Welcome to Dance Place. We have put this information together to answer some questions you might have during the course of the year. We hope you find it helpful and we hope that you have a fun filled year of dance here at Dance Place…..Happy Dancing!

Holidays:
There will be no classes:
Nov. 25-28: Thanksgiving Break
Dec.23 -Jan.2: Winter Break
There are also no classes Monday through Friday of February and April school vacation weeks.
There are Classes on Monday Holidays!

Inclement Weather:
Morning dance classes (those starting before noon) will be cancelled if Arlington Public Schools are closed. If school is delayed, please call the studio for more info. Afternoon classes (1pm or later) will be cancelled if weather conditions are still bad. Please call and check the studio message for cancellations. All classes cancelled due to inclement weather will be made up in the spring.

We have put this online version of our handbook together to answer some of the questions you might have during the course of the year. We hope that you find it helpful and we hope that you have a fun filled year of dance here at Dance Place... Happy dancing!

Dance Wear
All students must wear proper attire for dance class. This helps the instructors to see how the dancers are moving to avoid injury and to improve training.  Please see our Dance Wear page.

Ballet (All levels, including Little Feet and all combo classes):
• Leotard and tights (or socks)
• Pink ballet slippers/Pointe shoes (for Pointe classes)
• Ballet skirts (optional)

Jazz & Lyrical (All levels including combo classes):
• Leotard and tights (or socks)
• Pink ballet slippers for Kids Combo and Ballet/Jazz Combo
• Black Jazz shoes for all other levels
• Tan sandal shoes for lyrical classes
• Dance shorts or ballet skirts (optional)

Hip Hop:
• Black dance sneakers
• Leotard and tights, or Dance Pants and tank top
• Knee pads

Tap (all levels including combo classes):
• Leotard and tights (or socks)
• Black tap shoes (Buckle shoes for all combo classes)
• Jazz tap shoes for all levels
• Dance shorts (optional)

All Dancers with shoulder length or longer must wear their hair pulled back in a ponytail or away from the face with a hair elastic not a scrunchie. Hair wraps and beads can hurt and be a distraction while dancing, these should be clipped back as well. Dancers with long hair should wear their hair in a bun. All dance shoes can be ordered at Dance Place. We purchase our shoes from a company with high quality shoes and very reasonable prices. We highly recommend that dancers purchase their dance shoes from us, especially for younger dancers. Our ballet slippers & tap shoes are designed with no ties which is helpful to instructors. Dance wear can also be ordered.

Tuition Payments
Tuition is due every four weeks. A payment schedule is listed below. This year we are offering auto-draft bank payments to reduce our administrative costs. Classes missed due to illness may be made up at any time by attending another class of the same level. Ask your instructor for more information.

Tuition rates are:
30 Minute class per week: $35.00 per month
One class per week: $44.00 per month
90 Minute class per week: $55.00 per month
Two classes per week: $75.00 per month
Three classes per week: $105.00 per month
Any Student taking four or more classes are offered further discounts. All discounts are applied to siblings as well.

All payments are done by auto-draft and will be debited on the following dates...
Payment 1– September 6
Payment 2– October 4
Payment 3– November 1
Payment 4– December 6
Payment 5– January 3
Payment 6– February 7
Payment 7– March 7
Payment 8– April 4
Payment 9– May 2

There is a $5.00 returned check fee with EFT; $15.00 with checks.

Costumes & Dance Performances
Performance is an important part of dance training. Each year in order to give all dancers a chance to perform, we hold a dance performance. Dancers are invited to take part but are not required. If your child is going to participate, they need to purchase a costume. Costume deposits are $25.oo per costume and are due by December 1st. These deposits may be combined with tuition payments, or paid separately. Costume balances are due by March 15. Every effort is made to keep costume prices reasonable. The dates for our Spring Performance are May 20 -22 at the Chevalier Theater in Medford.

We also perform our Nutcracker All Jazz’d Up in December. All students are welcome to participate.

Rehearsals are held on Saturday, or Sunday for 6 or 7 weeks from October—December. Sign-ups will be at the end of September.

We also have a dance team— “On Broadway Dancers” that allows students in grades 3 & up even more performance opportunities throughout the year. If your child is interested, please ask for more information.

Safety Policy
Our student's safety is of primary importance!

Students of all ages should be walked into the dance studio by their parent or chaperone. If they are to go home with someone other than the person who dropped them off, please let the teacher or desk person know when they are dropped off.

Parents should arrive to pick up their child BEFORE the class ends. Students should be picked up on time and should not be left in the lobby. Please make sure your child knows not to leave the studio without you.

Newsletters
Dance News, our new e-mail newsletter, is issued every 4-6 weeks. Please read each issue as these newsletters contain information about Dance Place, classes, performances, and many other things. There are also puzzles and interesting facts for dancers included. Please make sure we have your correct e-mail address.

Miscellaneous Info
• Supportive and enthusiastic parents are always welcome at Dance Place
• Please remember we are dealing with children, a positive attitude is expected from all students and parents
• Dancers must be on time for class, continued tardiness is distraction for all.
• There is no gum chewing allowed in the dance rooms.
• There are no street shoes allowed in the dance rooms.
• Parents may schedule a meeting with any instructor by calling the studio.
• Our observation windows are open for the first two weeks of classes. After that they are opened for the last 5-10 minutes of each class. The week after the recital Dance Place holds an Open Class week. During this week, parents may come in and watch class. More information will be available later in the year.