Joshi Nagaraj, self instructed exclusively throughout. The Catalyst was performed in 3 locations – Denton, Texas, TCU and in Lewisville Grand Center.
- These groups performed with Dancers Workshops on various city level demonstrations showcasing Indian and Indo-American performances as part of Micheal Jackson series as well. The time slot distribution required a registered company name with an EIN number because of registered city programs. Company formation was in process and performances were unstoppable ready!
- Hetal Joshi Nagaraj would occassionally rent on weekends the Dancers Workshop Studio space for various activities from 2008-2010 because of Universal Academy-Coppell Program students – who lived this side of city and needed extra practices.
- In later years, Hetal also was one of Dancers Workshop-21+ hiphop student with her own group. #YES
— Do not copy any word, concept or any ideology, verbiage, picture , any clip or dance, or any wordings of Ms Hetal as it is full trademarked, some copyright received and some ip too, by country – 2012-current
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