dance recital

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A performance, often by students, in which people dance for an audience.

   Grammar: Countable: a dance recital, several dance recitals. Often used with 'have', 'attend' or 'hold'.

   Patterns

   • have a dance recital
   • attend a dance recital
   • at a dance recital

   My daughter has a dance recital at the school hall on Saturday.

   We attended the end-of-year dance recital and took lots of photos.

   The studio holds a dance recital every June for all its students.

2. 2nouncountable

   An event of this kind, seen as a date or occasion in a schedule.

   Grammar: Used like other event nouns: the recital starts at seven, tickets for the recital.

   Patterns

   • the recital starts at
   • tickets for a dance recital

   The dance recital starts at seven, so please arrive early.

   Tickets for the dance recital sold out in two days.

Word forms

Common combinations

attend a dance recital

Grandparents often attend a dance recital to watch the youngest performers.

hold a dance recital

The academy holds a dance recital in the spring.

a dance recital at school

There is a dance recital at school tonight.

the annual dance recital

Tickets for the annual dance recital go on sale Monday.

Synonyms and how they differ

dance performance

A more general term that can describe any level, professional or student.

dance show

More informal and often used for a bigger, staged event rather than a student recital.

Word family

recital noun

A performance by a musician, dancer or student group.

recitalist noun

A performer who gives a recital, especially a solo one.

dancer noun

A person who dances.

Commonly confused: dance recital or concert? dance recital or rehearsal?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “dance recital”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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