| Select dance academy and performing arts center |
| Dance Academy Information |
| Parent/Student Handbook |
| Provided by Select Dance Academy |
| 2011/2012 Dance Year |
Competition Dance
| This handbook includes valuable studio information and policies. Please keep this handbook and use it as a reference for common questions and important dates throughout the year. |
General Competition Information
Competition dancers are expected to show a positive attitude, adhere to attendance guidelines, show respect for teachers and other dancers and act as role models for their peers.
In order to participate in a competition group, dancers will be required to participate in the summer ballet workshop. Regardless if they take a ballet dance to competition they will be required to learn technique and conditioning through ballet which supports every other form of dance. Tap students will also be required to participate in the summer tap workshop.
Mission Statement
Select Dance Academy and Performing Arts Center is a full service institution providing education in all areas of the performing arts. By commissioning the works of the most remarkable locally recognized choreographers and instructors, we are able to provide artistically excellent and professional dance, singing, modeling, acting, and music instruction. We teach our students to be stronger individuals, believe in themselves, be proud of their accomplishments, work to excel and have confidence in any situation. We believe in our students.
Open Door Policy
We at Select Dance Academy have an “Open Door” policy. Should you have any questions or concerns with your child’s class please don’t hesitate to address it with us. We are here to make this a positive experience. We would like to be informed should you or your child be going through something that may affect their participation in class. It is our goal to work with you in any way to make the most of each class for you and your child. The more we are aware of the more we can do to help your child learn. Likewise, if your child is struggling with something in class such as participation, attitude, or other children, we will let you know. With open communication, we look forward to a wonderful year!
Student Placement
Dancers are placed into groups based on ability, age and previous dance experience. We act in the best interest of our students and place them in a group that will allow them to benefit the most from each and every class.
- Students that are the same age may be placed in different classes based on their ability and dance experience. We see it more important for a student to be in a class at their level of learning rather than with friends of their choice. This is our way of preventing students from having a bad experience by being in a class that may be too easy or too difficult for them.
- If Select Dance Academy sees that a student would benefit more from being placed in a different group, that student may be asked to switch to a different class after the dance year has begun.
- Siblings are discouraged from being in the same class. In most cases, siblings tend to pay better attention, make more friends, and have a more valuable experience if they are in separate classes.
Studio Policies/Information
- Practice at home is required.
- If your child is unable to attend class we ask that you call or email us to let us know so we can plan class accordingly.
- If your child has missed multiple classes and we feel that he/she is behind we may require you to pay for private lessons in order to catch him/her up with the rest of the group.
- Students need to attend each class in their required dance attire.
- Please arrive to class on time. It is distracting for the entire class to have someone arrive late. Stretching and barre work are important aspects of dance class and are typically done at the beginning of class.
- Please encourage your child to go to the restroom prior to class. This will avoid accidents and multiple bathroom breaks.
- Each month we will email out a newsletter. We include important studio information in these newsletters and it is important that you take the time to read them. Printed copies of the newsletter will be available in the lobby the first week of each month for you to take.
- If you need to use the restroom and a class is in session please feel free to enter the studio and walk against the back wall to reach the restroom.
- Street shoes are not allowed on the dance floors and must be removed in the lobby prior to walking in.
- In between classes is a busy time to address questions and/or concerns. Please email or call us directly to ensure that we give you the time you deserve!
First Day of Class
- Classes begin the week of September 12th.
- Students should come dressed in the proper dance attire.
- Dancers should all bring a small dance bag with their dance shoes and a water bottle.
- Please label your child’s dance shoes and dance bag with his/hers initials. This is extremely important as shoes often get left at the studio or placed in someone else’s bag.
- Please arrive 10-15 minutes early on the first day in order to check in your child.
Class Attire
- Competition students are required to wear tights and a dance leotard to every class. This dress code will be enforced. Any student not dressed properly will be asked to watch and not participate. It is very important that our instructors are able to see your child’s body placement as they are dancing to ensure proper technique and instruction.
- The style of tap, ballet, jazz, lyrical and hip hop shoes will be announced in the fall.
- All students must wear their hair back and out of their face. Jewelry including watches, earrings, bracelets, and necklaces are not to be worn during class. Also, no gum in class!
- As the weather turns cold, students will be allowed to wear sweatshirts and sweatpants over their dance attire during warm-ups.
Parent Watch Weeks
For the benefit of our students, we do not allow parents to watch their child’s class. We have found that if a child is in view of their parent, they are distracted and as a result, cannot get the most of the class. We do want our parents to be involved and understand that as a parent you are interested in your child’s education. We have established dates where parents are invited to view class in it’s entirety.
- Parent Watch Week #1: October 10th – 15th
- Parent Watch Week #2: December 12th – 17th
- Parent Watch Week #3: February 14th – 19th
- Parent Watch Week #4: April 16th – 21st
No Class Weeks
The dance studio is closed over most holidays. We close for the entire holiday week to make it fair for all dancers.
- Fall Break: October 17th-22nd
- Thanksgiving Break: November 21st-26th
- Christmas Break: December 19th – December 31st
- Spring Break: March 26th – March 31st
Technique Classes
Each competition dancer is required to attend at least 1 technique class per month. This is already included in your monthly tuition payment. We encourage dancers to attend as many classes monthly as possible for no additional fee. Dancers are required to sign in for credit.
Sparklers, Shooting Stars, Little Gems, Starlights, Shakers -9:00 am-10:00 am Saturday Sept 17th, Oct 1st or 15th, Nov 5th or 19th, Dec 10th, Jan 7th or 21st, Feb 4th or 18th, Mar 3rd or 17t5, and 5:00 pm -6:00 pm Friday Oct 7th, Nov 11th, Jan 13th, Mar 9th
Diamonds, Superstars, Headliners, Dazzlers-10:00 am -11:30 am Saturday Sept 17th, Oct 1st or 15th, Nov 5th or 19th, Dec 10th, Jan 7th or 21st , Feb 4th or 18th, Mar 3rd or 17th and Friday 6:00 pm-7:30 pm Oct 7th, Nov 11th, Jan 13th, Mar 9th
Rockstars, Shufflettes,Showstoppers, All Stars-9:00 am-10:30 am Sept 24th, Oct 8th or 29th, Nov 12th, Dec 3rd or 17th, Jan 14th or 28th, Feb 11th or 25th, Mar 10th or 31st and 5:30 pm- 7:00 pm Friday Oct 14th, Dec 9th, Jan 20th, Mar 16th
Class Cancellations
We follow the Shakopee school district for snow emergencies and class cancellations. In the event that school is cancelled, let out early or after school activities are cancelled, we will cancel classes as well. In the event of bad weather, we will change the studio voicemail, post class cancellations on our website and send out an email.
Tuition
- All students are required to pay a $25 registration fee once per year. Registration fees are non refundable, are used to reserve space in a class and to pay instructors for class preparation for the upcoming year.
- Dance tuition is billed for the entire year. You can either pay tuition in full at the beginning of the dance year or you can make nine equal monthly payments September – May. Regardless of how many classes your child attends in a month, the monthly fee is the same September –May.
- Monthly payments are due the 1st week of each month. Each family making monthly payments will receive a coupon book to help them keep track of months paid. Monthly tuition can be paid via check or cash and placed in the tuition drop box with the corresponding coupon. This payment can be dropped off during your child’s class time the first week of each month.
- Automatic with drawl from a credit card or debit card is also available. Automatic with drawls will be taken out the 1st of each month. We accept Visa, Mastercard and Discover.
- Students that are late paying tuition for two consecutive months due to forgetfulness, carpooling, or other circumstances will be required to set automatic with drawl for the remainder of the year.
Costume Fees
All hiphop classes including Shakers, Dazzlers and Allstars have a costume fee of $100 due October 15th. Sparklers, Shooting Stars, Little Gems, Starlights, Diamonds, Headliners, and Rockstars have 2 costume fees of $100 for a total of $200. $100 deposit is due Oct 15th and the remaining $100 is due Nov 15th. Shufflettes, Showstoppers and Production will have 1 costume per routine at $100 apiece. $100 deposit is due Oct 15th and the remainder due Nov 15th. Superstars will have 3 costumes totaling $275. $100 deposit will be due Oct. 15th, $100 Nov. 15th and remaining $75 due Dec. 15th. Solos, duets and trios will be billed individually based on the costume picked out by the instructor. Fee will range from $75-$100 and is due Nov 15th. We do our best to keep the prices as reasonable and cost effective as possible.
Attendance
Attendance is very important at each class. Although, we don’t have any strict attendance rules, at the discretion of the instructor we may ask you to pay for private lessons for your child if he or she starts falling behind due to poor attendance. If attendance becomes a problem we may ask your child not to participate in the competitions.
Recital
All students will get the opportunity to perform in a dance recital in May or June. The specific date will be chosen by October.
- We will be having three dance recitals. Groups will be told in early spring the exact recitals that they will be participating in.
- Parents and additional attendees will be required to purchase tickets to attend the recital. Dance tuition covers only the cost of the instruction. Ticket sales are to cover the cost of the rental of the venue, custodial needs, lighting and sound technicians, and staffing for the dress rehearsal and recital.
- Dancers regardless of age will be required to wear makeup for the recital. The stage lighting tends to wash students out on stage. All students will need to wear mascara, eye shadow, blush, and lipstick. Specific details regarding makeup application will be covered during a parent watch week closer to the recital date.
- There will be a dress rehearsal scheduled prior to the recital. This will give the students an opportunity to practice their dances on stage prior to the recital day. We will work with lighting, sound, and spacing at this time. Dress rehearsal is exactly that, a rehearsal. We ask for your patience as we work with each group as needed on stage. We can only offer an estimated time that the rehearsal will last. In some cases it may finish early and in other cases it may go later depending on the each groups needs. An exact date and schedule will be given out in a future newsletter. Dress rehearsal is mandatory.
Competitions
Shooting Stars, Sparklers, Shakers, Starlights, Little Gems, Diamonds, Rockstars, Shufflettes, Headliners, Dazzlers and All Stars will attend 2 regional competitions and nationals if they qualify. Superstars, Showstoppers and Production will attend 3 regional competitions and nationals if they qualify. You must be available weekends starting the end of March through the end of May.
In January, once the competition schedules come out, we will inform you of the competitions we have selected and the tentative dates. At that point we will invoice out competition fees accordingly. Each group dance at competition costs on average between $45-$50 per dancer per routine, each duet or trio on average costs $50- $55 per dancer per routine, and each solo costs on average $85.
Refund/Cancellation Policy
- Students wanting to drop out of a class may do so at anytime without penalty. Registration fees, competition fees and costume fees are non refundable. Any tuition paid is non refundable but may be applied to another class.
Picture Day
We will schedule a picture day in the spring. Students will come into the studio and take individual and group pictures in their dance costumes with our photographer. Picture packages will be available for purchase.
- Regardless if you are purchasing a picture package or not, we ask that all students attend picture day. We use the group photos for our studio, other promotional items and as a courtesy to the other dancers that are purchasing a group photo prefer to have all students included in these photos. The exact day and picture schedule will be included in a future newsletter.
Medical Conditions
If your child has a medical condition that you feel we should know about or may affect his or her ability to fully participate in class please tell us. The more we know about the condition the more we can help make his or her experience the best it can be. All information is confidential and we will communicate with instructors on a need to know basis.
Studio Contact Information
For all questions and concerns please use one of the following contacts:
Studio: 952-233-5297
Jennifer Meeh–Owner Cell #: 612-986-0707 Email: jennifer@selectdance.com
Thank you for enrolling your child in our programs! We look forward to a wonderful and exciting year!
