Studio H Dance Company​

STUDIO POLICY
To All Parents and Students
We hope you realize that dance education will be a lot of hard work with a need for hours of practice, but we also emphasize enjoyment of dance and the chance to meet and work with many new friends. It is expected that the members of the studio will uphold standards of good behavior, regular practice and dedication to the group he or she participates in.

General Information 
A. You, the parents and students, may be assured that your classes are instructed and disciplined in a manner keenly associated with proper and correct dance education.

B. It is our desire to provide you with excellent results and we demand understanding and cooperation between parents, students, and teachers.

C. We will be happy to discuss progress with you at anytime.

D. We expect respect and proper discipline at all times; we are not responsible for any injuries sustained while in class or on premises; We are not responsible for lost articles; We reserve the right to dismiss any student who upsets the harmony of the company.

E. We intend to keep the decorum of all students and the company above reproach, and we expect all students to appear in class in clean dance clothes, clean bodies and well groomed!

F. Street shoes must be worn when entering the studio. Dance shoes only are to be worn on the dance floor!

G. Students must have all clothes, shoes, and equipment labeled with names and ALL must have dance bags to safely store and transport dance apparel!

Registration 
*A Non-Refundable fee of $40 per 1st student & $20 for each additional student is required yearly at the time of registration. Students are not fully registered until the registration fee is paid.

Tuition Policies
A. All students must be fully registered before they will be accepted in class. If payment info is not given at time of registration, the student's spot will not be held.

B. Monthly tuition, which is a flat rate, is charged on the first day of each month. Tuition must be paid by automatic bank account, debit or credit card, cash or check. Tuition will be debited from your account on the 1st day of each month from August through May for automatic pay.

C. There are NO refunds, transfers, credits or deductions for missed classes or holidays; there will not be ANY exceptions to this rule, regardless of the reasons. Thirty days’ notice is required for ALL withdrawals from class! Withdrawal forms MUST BE RECEIVED ON OR BEFORE THE FIRST DAY OF THE LAST MONTH. YOU WILL CONTINUE TO BE BILLED UNTIL WE RECEIVE A DROP FORM.

D. Statements will be sent by email only; it is your responsibility to keep your tuition to date. We recommend keeping track of charges/balances on your Dance Portal.

E. $30.00 NSF charge on NSF checks or credit cards that are declined. 90 Day Past Due accounts are automatically turned over to a local collection agency.

F. You will automatically be charged for classes until you submit a withdrawal form. A thirty day notice is required.

G.  All accounts considered past due will be assessed a 5% monthly interest charge.  The interest charge will be added each month until the full balance is paid.

I.  All accounts must be paid in full each month or dancers will not be allowed to attend classes.  Accounts must also be in good standing by May 1st in order for the dancer to perform in recital.

Dress Requirements 
Dancers work harder and stay more focused when properly dressed for class. We know and appreciate the fact that dancewear is an investment; therefore, we offer a practical, long-lasting, and reasonably priced product line that is fashionable and durable. We consider it absolutely essential that the correct dancewear be worn to all classes. Failure to wear required dancewear to class could result in students being asked to sit out and observe only. Repeated failure to wear required dancewear could result in termination of lessons.

Class Placement
Placement can only be made with the age and ability of the individual student in mind and advancement is not by classes as a whole. If a student shows progress, they will be transferred to a more appropriate class/level. Teachers reserve the right to move students to their appropriate level. We cannot be concerned about rides with neighbors or conflicts with other activities.

*A minimum of 5 students is needed per class - 4 students or less will result in a shorter class period.*

Classroom Conduct
Students are expected to be respectful and attentive in class to teachers and their fellow classmates.  No hanging on barres or putting hands on mirrors is permitted.  Polite behavior and good manners should be displayed throughout the class and lobby.  Foul language or actions are not permitted.

Students should not gossip or make fun of others and should work in unison as a class toward a common goal.  Good attitude, good grooming, good attendance, and practice at home are expected from each student.  We are a private studio and reserve the right to dismiss any student or family who disregards studio policy, shows inappropriate behavior, or upsets the harmony of the studio.

Attendance and Tardiness
Regular attendance is necessary to maintain steady progress in the class.  Poor attendance will result in poor training.  Absences and tardiness can have a negative effect on the entire class.  Please make sure to be on time: it is disruptive to a class when a student comes in after the lesson is in progress or needs to leave early.  Those students missing opening warm-ups and stretches may only observe their class. We have tried to organize a complete warm-up program to prevent any injury.  We simply cannot be responsible for those who arrive 15-20 minutes late and want to just dance!  If you are frequently late or absent, you will be dismissed from the class.

 

• Students who do not participate in class (whether it is excused or not) will be counted as absent.

• Irregular attendance will result in dismissal.

• We request that if you are going to be absent from class for a parent to please call.

• If a student is not able to participate in class due to an injury or sickness, the instructor must have a doctor's note or a parent must phone the studio and let us know their dancer will be sitting out. The student will need to observe the class and not be doing other activities at that time (i.e. reading, using cell phone, doing homework, etc).

• If a child misses a class, it is your responsibility to schedule a private lesson or get with another student who will teach them the choreography they missed.

• If a student knows in advance that they will be absent, it is THEIR responsibility to inform all of their instructors. (It is NOT the job of one instructor to relay the message to other teachers.)

Withdrawal and Refunds
There is a two-month minimum for all lessons. One month's notice from the first of the month is required to discontinue any classes. Withdrawal must be done in person and will not be accepted over the phone or by email. Withdrawal must be done at the studio office and not with the teacher. Withdrawal must occur within the first 5 days of the month. No withdrawals will be accepted after April 1st. To withdraw from classes, a parent or adult must:

1. Inform the studio administration in person
2. Complete and sign a "Withdrawal Form" provided by the studio office

All automatic bank debiting or credit card charges will stop after the one-month notice period. Studio H Dance Co. reserves the right to terminate lessons to any students without notice. In such a case, a refund for unused lessons will be given.

*Please note: If a student decides to drop AFTER costumes have been ordered, withdrawal will not be complete until all costumes have been paid in full. We cannot cancel or return any orders - this is 'costume company' policy! No Costume fees will be refunded.

Unexpected Interruption of Classes
If the studio must cancel classes due to events beyond our control, such as power outages, the missed lessons will be rescheduled. No refunds for lessons missed due to these reasons will be given.

Substitutions
The studio reserves the right to provide a substitute teacher if the regularly scheduled teacher is ill or otherwise unable to teach classes. If a teacher is ill and the school cannot arrange a substitute, any missed classes will be rescheduled.

Holidays
The studio also observes holidays observed by our Limestone County school system. Dates will be will be noted on the website and on the Upcoming Events flyer.

Parent's Responsibility to be Aware of Dates and Events
It is the responsibility of the parent or adult student to be aware of all studio activities such as recitals, extra classes, and dates the studio is open or closed. The studio will post notices on the studio bulletin board as well as send out updates through e-mail. It is the parents responsibility to regularly check these resources to ensure they are informed. It is the responsibility of the parents or adult student to inform the studio of any address, e-mail, or telephone number changes.

Care of Students
The studio is not responsible for providing before and after class care for students. Students are not to be left at the studio for excessive time before or after class. Please be mindful of staff as they cannot always wait for rides to come!

Injuries
Parents, legal guardians of minor students, and adult students waive the right to any legal action for any injury sustained on studio property resulting from normal dance activity or any other activity conducted by the students before, during or after class time.  If an injury occurs at class, a report will be filed and a parent will be notified.

Photo Release
The studio is hereby granted permission to take photographs of the students to use in brochures, websites, posters, advertisements and other promotional materials the school creates. Permission is also hereby granted for the studio to copyright such photographs in its name.

Performances and Studio Activities
There will be a Recital scheduled for May. The recital demonstrates the techniques involved in presenting a truly professional show. Recitals aim to develop the students’ poise, confidence, and pride, and also to increase his or her knowledge and appreciation of the arts. Therefore, our main goal – the chief purpose is the pleasure, education and motivation of the students. (A recital fee of $85 for the first child $50 for each additional child will be charged on February 1st to all participating in recital. This fee is non-refundable.)  Tickets for the Recital go on sale in May.  Information to purchase these will be sent home one week prior to ticket sales. The annual recital IS optional; however, it is highly encouraged.

Occasionally, students are afforded the opportunity to participate in extra shows for civic affairs, and notices will be sent home if they do come up. Competition teams have first priority for extra performances.

For all performances and studio activities, hairstyle will be specified. EVERYONE must wear makeup – makeup must be worn heavier than usual, as the stage lights "wash" faces out.  All costumes are to be clean and pressed. All shoes are to be polished. Always bring a lot of extra bobby pins, safety pins, and hairspray. Dancers must be present at their required rehearsals in order to participate in the recital. If they are not in attendance for their rehearsals, they will not be permitted to perform at recital.

Costumes
The recital requires the use of professionally made costumes that are chosen by the instructor and director. Please budget approximately $70-$100 per costume for your child. For each class a student is registered for that requires a costume, accounts will be charged $25 per month/costume from October through January, and the remainder of the balance charged in February. This fee will be charged to your auto-debit or auto-credit card. Costumes will be shown and ordered in December. Once costumes are ordered $ paid for, there are NO refunds (this is costume company policy!)

Students registering after the December costume showing can be charged an additional single-order and shipping fee of $25.00 in addition to the price of the costume. This means your child's costume will be ordered separately with no guarantee of it arriving on time for pictures or the recital. As noted above under 'Withdrawals,' all costumes must be paid in full once they are ordered; if your child decides to withdraw from class, any costumes ordered must be paid in full before withdrawal is complete.

Competition Teams
Students that are 4 years and above are invited to be on a competition team. This entails taking a specific class that focuses on details in that style. Being on a competition team requires talent, commitment (both from parents and students), and team spirit. It requires regular practice outside of class.  Auditions for the competition team are held the first week of April.  Please contact the office for audition dates and additional information on competition team requirements. If you are joining our studio after Company Auditions, you can join our Company Crew Team. These have the same requirements as our Company Dancers, you just will not be eligible to compete this year but will be prepared for Company Auditions in April of the following year.