FAQ's
Q: What if I miss a class? Can I attend another class to make-up a missed one?
A: Each class is a building block. It is important for your child's skill development and the program for the whole group to have minimal absences. We understand that sickness or other life events may make it necessary to miss a class. However, due to the fact that each class is unique and is working on it's own dances and skills, dancers are not able to make-up a missed class by attending a different class or day.
Q: Do you have a cancellation policy?
A: Yes. There is no cancellation fee for those who pay month by month. We would never want any family to feel penalized for realizing that there child may be a better fit for a different program.
Q: Do you warm the children up before dancing in order to help decrease the risk of injury?
A: Yes. We have been trained on how to perform proper stretch techniques and allow adequate time to warm the student up before moving on to more strenuous dance techniques. We will also be watching for when a student may be executing technique that could cause harm or injury and make corrections.
Q: Is there going to be a recital?
A: Yes. There will be a whole studio recital in May. We are looking forward to end of semester recital. We will have a "Last Day Of Class Before Christmas" Christmas dance where the parents can watch the dance but we feel that trying to get a full recital for Christmas may be too big a bite for the first year. (check calendar of events for dates) And then the full recital will be at the end of the year in May. This will be a full recital dance with costume. We are planning on hosting the recital at Reverence Dance Academy and provide adequate seating for family of students. If the number of students and associated families are too much for our studio to hold, we will attempt to locate and secure a different location for the recital. It is our goal to keep the level of training highly professional, while maintaining a relaxed, non stressful and inexpensive format.
Q: What if class is cancelled due to weather or other circumstances?
A: There will not be make-up classes due to weather. In other circumstances this information will be communicated on a situation by situation basis. We appreciate everyone's understanding when this happens.
Q: How do we know if class is cancelled due to weather?
A: If Rockford, Northview or Grand Rapids Public Schools are closed, classes will be cancelled. If the afternoon becomes much more clement, we may offer an afternoon class on the same day. This will be communicated via email.
Q: Is pointe class dangerous, I heard there must be several days per week to be safe?
A: Most studios that lean toward creating professional dancers do require them to take three classes a week. This is to ensure their technique is strong enough for pointe. When Alyssa (Advanced Arabesques teacher) and I took pointe at our studio, we only took a one and a half hour class in addition to an hour pointe class a week. Anyone enlisted in my pointe class must take Advanced Arabesques too, so that their technique can improve in flat shoes. My pointe class this year is not going to be an entire hour on pointe shoes! I have read several articles that encourage beginner pointe students to wear flat shoes for the majority of the class and switch to pointe shoes for ten minutes to build strength. As the class advances, they will wear their shoes more, but this will prevent fatigue and injury. The structure for my class will include core and ankle strengthening exercises to prevent injury. Students will work on technique in flat shoes, where I will provide them with more corrections and feedback than a normal class. We will work on simple pointe exercises and gradually work up to ballet steps in the class. I was planning on letting them perform in the spring recital, but if they are not ready I will do a watch week instead. I would view this class more as a pre-pointe class. Maybe the year after I will add another pointe class for the girls who are ready to move up, but this class will focus more on strengthening the muscles and technique required for pointe. I would recommend you research articles on when to start pointe. I believe I read an article that recommended students check with their doctor to see if their bones in their feet are strong enough and mature.