Competition Performance Team

Big Star Performing Arts Studio offers serious performers an opportunity to participate in a competitive level program we call CPT. As a member of CPT you will participate in weekly classes, compete in three national competitions and one In House competition, perform in our Fall, Winter and Spring session showcases at other venues during the summer and school year to help promote the programs at Big Star Studios.

Big Star Competition Performance Team is split by both ages and ability levels. This allows for age and skill level appropriate pieces in a more focused setting with additional opportunities for solos, duos, trio’s and small groups. We also have a select group of performers who may be invited into certain select pieces. There is some travel that is also associated with being a member of CPT. We typically do one competition out of town each season.

This program is an incredible experience for students and families. The growth and bonds students experience from the start of the season in September to the end of the season in June is unmatched in any of our other programs!

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TEAMS for CPT 2021/2022

Big Star Competition Performance Team is split by both ages and ability levels –Juniors, Teens, Seniors, and Production (Required Full Team). This allows for age and skill level appropriate pieces in a more focused setting with additional opportunities for solos, duos, trios, select teams and small groups. We also have a select group of performers who may be invited into certain pieces. To be chosen for a select piece the performer really needs to be a “triple threat”- which is that they are exceptional in all three skills; vocals, stage presence and dancing.

We will have three select groups will be the Select Black, Select Green and Select White for the upcoming season. These pieces will focus on a heavy dance(Black) piece, a heavy theater/acting (Green) piece and a heavy vocal (White) piece. All of these performances will have some element of signing, acting and movement.

Time COMMITMENT

All CPT members are required to commit to at least 4 hours of training at the studio every week. If you are selected for Extra Work (Select Black, White, Green, Solo, Duo, Trio, or Small Groups) you will be required to train at the studio for at least 5 hours every week. These Extra Work classes run October- end of May. Getting these hours can be achieved easily through the CPT classes, any of our rec classes and any private lessons or our Full Scale Musical Production class. Once your performer is enrolled in all the CPT classes you may need to add a half hour or an hour to add to your students training for CPT. These classes will start the week of September 7th and run through June.

Competitions

Our competitions will be between February and May and there will be four competitions. Three of these competitions will be national comps with Sheer Elite, Spotlight and Showstopper. The fourth competition will be our Big Star hosted competition. Sheer Elite is in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Most of these competitions take up a majority of the weekend. It is expected that performers are available Fri, Sat and Sunday of comp weekends. We get the performance schedule about one week out from the competition and will release that to families once we have it to plan accordingly.

attendance

This is a very important part of being on CPT. Attendance is mandatory. While we understand that things do happen – someone gets hurt or sick, family emergencies – we expect that CPT is given high priority. When one person is not there, the entire team suffers. When performers are not in class, they are not progressing in the routine and other students are also not learning the correct routine because formations, vocals and staging are negatively impacted when one person is missing. This requires extra time from our teachers to re teach parts, making sure nothing is out of sync and everyone has the ability to give their very best performance.

Allowed absences: Please stay home if you are experiencing ANY Covid symptoms, are contagious or have a fever. If an injury is preventing you from participating in class, you will still be expected to attend class to watch so you don’t fall behind. One unexcused absence per session will be permitted, no absences are allowed 2 weeks prior to any performance/competition, missing class may result in being pulled from the routine.

If we feel that the performer is falling behind due to missed rehearsals the family may be asked to schedule a private lesson to catch up at an extra expense. The performer may be removed from team if there are too many absences. No refunds will be made if you are removed from team.

EXTRA WORK CLASSES

You will need to sign up for a 30-minute time slot. These spots will be assigned and determined after the parent CPT meeting at Big Star Studios on Monday, August 2nd at 7pm. Anyone performing a Solo, Duo, or Trio will add one half hour of time each week to the monthly bill.

If you are chosen to participate in a Solo, Duo or Trio please plan to turn in your payment once we have coordinated with all participants to secure a time slot that works for everyone. That will be your time slot for the comp season Oct-May. If you are unable to rehearse during a scheduled time you need to do your best to provide 24 hours-notice whenever possible. It is your responsibility to make arrangements with your teacher for a make-up session at our private lesson rate.

IMPORTANT DATES to get ON YOUR CALENDAR for 2021/2022

  • Big Star Showcase (SVA Theater)-Saturday December 4th
  • Big Star In House Competition (Carco Theatre)– Saturday Feb 12th
  • Big Star Showcase (Carco Theatre)-Saturday, March 12th
  • Sheer Elite Competition (CDA, Idaho)– March 18-20th
  • Spotlight Competition (Seattle)– April 29-May 1st
  • Showstopper Competition (Tacoma)– May 13-15th
  • CPT & Summer Stock Auditions (Big Star Studios)-Saturday, May 21st
  • Summer Stock Call Backs (Big Star Studios)-Sat/Sun June 4th & 5th
  • Big Star Showcase (Carco Theatre)– Saturday, June 18th
  • Summer Stock Performance (Carco Theatre)– Friday, August 26th

How much does it cost?

COSTS

There are many costs associated with being on CPT:

  • Competition Fees
  • Monthly Tuition
  • Costumes
  • Choreography Fees
  • Travel Expenses

COMPETITION FEE PAYMENT SCHEDULE

  • Sheer Elite Competition: Due January 5th 2022
  • In House Competition: Due February 5th 2022
  • Spotlight Competition: Due March 5th 2022
  • Showstopper Competition: Due April 5th 2022

MONTHLY TUITION FEES

  • $100 for .5 hours (solos)
  • $85 for .5 hours (duos/trios)
  • $90 for 1.0 hour (group classes)
  • $130 for 1.5 hour (group classes)

Unlimited 6+ Class Hours (does not include solos or private lessons)

  • 1 child $585
  • 2+ children $700

CHOREOGRAPHY FEE

For every Solo, Duo, Trio and Group number there is a one-time choreography fee. If this is a solo you will owe the full $165. If a duo it is split by two and then split into three if it is a trio. This is a fee that covers the teacher’s time to choose the piece, pick and cut the music and track, choreograph and costume the piece and coordinate the scheduling of the piece. Choreography fees will be due on September 5th, 2022.

  • SOLO – $165
  • DUO – $85
  • TRIO – $65
  • GROUPS – $45

COSTUME FEES

Every competitive routine your child is in will require a costume. Once our instructors have picked the costumes for the pieces your child is in, you will be sent the links to purchase these pieces. If you are able to shop it around and save money, that is fine and is left up to your discretion as long as the pieces the instructor has requested are purchased and brought in on the costume due date. In some cases you will be able to look around on different sites for costume pieces but there will often be times you will have to purchase exactly what is provided in the costume link that is sent. This is often the case with a Solo, Duo and Trio costume where all the performers are in the exact same thing. There are also some cases where parents may have to reimburse Big Star for costumes that need to be ordered from sites that require studio licensing to order.

COMPETITION GEAR EXPENSE

Each performer will need the following items in order to participate on the CPT:

  • Team jacket ($90.00)
  • Team T-shirt ($30.00)
  • Black Leggings and/or solid black pants (can purchase leggings on your own or through Big Star)
  • Black Jazz and Character Shoes (purchase on your own)

COMPETITION EXPENSE

Attendance at competitions is mandatory for CPT performers. We will attend three competitions this year PLUS our at home Big Star hosted competition in February. For each competition there will be entry fees assessed by the competition. Each routine you participate in will have a fee attached in order to compete. Below is an estimate of competition fees based on the type of performance. All of these figures are based off the 2020/21 competitive fees.

Our In House Competition is a really fun event with food, drinks and is a great way to kick off our competition season. In the past the fee for this In House Comp was $195 for the day. This includes 2 tickets, and helps cover the cost of theater rental, judges fees, awards, food, beverages, and staffing for the day.

  • Solo Performance: $140.00 competition fee (per student)
  • Duo: $90.00 competition fee (per student)
  • Trio: $90.00 competition fee (per student)
  • Group: $75.00 competition fee (per student)