What is the dress code for class?

The dress code for each class is outlined in the class description for that class, so please check there for your specific requirements. In general:

For girls, leotards are required for ballet combo classes with tights/ballet skirt/dance shorts. Any fitted dancewear (including leotards, dance shorts, leggings, fitted tanks, and two-piece outfits) may be worn for add-on classes like pom, hip hop, acro, and musical theater. Any color or style is welcome!

Traditional dancewear for boys is a plain white t-shirt with black athletic shorts or pants. We’re flexible on colors as long as the t-shirt doesn’t have words/characters on it that could be a distraction in class. Clothing worn for dance classes should be flexible and not overly baggy.

Dance, and ballet specifically, is a traditionally gendered art form with men and women playing defined roles. We want to acknowledge the traditions that are part of ballet’s history, but recognize that not every dancer fits those boxes. As long as dancewear is fitted and without graphics, words or logos, gender-neutral dancewear is accepted in all classes.

Where do I buy dancewear and shoes?

SHOES All of our students coordinate hair, makeup, tights, costume and shoes for our annual recital, so we suggest starting the year off with the correct pair of shoes. Shoes should be purchased at Bobby's Dancewear.

DANCEWEAR Bobby's also carries a wide selection of dancewear items, or you can find dancewear at other retailers - we don’t have any brand requirements for what students wear for weekly classes. 

What do I keep in my dancer’s dance bag?

Little ones should have their dance shoes, an extra elastic/scrunchie to tie hair back, and an extra leotard in case of an accident.

Older dancers will want all of their dance shoes, a spare leotard just in case, hair ties + bobby pins, deodorant, a notebook to take notes on choreography and corrections, and a water bottle.

Can I sit and watch my dancer during class?

Parents are encouraged to accompany their dancer to the first few minutes of their first week of classes to meet the teacher and ask any questions you might have about the class before returning to the lobby, but most weeks we do not allow parents in the classroom.

We understand that many activities allow parents to observe each week, but we have this policy for a couple of reasons. First, we know that dancing in front of strangers can be intimidating and we never want our students to feel uncomfortable in class. Second, especially for our younger students, it's important that they know who is in charge when they step into the classroom - with mom or dad in the room, little ones often look to them for guidance instead of their teacher which can be confusing. Lastly, dance is a sport that takes time to master. You may not see improvement from week to week, but you will notice the change if you see them in the Fall and then again in the Spring during our designated Visitors Weeks.

Of course it’s important to us that both you and your dancer are comfortable with their classes, so feel free to peek in on them if you feel the need. We just ask that you run it by your teacher first!

Do all dancers participate in the recital?

We operate under the assumption that all of our students will participate in our spring recital. It's a fun way to wrap up the year, and showcase the hard work we've put in all year! Though our costume fees are built into tuition and are not refundable, our dancers’ safety, comfort and happiness are our priority. If your dancer would prefer not to perform on stage, just let us know.

Some of our classes are specifically marked “non-recital”, and those classes do not include a recital performance.

Will my dancer be in multiple recitals?

Our main goal is for all of our dancers to have their time to shine on stage- they've worked hard for months and deserve their moment! Because of the number of dances we have to showcase, our recital (if we were to have only one) would run nearly 4 hours long! To make the show time more manageable, we split our show into smaller performances. Depending on the classes you've selected for your dancer, they may be in one or in multiple shows. We ask you to remember that the amount of time spent over the one weekend, even if your dancer is in multiple rehearsals and recitals, total less time than you’d spend at soccer tournaments each weekend over a season - we just loop it all into one big, fun weekend! We appreciate you spending your weekend with us celebrating the amazing accomplishments all of our dancers have achieved during our dance year! They certainly deserve their time to shine, and the memories from recital weekend are sure to stick with them for years to come!

Do you accept cash or checks for payments?

We try to make paying for dance classes as simple as we can, but understand that may mean something different to each family. Our online payment system through QuickBooks/Intuit is incredibly safe and secure, and gives you 100% of the control over when payments come out (we don’t have control over your payments and can’t “pull” funds from your account). Once you set up your account, you can set up automatic payments and not have to think about it for the rest of the year, OR you can go in every month to make your payment and watch your “balance due” shrink to zero. 

With cash and check payments, there is the potential for human error in providing receipts for each transaction. For that reason we do not accept cash or checks for tuition. Our online system provides both parties an immediate receipt showing the total amount paid on that day so there is no discrepancy. 

Why are there "late fees" if I sign up after classes start in September?

In an effort to make dance affordable, we bundle up all of our fees and spread them out evenly over 8 payments. This includes fees for tuition and for recital costumes. If a student joins us after the first month's tuition is due, we have to recoup the costume portion of those fees. We conservatively figure $10 per month per recital costume which will appear on your invoice. 

My dancer cannot complete the full year, how do I withdraw him/her from your roster?

We hate to see a dancer leave us mid-season, but we understand that circumstances change. In those cases, please send us an email to officially withdraw from our season so we can open that spot for another student and prevent further charges on your account. After we receive your withdrawal, will will send your final invoice which may include a final month’s tuition, and prorated costume and/or shipping fees. Until that email is received, you will be responsible for paying tuition for the remainder of the season.