2024 -2025
Handbook
JBSD DANCE LLC
2600 State Street
Alton, Il
Jennifer Bishop's School Of Dance PAC
COMPETITION TEAM
OWNER/DIRECTOR
JENNIFER L. BRAY BISHOP
*Competition Faculty*
Sharon Townsend
Bailey McCarry
Marie Townsend
Jadon Hamilton
Sophia Bishop
Competition Team
Handbook
About This Handbook
Since 2006; our studio has been a leader in dance education. We believe
that our success comes as a result of providing solid training in an
inclusive environment, as well as quality service, along with an underlying
belief in the strength of our organization.
We have created this handbook to offer our dancers and their parents a
clear understanding of their commitments and responsibility to the
JBSDPAC Competition team and JBSD DANCE LLC studio.
Mission Statement:
JBSD Dance LLC is dedicated to providing exceptional technical
training in a positive environment that not only focuses on dance but
life skills of responsibility, punctuality, dependability, teamwork, and
above all sportsmanship and respect for others.
For Our Dancers
The first step to becoming a successful dancer is making a solid
commitment to your classes, rehearsals, and performances. Strong
technique is a key ingredient and class is where you develop that
technique. Come to each class prepared to learn and without personal
distractions. Class time is your chance to focus on yourself, so try to leave
your concerns or worries at the studio door. True progress is made when
you look at each class, rehearsal, or performance as an opportunity to
become better at what you love to do. Dance full out, stretch a little
further, become more aware of your technique, and make the most of
every class. Please leave phones in the front phone holder, or in your
dance bag. Cell phones are prohibited during class time.
Respect for the teachers and choreographers you work with is essential.
Listen to each correction given, whether it's directed to you or another
dancer. A correction is an honor; it shows you how much a teacher cares
about your progress as a dancer. Always say thank you when a teacher or
choreographer offers you constructive criticism. Nothing can stop those
students who apply themselves in every class and appreciate their
teachers knowledge and experience.
True progress is made when you look at each class, rehearsal, or
performance as an opportunity to become better at what you love to do.
For the Parents: We're in this together
We believe that children's success depends on the support of their
parents. Because your commitment to the process makes a huge
difference, we encourage you to be a part of your child's dance
education. Our program relies on a positive atmosphere for our faculty,
competition Dancers, and their parents; it promotes a positive learning
experience for all involved. Cooperation between all parents is expected.
Showing respect for the other parents, along with the students and
faculty, makes an important impression on the children. You are a role
model for your child in how to interact with others in a professional
setting. Your child's presence at all classes, rehearsals, and
performances is imperative.
The spirit of teamwork and the lesson of dedication are a big part of our
schools educational process. Parents and teachers may look at a child's
learning from different perspectives. However, they share a common
goal: to assure that every child receives the best possible training, both
physically and mentally. Mutual respect between our faculty and our
dancers parents provides the children with the ultimate care and
education.
Understanding Dance Education
As a parent, the financial support of your student is important, but of
equal perhaps even greater value is your emotional support.
Encourage your child to be the best that he or she can be without regard
to what others may achieve. Dance is an individual art form; each child
needs to achieve at a pace that's comfortable for him or her. No two
students will progress at the same rate, even if they experience the exact
same training. It's important to
encourage the children to focus on themselves, give their all, and be
satisfied with their own accomplishments. Dance education encompasses
far more than technique or the steps your children will learn. We believe the
discipline of dance training gives young people a better understanding of
commitment by offering them the chance to learn, experience the spirit of
teamwork, and understand what hard work can accomplish. Our goal is to
educate the minds, bodies, and souls of our students, to teach them the
skills needed for a successful life, whether or not they stay involved in
dance.
Class or Choreography Placement
The JBSD Staff meets regularly to discuss the students progress
and/or placement. It is our policy to offer appropriate opportunities to
every child.
Placement decisions are derived from many years of teaching experience.
We take several things into consideration when picking JBSDPAC
company members and ELITE teams- such as ability to pick up and
retain choreography, behavior, attitude, presentation, technique and skill
level. Dancers that competed in the previous season will be evaluated by
each teacher in their competition classes before the season is over. This
usually takes place in May/June/July. Evaluations are not only done in
the classroom, we also evaluate students during the competition season.
This evaluation is given to Ms. Jennifer Bishop, as well as Ms. Jennifer
conducting her own evaluations, and is heavily weighted in the placement
decisions. Often a child is placed in a particular group or class where he
or she will feel confident, in order to promote the development of
self-esteem. Some dancers who are placed in a higher level become
discouraged, only to lose their passion for dance. Others respond to the
challenge of being in a class with dancers who are more proficient by
pushing themselves to work harder. Placement is highly individual and the
factors that go into the decision are complex.
**When registering for competition classes, please take everything into
consideration, your child's school schedule, extracurricular activities,
and finances. Once a student registers for their competition classes,
those classes are final, Competition classes cannot be dropped.
Dropping effects the team as a whole-formations, parts and
choreography are effected**
***A drop fee of $500.00 per number will be assessed at the time of
dropping a competition class , after September, 30th, 2024.***
Competition Financial Obligation, not limited to the following:
*Tuition
*Costumes- per number
*Company headshot
*Earrings-different colors per costume
*Make up
*Hair Accessories per number
*Tights-different colors/styles per number
*Shoes-different colors/styles per number
*Extra Practices
*Competition fees
*Convention fees
*Technique Camp
*Crystals/bling
*Small Props ( if applicable)
*Nationals T Shirt
*Invitational T Shirt
*****No Choreography fees- we DO NOT use outside choreographers.
Our facility is KNOWN for our expertise in choreography, concepts and
creativity in the dance competition world.
Do's and Don'ts
Some parents may compare their child's progress, class or choreography
placement to that of others in the program. Watch for this behavior in
your children as well, and encourage them to focus on their own
accomplishments. Looking to others for inspiration is a good thing;
however, a negative focus or comparison distracts from the energy that
could be focused on becoming a stronger dancer. In addition, speaking
negatively about your child's teachers, fellow dancers, or other parents in
front of your child or other students could result in problems far beyond
your original concerns, as well as expulsion. Often children will react to
their parents in a way that imitates the parent's behavior with other
adults or authority figures. As stated above, there are several factors that
go into placements. As a proud parent of the JBSDPAC please do not
question the competition directors about placements. We make decisions
to better the team as a whole.
*Parents may not question casting, choreography, or blocking.
Ms. Jennifer and her outstanding staff take the class as a whole into consideration.
We believe that we make sound decisions that support the integrity of the studio.
Children learn important lessons from their teachers and parents,
acquiring important behavior patterns through their example. The
JBSD Staff takes that responsibility seriously. It's our philosophy to
encourage our students to feel, think, and act respectfully to their peers,
the adults in their lives, and themselves.
For Dancers and Parents
Image
The children and parents involved in the JBSDPAC Competition team participate
in many activities, each of which becomes a reflection of the school's philosophy.
Please keep the following in mind:
THE 5-6-7-8 RULES
5. We never speak negatively about teachers, dancers, or parents from
JBSD or other studios.
6. We never create conflict with the directors or judges of events in which
we participate.
7. We never recruit dancers from other studios. This seems to be a trend
with some of the area studios- Not JBSD. However, share your positive
experiences with any one you choose.
8. The studio directors handle all communication with the directors of our outside
activities.
DRESS CODE -
** Competition Classes - ALL DANCERS ARE REQUIRED TO WEAR BLACK dance apparel.
HAIR MUST BE PULLED BACK INTO A SECURE PONYTAIL OR BUN.
Required footwear must be worn in class.
Ballet Classes-Any combination of the following-
*Black leotard
*Black Sports Bra
*Black dance shorts
*Pink tights
*Pink ballet shoes
* Hair- up off FACE AND NECK.
NO EXCEPTIONS!
PROPER ATTIRE NOT ONLY INFLUENCES A DANCER'S POSTURE,
BUT IT ALSO HELPS IN BUILDING ONE'S SELF-DISCIPLINE WHICH
IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT IN DANCE TRAINING.
There is also an importance to creating clean formations during
rehearsal times. Having a multitude of colors during rehearsal can be
distracting to the choreographer/instructor. All black clothing is very
beneficial when cleaning routines. After January, 2025 dancers may be
asked to wear specific colors to help the dancers better understand the
formations and line changes in class.
***DANCERS MUST ALWAYS BRING APPROPRIATE SHOES TO CLASS.***
Appearance during Competition Season-
ALL TATTOOS MUST BE COMPLETELY COVERED FOR ALL PERFORMANCES. DANCERS ARE
ALSO NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE UNNATURAL HAIR COLOR FOR PERFORMANCES (SUCH AS
BLUE, GREEN, PURPLE, PINK ETC.)
No bright nail or toe nail colors may be worn at competition. Natural, nude,
French and American manicures are Acceptable.
ATTENDANCE
All competition class times are dedicated to choreography or cleaning the
choreography. A dancer who misses a competition class can hold back the
progress of the entire group. Repeating the choreography from a previous
session for those who were absent takes up valuable practice time, which
could result in a performance that is not up to par. If you miss a
competition class or choreography session, please get with another dancer
from that class to learn the missed choreography prior to the next class.
When we clean choreography, we may also change it, and teachers are not
required to send videos to students that have missed. As a competition
dancer, it is their responsibility to know what was missed. So, keep in mind
that attendance is extremely important!
Performances and competitions are your opportunity to show the
world the results of your dedication and hard work.
*Extra Practices - Jennifer Bishop School of Dance (JBSD DANCE LLC) competition
team reserves the right to have extra practices based on students performance, poor
classroom participation or lack of. Resulting in poor performance level, extra practices
will be mandatory and students will be assessed an additional extra practice fee. At a
rate of $35 an hour in order to compete at any schedule competitions.
To make the most of this opportunity:
1. Arrive at performances ready-to-perform by your Call Time at least
2 hours prior to performance times.
2. Be sure you are properly warmed up.
3. Present yourself in a professional manner, with costumes unwrinkled on
hangers in garment bags, shoes cleaned, and all accessories accounted
for, organized in appropriate garment bag.
4. Go out there and show the audience how much you love to dance!!!! Be
proud of your ongoing hard work!!!
Competition Dancers are only allowed to miss a competition class 8 times
throughout the year. If a dancer misses 8 or more competition classes, or
becomes behind in their competition classes-they must meet with their teacher
for a private lesson for a fee of at least $35.00 a half hour. It is to the teacher's
discretion for how long and how many private lessons the dancer must attend. If
a dancer fails to attend make-up privates and continues to miss classes, the
teacher and competition director may expel them from the dance and/or
JBSDPAC competition team. This will then in turn require a drop fee. This is the
LAST thing we want to happen.
This includes no call/no show, and anything that is NOT considered an excused absence. If
the student is injured, they are still required to attend ALL classes to remain up to speed with technical
information as well as choreography.
TECH Classes - Turns and Leaps and ballet are required for all JBSDPAC
members. WE CAN NOT STRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF TECHNIQUE CLASSES. You
can not expect optimal results as a competitive dancer, if you are not in TECH
classes.
Private Lessons - dancers that fail to attend a scheduled private lesson
without 24 hour notification, to said teacher, the dancer will still be charged full
price for the private lesson missed.
Excused Absences - Dancers may be excused if they are required to attend
the following: funeral, religious obligation, ACT/SAT testing, school academic
awards ceremony, school choir concert (grade given), school band concert
(grade given), and illness/ medical procedures. Absences will only be excused if
there is a written email from a parent explaining why the dancer is missing. Texts
or Facebook message to a teacher does not qualify.
Dancers must also be present for over half of the class, or they will be counted
absent. The Staff will be taking attendance every class.
Communication-
Please use the following as a form of communication:
JBSDDANCE@GMAIL.COM
Please respect the staff and refrain from sending texts,
and messages on social media. If you need to contact
the studio for any dance related reason, you must email the studio jbsddance@gmail.com.
BEHAVIOR
ALL DANCERS MUST SHOW RESPECT FOR
THEIR TEACHERS & PEERS AT ALL TIMES.
INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR COULD RESULT
IN DISMISSAL FROM THE PROGRAM.
Social Media-There will be absolutely no bulling on any social
media platform. Inappropriate behavior of any kind will not be
tolerated. If the above is to be found, students will have a meeting
with Ms. Jennifer, another facility member and parents.
We use the following to communicate with competition students
-Face book and Snap chat. This ensures we are able to see that
the students see our messages. If students do not have these
forms of social media, that is no problem, as the studio sends out
e-mails and text messages from our JBSD APP.
TUITION .
Tuition is due on the first day of the month (September
Tuition will be due by September 10th). A late fee of $25.00 will be added for any tuition
that is paid after the 10TH of the month. Our computer system will automatically add the
late fee to your account.
Company Showcase/Recital tickets will not be handed out in July unless all
outstanding payments including late fees are paid. Students will be unable to perform
in the Company Showcase/ recital if they have a balance. If a balance remains unpaid
after recital, JBSD DANCE LLC will send said bill to collection and or
Pursue legal action. You will be responsible for any legal fees for the studio and your family.
Company Showcase/recital fee is due October, 15th 2024
Each family will receive 8 tickets total. They will be given out at rehearsal.
Return check fee - $45.00.
Payments for tuition, costumes & competition entry fees may be made by cash,
check or credit card (VISA & M.C.).
NO VENMO, PAYPAL, or CASH APP accepted
***Student will not compete at competition, if their balance hasn't been
paid within 60 days of the actual event. After 60 days, unpaid dancers
will be removed from competition roster/schedule. Monthly tuition
takes precedence over competition fees. You MUST be current on
tuition in order to compete at competitions***
*If a student pulls out mid season, said student will be responsible for all fees associated with Jennifer
Bishop School of Dance (JBSD DANCE LLC), competitive dance team. This includes choreography
fees, costume fees, competition fees, membership fees, Big/Little programs fees and administrative
fees. As well as $500.00 per competition number for not completing the year
We strongly encourage making extra payments each month, to help
your dancer stay up-to-date on competition payments. Even an extra
$20, $50, $100 dollars a month will make a huge difference. We also
encourage participating in JBSDPAC Fundraising. You can contact
Megan Weber, our fundraising chair, for more information. Fundraising
can help off- set the expense of competitive dance- in some cases
fundraising can completely pay for competition fees or costume fees.
Part of the commitment to the JBSDPAC Competition Team is being up-to-date with
all accounts related to participation. If an account is 30 days past due with tuition;
dancers may not attend classes/competitions.
Nationals and invitationals T-shirts will be mandatory for all students attending Nationals and
Invitationals. We will order and put the fee on the student's account, if the student fails to order. This is
Part of being a competition company member.
Every competition dancer receives a nationals gift bought by the studio, the fee is $60 per student.
These gifts are handed out at our annual Big/Little Nationals send off party.
**ABOUT COMPETITIONS**
PARTICIPATION IN COMPETITIONS -
All regional competitions are mandatory. Nationals and Invitational are
optional. COMMITMENT DATE FOR NATIONALS AND INVITATIONALS IS
OCTOBER 15, 2024.
Regionals are mandatory. Nationals and one convention are STRONGLY SUGGESTED.
If you cancel for Nationals after October, 15 2024 you will be charged a $300 choreography change fee -
NO EXCEPTIONS!
A schedule of competition weekends will be sent out the first week of
classes. If a dancer has any sort of conflict - the studio must be notified in
writing (JBSDDANCE@GMAIL.COM) within 1 week of the schedule coming
out. Specific times for competition do not come out until about 2 weeks
prior to event. Competition Date conflicts could result in the dancer not
receiving lead or special parts.
The week of Competitions are also mandatory. However, if a dancer
cannot attend class, an email with the reason for absence must be sent
at least 3 weeks prior. Competition Director must approve the reason
for absence. Once approved the dancer will receive a private lesson
time, and the dancer is responsible for paying the teacher a private
lesson fee.
**COMPETITION ENTRY FEES**
Entry fees must be turned in by their due dates to ensure that our entries reach
the competition company by their deadline. Competition entry fees are
non-refundable. This is not our rule, it is the competitions. A late fee of $100.00
will be added if we do not receive payment by the due date. JBSD will then have
change/late fees owed to the competition.
**Parents attending Competitions**
- As mentioned before, parents must always conduct themselves in a
professional manner. As soon as you walk into the
Competition you are representing JBSDPAC.
- If there is a situation that would need Competition Staff involvement,
parents must tell a JBSDPAC Staff member, and we will then
converse with Competition staff. Parents may NOT speak to or
email Competition Staff members directly for any reason. This is a
rule of the competition, and it makes us look unprofessional not to
follow these rules.
**COSTUMES**
Costume payments are the sole responsibility of the parent/Guardian. Each
competition routine will have its own costume that will be worn for all 4
competitions, recital, and Nationals/Invitationals. The average cost of a
costume is $90 - $150. A minimum costume deposit of $150.00 is due on October,
15th 2024. The remainder MUST be paid before a dancer may take their
costumes home.
There is no eating or drinking in costume.
Costumes may require Alterations. Our JBSD seamstress- Trudy Landreth-
(618)-514-8265 will be able to help with your alteration needs.
There are no refunds for Costumes.
If a Competition dancer is dismissed or leaves the program; you are responsible for
any outstanding costume costs (total cost of the costume; deposits and balances.)
If a Competition dancer shows up to a competition unprepared and without a piece of
their costume, they will be unable to perform on stage until said costume piece is
recovered. Parents may have to drive from the venue back home to retrieve the
costume piece. It is imperative that dancers and parents check to make sure you have
everything before leaving for competition!
Company Fee
There is a company fee of $400.00- this covers all administrative duties in
regards to the competitions, done during the year. This fee is due no later than
November 1, 2024
**COMMUNICATION**
THE FOCUS IS NOT SIMPLY ON COMPETITION
OUR GOAL IS TO INSTILL A PASSION FOR PERFORMING and
Teamwork
RATHER THAN MERELY THE DESIRE TO WIN AWARDS.
J.B.
Our solid reputation for quality reflects our attitude toward competition and
our goal to develop in each student a genuine respect for dance as an art
form. We consider participation in competitions not simply part of our
students training as dancers; it's also an important part of how we influence
them as people. With the right focus, the experience gained in competition
can be an excellent source of self-confidence. If the dancers feel good about
a performance and understand that they become better each time they go
on stage, they are truly growing through the competition experience. Hitting
that stage and doing the best they can is what it's all about; whether they
win or which award they win is secondary through participation in
competitions, we hope to instill in our students an appreciation for other
dancers and studios. We are not out to beat anyone; instead, we hope to
motivate both students and faculty by exposing them to the highest caliber
of talent available. Only then can we produce the best dancers and teachers
possible. For us, competition is an education and life lessons!
Congratulations, on being a member of JBSDPAC!
It's going to be an AMAZING year!
-Ms. Jennifer & Staff
I HAVE READ AND UNDERSTAND THE RULES OF JBSDPAC OUTLINED
WITHIN THIS HANDBOOK
Parents Name/Signature___________________________________________________
Date____________________________
Students Name/Signature__________________________________________________.
Date_____________________________
