OPERATING POLICIES

Student Conduct

1. Students should be at the studio and properly dressed for class at their scheduled time. While we ask that every effort be made to be prompt for each lesson, please arrive no more than 15 minutes early. We will provide no supervision for students left unattended in the waiting room, and we must insist that parents of young children wait with them. Please help your child understand that excessive noise and unruly behavior is unacceptable while waiting for class to begin. This rule also applies to the siblings of students. We ask that your refrain from bringing any young children into the waiting room unless they can wait quietly.
2. Please do not allow your child to go into the parking lot without adult supervision.
3. Each student must dress in keeping with her level's dress code. Warm-up clothes, which will be allowed only in the cold weather, must consist only of pink, knitted leg warmers and tight-fitting tops or dance sweaters. These must be removed as soon as the muscles feel warm. (Correct dance training depends on the instructor's ability to see the lines of the entire body which are hidden by wearing loose clothing.) Dance skirts, sweat pants, baggy T-shirts, etc. are forbidden. Jewelry is not allowed.
4. Hair must be worn pulled back from the face and once in Ballet I and up, it must be worn in a bun or pinned tightly to the head.
5. Gum chewing is not allowed.
6. Please, no food or drink on premises.
7. Games, toys or any items that pose a tripping hazard are not allowed in the waiting room.
8. Parents will be notified if a child develops behavior problems in class. If improvement is not demonstrated after consultation with a parent, the disruptive student will be asked to withdraw from the school.
9. Parents should arrange to have their child picked up promptly at the conclusion of each lesson. Again, we are unable to baby-sit for your child before or after class.
10. Any student whose tuition in arrears for over two weeks will be asked not to participate in class. Please avoid this potentially embarrassing and difficult situation for your child (as well as for faculty) by staying prompt with tuition payments. See brochure for payment schedule.

Tuition

Anyone whose tuition payment is 15 days or more in arrears will be assessed a late fee of $10.00. If a check is returned to us due to insufficient funds, a charge of $15.00 will be added to your bill. Tuition is NON-REFUNDABLE. In the event of a prolonged illness, credit will be given only upon presentation of a doctor's statement that the student is unable to continue her study of dance. Students may choose, and are encouraged to observe class if they are unable to participate for a medical reason.

Absences

Students must notify us by calling the studio when they must be absent from class. We encourage students to make up any lessons missed by coming to another class of the same level or a lower level on another day. Classes missed must be made up within 3 weeks of the absence, or the right to make up the class will be forfeited. Please note any absence without prior knowledge via note, phone call, or spoken word with a teacher is considered unexcused and therefore forfeit the right to make up the class.

Calendar

Dance Arts will be closed on the following days in 2010 - 2011:
Columbus Day: Monday, October 11.
Thanksgiving: Wednesday, November 24 through Sunday, November 28.
Christmas: Monday, December 20 through Sunday, January 2.
Winter Recess: Monday, February 21 through Sunday, February 27.
Spring Recess: Monday, April 18 through Sunday, April 24.
Memorial Day: Monday, May 30.
Also refer to our online calendar for any other important dates or events.

Snow Days

In case of inclement weather/school cancellations, we will leave a recorded message on the studio answering machine (after 2:00p.m. weekdays/Saturday after 8:15a.m.) Do not assume that ballet is canceled because your public school has closed for the day. Please do not call faculty members at home to inquire about cancellations. Tuition credit will not be given for snow days, although we highly recommend that students make up the lessons missed.

Class Observation

Parents will not be allowed to observe weekly lessons. However, there will be observation classes scheduled periodically throughout the year. Sufficient advance notice will be given of the dates of these classes.

Student Production

There will be a student production in late May for all students who wish to participate. This takes the form of a full-length story ballet and usually runs approximately 1 ½ hours. Students begin working on their dances in late February, spending the last portion of their weekly lessons in rehearsal. Although we strongly believe that performing is an essential component of dance training, we try not to diminish the importance of weekly classwork. Each pupil is allowed to perform in one dance per weekly class. Attendance is mandatory. Any child who misses 3 or more rehearsals will be asked to withdraw from the dance. Costumes for the performance must be purchased by the student. Parents will be notified of the cost of the costume. Typically, the younger children's costumes range from $60.00 - $80.00. More advanced students usually range from $70.00 - $90.00. A non-refundable costume deposit of $40.00 per costume will be due by December 1. The balance will be due in February.

Additional Performing Opportunities

Our advanced students will be given the opportunity to participate in our Dance Arts Ensemble. Rehearsals take place during the last half an hour of class only if the entire class is participating. If there are no classes in which to rehearse additional rehearsals may be scheduled. Dance Arts Ensemble will be available to perform for local schools and nursing homes to share our love of dance and the arts, as well as to educate the public about classical ballet, pantomime (used in story ballets to tell the story), and musical themes.

School Announcements

All school announcements, rehearsal schedules, dates of observation classes and other pertinent information will be posted on the bulletin and dry erase boards in the waiting room. We also will send periodic newsletters to the email address you provided at registration. Be sure to inform us if that email address changes. Please also check the bulletin board regularly to stay informed of events that may be of importance to you and your child. We will also post them here on the school's website.

Newsletters and Other Communications

In our efforts to “go green” newsletters will be sent out by email the first full week of the month. (Some months may not have a newsletter.) Newsletters are sent by pdf files. To open these files you will need Adobe Acrobat, which is free to download from the Adobe website if you don't have it on your computer. These newsletters will also be posted on our website and in our lobby for your convenience. If no email address is available you may request a printed copy of the newsletter. Account Statements will also be sent via email. These will be sent out 3 weeks prior to their due date. Additionally, special dates and information will be posted on our dry erase board in the waiting room.

Lost and Found

All items found at the studio, or at the theater after a dress rehearsal or performance, will be placed in a box in the larger dressing room at the studio. An exception to this rule would be jewelery or anything of value. These items will be kept in the office and you must speak with one of our faculty members to retreive them. All items will be kept for at least one full year. After such time they may be subject to the following; donation to Salvation Army or Goodwill, or if they are dance related items such as leotards, tights, or shoes they may become property of anyone who may be in need of that particular item here at the studio.

Parent-Teacher Communications

We respectfully ask that parents do not call faculty members at home for any reason. Also, it is very difficult for faculty to speak to parents in between classes. We make every effort to start each class on time and even the shortest conversation can cause us to be late. Please call or email the studio if you have any questions or wish to speak to faculty. Please do not attempt to speak to faculty in between classes. We would be very happy to return your call and give you the undivided and focused attention required.


DANCE ARTS AND ITS FACULTY CANNOT BE HELD LIABLE FOR ANY INJURIES INCURRED DURING CLASSTIME, REHEARSALS OR PERFORMANCE.