General Policies and Guidelines
Our sincere hope here at DanceCo is that ALL our dancers are continually inspired and challenged to learn and improve their dance technique, in a warm and enjoyable environment.
Outline of Programs
- Core Program – offered to dancers aged 5 and older. These classes provide an excellent opportunity for children and adults alike to join us for lessons in jazz, tap, hip-hop, lyrical, ballet, Musical Theatre and Ukrainian. Dancers enrolled in this program may be beginners who are new to dancing, or alternatively, may have several years of experience, but do not wish to commit to the exceptional amount of time and dedication required in the competitive program. The majority of these classes will participate in festivals as well as the year end recital.
- Preschool Program – offered to children aged 3 to 5. An excellent introduction to dance, which includes jazz, tap, ballet, and creative movement. These classes are offered daytimes, evenings, and weekends.
- Competitive Program – This program is designed for those children who have determined that dancing is their passion and are prepared to increase their commitment level. We offer jazz, tap, ballet, lyrical, modern, and hip-hop. All dancers in this program are required to take a minimum of one hour of ballet per week (and in most cases, two or more hours is expected). Excellent attendance and effort in each and every class is essential. These classes may be entered into competitions, rather than festivals. This program is geared towards dancers that are seven and older.
- 8 Week Programs – These programs are offered throughout the year. Pre-school, hip-hop, Mommy & Me, and Adult Classes are some of the classes offered. The 8-week classes provide a fantastic chance for everyone to try dancing, without committing to a full 10 months.
Expectations of Students:
Attendance and Punctuality – All students are expected to attend classes regularly and on time, in consideration of the teacher and the other students. If a dancer is continually late, or absent, with no prior notification, they may be asked to sit out. This is particularly enforced in the competitive program.
Dress Code – All students are expected to attend class in proper dance attire. Bodysuit, tights and ballet slippers are mandatory for all ballet classes. Comfortable, slim fitting appropriate dancewear is required for jazz and tap classes. Hip Hop requires loose comfortable clothing and clean indoor running shoes. Hair should be pulled back for all dance disciplines, however a tidy bun is required for ballet classes.
Conduct – All students are expected to treat their instructors and fellow dancers with consideration and respect. We also ask that all students respect the DanceCo studio by ensuring that they clean up after themselves. This is especially relevant to those dancers who bring food and drinks into the building. Water bottles are acceptable in the dance studios, however food, other drinks and gum, are not.
Expectations of Parents:
Conduct – At DanceCo we feel that every child is entitled to dance and is to be treated with kindness and respect. We ask that all parents refrain from judging the dancers. We also expect that only positive comments and actions will be relayed between parents as well as toward ALL our dancers.
Staying Informed – Remaining aware of what is happening within your child’s dance life is extremely important. We at DanceCo attempt to do everything possible to ensure that all parents and dancers are well informed. However, it is not possible without some help from the parents. E-mail is our preferred method of communication for newsletters, updates, etc. Should you not have an email account we request that you check our studio bulletin board and website at www.danceco.net on a regular basis to stay informed of all pertinent information.
Tuition Fees – Tuition fees are based on a yearly amount, but can be divided into payments, which are due on the 1st of each month. A 20% deposit is required at time of registration, along with a registration fee. We require post-dated cheques, or Visa/Mastercard/American Express information for authorization of monthly credit payments, for the remaining 8 months of dance (Oct to May) to be remitted at time of registration.
SPECIAL NOTES:
The 20% tuition deposit and registration fee are NON-REFUNDABLE.
Our monthly fees are based upon a YEARLY amount, which is simply divided by 10 to provide for easy monthly payments. Consequently some months will have more weeks of dancing than other months, but the monthly fee remains the same.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Holiday Mondays – Most holiday Mondays will be observed by DanceCo. We will not provide separate make-up classes for those cancelled. Please let us know if you would like an alternate class your child can attend later in the week and we will find a comparable class.
Festivals and Competitions – The majority of our classes here at DanceCo participate in festivals or competitions. It gives the dancers an opportunity to perform their group dance on stage in front of an audience, and have an adjudicator (judge) assess their performance. There is an additional fee to participate in festivals/competitions and these fees come due in mid November. Typically most classes participate in two festivals, which take place in the spring. The average cost per class for two festivals is $60, per student. Participating in festivals is, however, an option left up to the individual. If the class (as a whole) is going to perform, but your child does not want to participate in the performance, that is perfectly acceptable. The only stipulation is that we are informed, in writing, prior to November 15th. This ensures that we will not bill your account for the additional festival fees, and that the instructor will choreograph according to the proper number of dancers. If your child is interested in performing a solo, duet, trio, etc. we require that they be taking a minimum of two classes of dance per week, one of which is in the discipline that they are performing the solo, duet, trio, in.
Detailed information regarding festivals and competitions for groups and individuals will be distributed in the fall.
Costumes – The majority of our dancers will perform at our year-end recital, therefore will require a costume. A $40 costume deposit (per dancer/per class) is payable at time of registration. This amount is non-refundable unless we are notified in writing, prior to October 15th, that the dancer will not require a costume (if the child is not performing, or you are moving, etc.). In December we begin ordering the costumes, therefore you are responsible for the full price of the costume once December 1st has passed.
We attempt to keep our costuming as economical as possible, however the average price of a costume is $60-$75. For our younger dancers, particularly pre-schoolers, we try to keep the cost closer to $50. Our more competitive dancers may require costumes costing approx. $100. Costumes prepared specifically for us by a seamstress have a much better fit than costumes purchased through a store or catalogue. However, those made by a seamstress are typically more expensive. It is necessary to understand that we cannot provide a costume that is both economical in price, but extravagant in appearance (and fit). This concept becomes a struggle each year, but we continue to do our best to offer costuming that is well suited to each child and class.
Exams – We offer exams at various levels and in various disciplines. They are not compulsory, however in certain circumstances, they are highly recommended. Please do not hesitate to talk to your dancer’s instructor, or leave a message for Tracey or Liane, if you are interested in finding out more about our exam policy.
STAR Team Members – This is a program that has been set up for our younger dancers (minimum age 12) to assist in classes. It is an excellent opportunity for our dancers to learn about teaching dance but also provides assistance to the instructor in the class. A short biography on each STAR team member is posted on the bulletin board. Those wishing to join the program can obtain additional information from our receptionist.
DanceCo Dancers Performing Company – Participation in our performing company(s) is available to dancers at least 8 years of age, taking a minimum of three hours of dance per week. Auditions are held in the fall and further information will be available as we begin our dance year.
