Welcome to Sylk Dance Academy
We hope you and your child have an enjoyable experience at Sylk. Here is some useful information for you.
Our aims:
To provide a happy environment to learn in, where participants can grow in confidence and skill
To deliver quality lessons taught by qualified and passionate teachers
To give children the opportunity to progress within the dance school and gain rewards for their efforts via exams, certification, performances, competitions
To deliver inclusive sessions where every child is made to feel valued and an important part of the group
To be approachable and helpful as staff and teachers so that your experience at Sylk is always a pleasant one and any concerns can be discussed openly.
Classes
At Sylk Dancer Academy we offer over 40 classes from beginner to advanced ability in Street Dance, Cheerleading, Contemporary and Gymnastics. For further information on what these styles entail please visit our website in the ‘classes section.’
Street Dance (which includes all the below styles)
House
Hip Hop
Popping & Locking
Breaking / Breakdance
Commercial Street Dance
Contemporary/Lyrical
Cheerleading
Gymnastics
Tricks
Flexibility/Conditioning
Examinations
We offer examinations in:
Street Dance
Gymnastics (IGA)
Our Street Dance syllabus is followed throughout all ‘street style’ classes and dancers are assessed during class to then qualify to take their final exam. Exams are taken every 6 months and are adjudicated by an industry professional. Dancers receive a badge and certificate along with their pass level in each core Street Dance style. As dancers progress, they move on to being assessed on their own choreography as well as their knowledge of Hip Hop foundations and origins. Dancers can eventually progress to teaching level.
Following a syllabus ensures that all our students are learning the same foundational dance skills which are fundamental to progressing. We feel it is important for our dancers to understand the history of the dance style and appreciate the culture around it as well as having knowledge of the different music.
We follow the Independent Gymnastics Association syllabus which is fun and easy to follow. This means that our students enjoy working on their awards and can practice both individually and in small groups which helps to build confidence. We assess gymnasts every 5 weeks where they will gradually tick off skills from their level. Once all skills have been achieved, they receive a badge and certificate
Every term we also offer a ‘Star of the Term’ award where a student from each class is chosen and receives a trophy. This reward can be for anything from perfecting a particular skill to being kind and welcoming to new members.
Fees and Membership
Fees for all classes can be found on parent portal when you register, as shown in the picture below. If you have more than one child who dances with us, you will automatically receive a 10% sibling discount.
Membership Packages:
Membership packages are available as below: These can be a great option for those who are keen to progress in a particular area. For example, many of our cheerleaders also attend gymnastics and flexibility & conditioning. Moving to a membership will often make your classes cheaper overall so you are rewarded for your commitment and investment in the dance school. Please get in touch for further information and if you would like to consider one of these schemes.
Bronze: £85 for 5 weeks for up to 3 classes
Silver: £115 for 5 weeks for up to 4 classes
Gold: £145 for 5 weeks for unlimited classes
NB: If your child has a membership, you won’t receive a refund for any cancelled classes, we will expect them to choose an alternative, class that week if you wish to compensate.
Online Registration
Students can register for classes at any point during the term.
You will need to create an account and then set up the student as a member to register for any classes or trials. Please complete all questions and remember to add your email address and telephone contact.
Please note you will need to add your phone number with +44 (e.g., +447976845042).
Trial Sessions:
Trial sessions are available for some classes. Some students may wish to try a class before committing so you can select “schedule trial”. You may then select a convenient date for your trail. If the trial class isn’t suitable for any reason, then please let us know so we can either offer alternatives or mark your child as ‘inactive’ for the time being.
NB: You can select one trial per class (where this is available), that will be free of charge. We will send you a follow up email to see how it went.
Register for a class permanently:
In the section “Register for Classes” you can select the class you are interested in by checking the box on the left hand side. Once you have selected the class you will no longer see it in the options and won’t be able to see the cost. If you can’t see a class that your child is interested in it might be due to age restraints or level. Please get in touch if you need help.
If the class is full, you will be added to the waiting list and will be given the option to join, as and when places become available.
Should your child wish to stop a class you can go to classes and select ‘drop class,’ giving a reason. This helps us to keep up to date with what students are doing and make people’s accounts inactive if they/their child is no longer attending.
How to Pay
Payment for classes is taken via automatic pay at the start of each term. This will be on the following dates for 2024 -2025. Please set up ‘auto pay’ on your account as this is the only way to pay for classes. Also, please remember to update the details if you subsequently change your bank details. If your payment has been unsuccessful, then you should receive an automated email to notify you. Please log in to check as it takes a lot of our time having to chase payments. If you are having any issues or want to discuss finances then don’t hesitate to get in touch. A list of our term dates can be found on our website underneath the timetable.
If you register part way through a term you will be sent a statement with details of the amount owing for the remaining classes in that term.
You will then receive an account statement (as below) every 5 weeks that will detail any outstanding balance, the fees for the period and any payments made.
NB: your first class (or trial) is free of charge.
Please check your statements to ensure they are correct and if you have any concerns or something doesn’t look right get in touch and we will rectify it.
Dance classes are held in our studio:
Sylk Dance Academy Macclesfield
Unit 5
Brook Street
Macclesfield
SK11 6QG
Car Parking / Child Safety:
We recommend that all children of primary school age are handed over in person from their parent/guardian to the class teacher. We believe it is in the children’s best interests to have a guardian with them until they are taken in to the studio for their class. We advise that you do not let your child run in to class from your car unattended or to be collected as there may be instances where a class has been cancelled leaving your child unattended at the studio and it can make it difficult for us to ensure children have been collected safely if parents are waiting in their car.
If your child has several classes back to back they will be directed safely to their next class. If they have a gap between two classes they are welcome to stay at the studio but we must be notified so a decision can be made on if they need to be supervised and sit in another class. Any children left in the waiting area between classes are not monitored and are expected to behave appropriately.
There is often free car parking in front of the studio but at busy times it can get crowded. There is plenty of space down the side streets so please use these rather than adding to the chaos at busy times.
Uniform
We expect dancers to wear a Sylk Dance uniform in all lessons consisting at minimum of our t-shirts, vest tops or leotards. All clothing can be ordered directly from our website or purchased direct from the studio if it is in stock. Items will be given to children in class or labelled with their name and placed on the reception desk. If you would like to order anything as a gift, please leave a note when purchasing on the website.
Any other branded clothing is optional and can be worn in class also – t-shirts, leggings, joggers, jackets, hoodies, cheer skorts and shorts!
Class uniform list:
Street Dance (any street style) /Commercial:
Any Sylk Dance T-shirt, vest top or hoodie/sweatshirt with any leggings, shorts or joggers/cargo pants. Trainers
Cheerleading:
Any Sylk Dance t-shirt, vest top or hoodie/sweatshirt with any leggings or joggers, shorts or skort.
Ideally children should wear clean trainers that are only worn for cheerleading or indoors. This protects our mats which are very expensive and means it’s much more pleasant to lift others knowing that we won’t get muddy hands or clothes. Please note that competitive cheerleaders will need plain white trainers and will have a specific competition uniform which will be discussed once joining.
Strictly no jewellery can be worn for cheerleading classes. If studs need to be worn, they must be taped over. Hair must be tied back.
Contemporary:
Any Sylk Dance T-shirt, vest top or leotard with any leggings, shorts or joggers. Clothing ideally needs to be fitted for us to see body positioning.
Bare feet, ballet/Jazz shoes or foot thong (look it up!)
Hair must be tied up and jewellery removed (studs allowed)
Gymnastics:
Any Sylk Dance T-shirt, vest top or leotard with any leggings, shorts, joggers or skort. Clothing ideally needs to be fitted for us to see body positioning.
Bare feet or grippy socks are recommended
Strictly no jewellery can be worn for gymnastics classes. If studs need to be worn, they must be taped over. Hair must be tied back.
If you are new to the academy, please wear comfortable clothing and footwear appropriate to the style of dance you are taking part in until you receive your uniform.
Uniform, as advised by your teachers must be worn for workshops, community performances and the annual showcase.
Gift Vouchers & private lessons
You can order gift vouchers that can be used for private lessons, workshops or Sylk Dance merchandise. These come in £10 £15 and £25. Private lessons can also be booked by taking directly to the teacher you wish to arrange with or by emailing us at info@sylkdanceacademy.com.
Communication
You can speak to staff before or after class depending on the length of time and if the teacher has a class afterwards or you can send us a message via email to ask for feedback on your student’s progress. Students are encouraged to discuss their goals and progress with their class teacher on a regular basis.
We will text you if a class is cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances on the contact numbers you provided during registration, so please do keep this information up to date. If you would like to add student contact numbers as they get older, please do let us know and / or update the information on the parent portal.
We will email you with important updates and new information for the academy. Please remember to add us on Facebook, Instagram, TickTock, Google Pages. We will share regular information on our pages about workshops and new classes, as well as updates and pictures / videos from our current classes, so it’s a great way to keep in touch. If you love what we do, then please give us a like/follow and send a review!
School Holiday Workshops
Every half term we hold ‘Activity Days’ for children ages 5-11 both members and non-members. The sessions consist of a range of activities including various dance styles, flexibility training, gymnastics, cheerleading, circus skills, arts and crafts, games, sports and more! We cater our clubs to the children who have booked on so that the attendees are guaranteed a fun filled day! Keep an eye out on social media and in emails for updates on these throughout the year.
We also hold specific workshops aimed at our members completing a particular skill or improving in a particular area such as cheerleading workshops, tumble workshops and workshops in specific dance styles. Sometimes these are run by several of our teachers or we will often get in an industry professional, judge or famous professional to lead a workshop and inspire our dancers. In the past we have had workshops from Johnny Labby (Eastenders & BBC’s Dance, Dance, Dance!) Afro Pierre, (The Greatest Dancer, Got to Dance’) Joel Tolhurst (Competition organiser & Judge) and many more!
Competitions
Competitions are a great way for students to showcase and progress their talent. We currently take part in a variety of competitions for our Street Dance, Cheerleading & Contemporary students. Dancers are not pressured to compete and will be offered the opportunity if they wish to move to a more challenging class or competitions. Our sole purpose is for our members to enjoy what they do and we strive to make competing a fun and rewarding experience. For members who are incredibly keen to progress to competitions we would suggest taking a minimum of 2-3 classes a week which complement the style they wish to do (for example Cheerleading, Gymnastics, Flexibility & Conditioning)
Annual Showcase
All students (except gymnasts) are invited to take part in our annual showcase which is an exciting opportunity for parents and family to see dancers progress throughout the year. It is also a great way for members to perform on stage and grow in confidence. This takes place in March/April at Clonter Opera Theatre near Congleton.
Performances and Community Events
We take part in local displays and community events through out the year. Please look out for details via email and on our social platforms. If you know of an event that we could be involved in then please get in touch.
Do’s and Don’ts:
DO let us know If you student is unable to attend a class, – if we are aware they can join another class or similar that week, as an alternative, so please let us know if you would like to do this. You can do this via the parent portal on dsp or via text message to Amy
DO pick up your child on time please. If you are running late, please contact us and let us know if possible.
DO make sure you have set up your account, registered for the right classes and set up ‘auto pay’ to make your payments.
DO keep up to date with your fee payments.
DO ensure your student is wearing their uniform / appropriate clothing, as detailed above.
DO bring water to drink but DON’T bring food to eat during the class. We are happy for people to have a snack at the end of the class but unless specified in advance people should not need to bring anything other than a drink to class unless they have back to back classes and are staying for a few hours
Invite Friends
It’s the more the merrier here and the more you ‘SHOUT ABOUT SYLK’ the more students we gain and the more opportunities we are able to offer. We have some special invitations in the waiting area if your student would like to take some along with plenty of flyers! We often run special incentives too which can earn you money of classes, free uniform or merch for recommending new students.
Contact Details
Please contact Principal, Amy as below:
Amy Mayers
Sylk Dance Academy Manager
07976 84504
Common FAQ’s
What happens if I can’t attend a class?
If you are unable to attend a class, please let us know – if we are aware they can join another class or similar that week, as an alternative, so please let us know if you would like to do this.
Will I have to pay if classes are cancelled?
No, you will receive a refund for any classes we have to cancel – it will automatically be deducted from the following term’s fee. (Except for those on membership)
Can parents stay and watch?
We find that children concentrate much better if parents don’t stay but you are welcome to come to their first few sessions if you think it will benefit them. We often have open classes where parents are invited to watch what we have been working on as well as showcases and other community performances. Our waiting area is also available if you wish to be nearby.
