General Information

ACCOUNT BALANCE
To avoid a late fee the entire account balance must be paid in full by the 15th of each month. Every student must have a $0 balance to participate in the recital.

BILLING STATEMENT
Billing statements are mailed out each month of the dance year beginning in September. Each statement is payable in full upon receipt of the statement. A $6 late fee will be charged to accounts not paid in full by the 15th of each month. A $15 fee will be charged on returned checks. Payments or credits received after closing date will appear on the next month’s statement. Please feel free to call anytime concerning questions you may have about your statement. If you feel as though we are in error, please let us know and we will resolve the matter. If no one is at the studio desk to receive your payment, you can drop the payment in the mailbox in the waiting room.

COMPANY DANCERS
Jill directs and choreographs the Company Dancers. Company Dancers are selected by invitation only. At the end of each dance year, Jill selects new Company members. The selection is based primarily on dance ability. Performance ability, attitude, and attendance are also part of the selection criteria. In some cases, dancers are chosen because of a tremendous strength in one area of dance. Generally though, they are chosen as a well rounded dancer in each discipline. Company members are chosen carefully and are an elite group. Company Dancers take a minimum of 5 hours of dance per week plus weekend rehearsals. Any questions about Company Dancers should be directed to Jill. 

CONTACT US
Please feel free to email us with your questions or concerns:

Jill McNew	Owner and Director
Brian McNew	Business Manager
Kim-Anne Baker	Office Manager

COST SUMMARY

COSTUME CANCELLATION
The studio must receive written notification from a parent if a child in not going to participate in the recital, or does not need to order a costume for a particular class.  The notification must be received by November 15th to avoid a costume charge. After the costumes have been ordered, all costume charges are non-refundable.  We cannot be responsible for costumes not picked up by May 1, 2008.

COSTUME PAYMENTS
Costumes are ordered before Christmas so that they will arrive before picture weekend.  Unfortunately, we cannot give you your total costume amount until November, because all of the costume catalogs are not published until then. We realize that there are many financial obligations at Christmas time, and that they all seem to hit at once.  To help this problem, you will be billed a costume deposit of $35 per costume on your October statement and the remainder of the total costume amount on your November statement. We hope this will make things a little less stressful at Christmas time. All costume payments must be made before the Christmas break. (Also see Costume Cancellation).

DANCE ATTIRE

• Proper dance attire is important and will be strictly enforced. Shorts and T-shirt’s are not considered dance clothes.

• Leotards, tights, ballet, tap, or jazz shoes are to be worn by all students.

• Both ballet and tap shoes should be secured by elastic.

• Ballet (level one and above) students must wear pink tights and black leotards without a skirt attached.

• See specifics under course description.

DANCE SHOWCASE

• Our recital will be held on Friday, May 29 and Saturday, May 30, 2009, at 7:00 PM in the VBC Concert Hall. There will also be a Saturday Matinee at 2:00 PM for pre-schoolers and 5-year combo students. You will be notified in January as to which night your child will perform.
  
• Students must be present for dress rehearsal in order to participate in the showcase. Dress rehearsal will be Thursday, May 29 and Friday, May 20. The rehearsal schedule of times will be given out in May. Dancers should come in full costume to dress rehearsal.
  
• Every student must have a $0 balance to participate in the showcase. A non-refundable fee of $30 for the first student and $15 for each additional student. The recital fee will be charged on the April statement.
  
• Showcase costumes will be ordered before Christmas and the costume payment must be made in November and December.

DRESS REHEARSAL SCHEDULE
Dancers must be present for dress rehearsal in order to participate in the showcase. Dancers should come dressed in full costume for the dress rehearsal. The schedule of rehearsal times will be given out in May.

• Dress rehearsal for the Friday night performance will be on
  Thursday, May 28.
  
• Dress rehearsal for the Saturday night performance will be on
  Friday, May 29.

DROP OFF AND PICK UP
Students should not be brought to the studio more than 10 minutes before their class and should be picked up immediately after class. Prompt pick up is especially important for the last class time of each night. Young children waiting on dancers should be supervised by the parent in charge and should remain in the waiting room. Do not leave your car unattended in the pick up line.

LATE FEE
A $6 late fee will be charged to accounts not paid on full by the 15th of each month.

OVERDUE ACCOUNTS
To avoid a late fee the entire account balance must be paid in full each month. When an account becomes 60 days overdue, the person responsible for that account will be notified  by letter that the account is overdue and must be paid in full in the next 30 days.  If an account becomes more than 90 days overdue the person responsible for that account will be notified by letter that the account has been deactivated and the student(s) restricted from participating until the account has been paid in full.  Every student must have a $0 balance to participate in the recital.

PICTURE PACKAGE
The photography studio will offer various color picture packages that you may purchase.  Buying a color picture package does not mean that you automatically get an individual picture in the program book. These pictures are completely separate from the color picture packages.

PICTURE WEEKEND
The picture weekend will be one weekend in March. The schedule and related information will be sent to you in January.

PRIVATE LESSONS
Private lessons are available in dance at $20 for thirty minutes and $38 for sixty minutes. Contact the studio for available times. Privates for two or three students are $18 per student for thirty minutes and $25 for sixty minutes.

PROGRAM AD
The program book for the showcase contains both class pictures and individual student pictures. The class pictures are printed in the program book at no charge to the student. Parents may purchase program ad space for individual students or small group pictures to be placed in the program book. The program pictures are printed in black and white. Detailed information concerning program ads will be sent out in January.

PROGRAM BOOK
Program books will be sold each night of the showcase. The price per book will be set before the picture weekend. The price set is for everyone regardless of whether you purchase a picture ad in the program book. For example, the price last year was $10 per book.

SHOWCASE FEE
A non-refundable fee of $30 for the first student and $15 for each additional student. The showcase (recital) fee will be charged on the April statement.

SHOWCASE VIDEO
The dance studio will offer a professional DVD of each night of the showcase. Video equipment will not be permitted in the auditorium on any night of the showcase. We hope that this will allow you to sit back and enjoy the show. You may, however, video the rehearsal. More information concerning purchasing a video will be made available in April. Orders must be placed on or before the day of the showcase. For example, the price last year was $35 for each night and $30 for the matinee.

REGISTRATION FEE
A non-refundable fee of $25 for the first student and $15 for each additional student is due for registration each year.

STUDIO CALENDAR
Dance classes begin Monday, August 18, 2008 and conclude Wednesday, May 20, 2009. The studio will observe the following holidays:

• Labor Day
• Fall Break (Oct. 6-10)
• Halloween Night (The Studio will close at 3:00 PM)
• Thanksgiving Break (The Studio will be closed Nov. 26 - Nov. 28)
• Winter Break (Dec. 22 - Jan. 2)
• Spring Break (Mar. 16 - Mar. 21)
• Memorial Day

SUGGESTIONS
We are always open to good ideas and better ways in which we can serve you. If you feel you have a good suggestion, please write us a note and we will consider your comments.

SUPERVISION
Parents are responsible for supervising all their children that are not in class while at the dance studio. Please talk to your children about keeping the waiting rooms and restrooms clean. Realize that many people have to use the building throughout the week. Please remember to supervise your children at all times, for their safety and out of consideration to others.  We cannot allow running in the hallway.

TUITION RATES
Monthly tuition is based on the amount of hours taken per week. All tuition is payable on the first of each month. The price of tuition is based on an average of four classes per month and is not altered for months with holidays, etc. in which less than four classes are held. No refunds or deductions are given if a child misses class for any reason. Tuition is pro-rated only for the first month when a new student joins the studio. Tuition rates are not pro-rated at any other time. The non-tuition rate is $15 per class.

VISITOR’S WEEK
We will have a visitor’s week in the fall. Parents are invited to come and observe their daughter’s class during that week. If it is possible, we ask that you refrain from bringing young children to visitor’s week as space is limited and the dancers need to be able to concentrate and pay attention. We do not allow visitors inside the dance room during a normal week so that class time will be productive for everyone. Visitors are always welcome to observe two of the dance rooms through the windows inside the waiting room.

WEATHER
In the event of severe weather, it may become necessary to cancel classes for a partial or full day. These announcements will be posted out on our website and our answering machine. In general, when there is a Huntsville City School closing due to inclement weather, the studio will be closed.