Studio Policies and Guidelines (Full Policies)
Apr 20, 2024 11:07 AM
Payment/Financial Policies
ALL PROGRAM FEES/TUITION/REGISTRATION PAYMENTS ARE NON-REFUNDABLE. THEY CAN BE USED AS CLASS CREDIT AT ANY OF OUR STUDIOS AT ANYTIME.
COSTUME/DANCEWEAR/STUDIO SUPPLIES THAT HAVE BEEN PAID FOR AND ORDERED ARE NON-REFUNDABLE and MUST BE PICKED UP WITHIN 30 DAYS OR WILL BE RETURNED BACK INTO STUDIO INVENTORY with no credit given.
Students rolling all fees into one payment: if you fall 30 or more days behind a payment with no payment plan/auto play in place, your dancer will sit during classes to watch until your payment is caught up and will not be permitted to participate in events/performances. The late fee on these accounts can be $10/day accruing and $20/month until a plan is in place. Once your student is registered we will assess all fees and email you a monthly program fee agreement for you to sign and return. If you at any point decide to break that agreement, there is a $250 agreement breakage fee and no refunds will be issued. We will then recalculate any further classes/charges and follow usual studio policies/guidelines. The cost is based on an 12 month program. If your account falls more than 2 payments behind you will be withdrawn from the program until further notice and the accountant could be turned over to our collections department. Bundling Fees is based on your tltal cost and the number of months left in your season.
*Students who pay weekly or biweekly will round up to the nearest whole dollar to split their payments equally. Students on this plan (MUST BE STATED AT ENROLLMENT) will only receive a late fee if their full tuition is not paid by the last day of the month.
*Cash/Check- Checks should be made to Expressions Dance Studio and have the correct date on them. Student's names should be included in the memo section of the check. This process will prevent clerical errors. There is a $50 return check fee on all returned checks due to insufficient funds. After 2 insufficient funds you will be required to pay with cash or card and pay one month ahead. When paying by check you must put your dancer's name in the memo section.
*Credit/Debit/Autopay - You may pay with a credit or debit card. There is a 3% transaction fee added per transaction you do with your cc/dc. You may set up your auto pay on your parent portal. Our staff does not have access to any autopay settings. The auto-pay system is set to charge the last day of the month so that on the first your payment is covered. To cancel an auto debit, you will need to submit a written request. Returned auto-pay payments will have a $25 fee attached and must be settled within 30 days of the return.
*If you have an account credit at the time of a session end, you will have the option of applying the balance to a specific department or requesting a refund by the last class day of that session. (Allow up to 6 weeks for your refund to arrive). It is your responsibility to request your account credit within 30 days upon session ending.
Payments/Scheduling
Classes run from September through June with observation of the studio’s calendar of events for any breaks. The studio’s will follow the public school corporations for their locations for weather cancellations. We do not prorate for closing or cancellations or pandemic situations as they are out of our control and we are still financially responsible for the studios bills to stay open/running.. The billing system is set up to bill for a certain number of weeks of class times based on the studio/public school calendar. We also reserve a set number of extra practice days throughout the program year and special technique days and camps which will be on your event calendar that are included with your dancers registration. Your instructor will notify you with the automated system if there is an unscheduled cancellation, so be sure to keep your information updated. If your student needs to miss a dance practice they have the option to come to a higher level class the following week to make their time that was paid for. If your student misses a class, they need to attain a “Dance class pass” at the front desk to use for a makeup class. If your instructor cancels a class due to absence or weather, your teacher will give out the “Dance class pass” and it is you and your student’s responsibility to use that pass before the end of the year. Practices that may be cancelled throughout the season due to weather, clinics, meetings, competitions and camps. At times an additional practice may be added to makeup for a missed practice. However, we cannot guarantee this. Program fees are still due the same. Students signing up mid year will pay the same fees.If in the event you close your dance account with a negative/owing balance, you will have 30 days to make your account current.You will be financially responsible for any costs incurred by our collections agency and any court costs as well.
All monthly fees are due the first Class of each month from September to June. Any payments received after the 10th of each month is subject to a $5.00 late fee and will be added to the following month’s owed tuition. Students missing two payments will be subject to a $10.00 fee and will need to pay both monthly fees and late fees to be current and participate in class. Students falling three payments behind will be asked to sit and watch and take notes. Students falling 4 payments behind will not be permitted to take class. The billing system will automatically update your account with late fees. Any accounts with a negative balance as of 25th will have a final $25 late fee and must be put on a payment arrangement plan for recital. If at any time in the year your account reaches a negative balance of $200, to stay enrolled you must sign up for auto debit for monthly tuition, plus a payment plan for the negative amount.
Recreational students that end their attendance before the annual recital are expected to pay the tuition to the end of the month they cancelled classes in. You will be billed accordingly. You will continue to be billed until the studio has received notification of your cancellation if you intend to cancel before the season end date. You will have 30 days from notification of your invoice to pay in full before the account is turned over to our collections department, and you may be fully responsible for any fees that are incurred.
*Practices may be cancelled throughout the season due to weather, clinics, meetings, competitions and camps. If a weather cancellation occurs we may offer an online class for that same day/time. At times an additional practice may be added to makeup for a missed practice. However, we cannot guarantee this. Students may also be issued a class pass for these as well.There are no refunds for classes missed or cancelled.
Cancelling your studio enrollment
You must give the studio a 15 day cancellation with a stop date! notice of billing. For example: Should you decide to be done with dance on November 1, you will owe for November, If you should decide to be done mid-month, there is no refund for the remaining month, however your student is encouraged to finish the month out. If you have notified the studio before the 1st of the following month, billing will not be applied. Notification must be in person at the studio to finalize an account.There are No Refunds on tuition or registration. If you do not wish to use the credit on classes, you may transfer that to another student or the scholarship program. Any uniform/dancewear/costuming/competition fees not yet purchased/ordered/paid out by the studio is refundable, however must be requested by email or in message within 30 days of the original order date or cancellation date and not yet ordered within that 30 days. As tuition/registration fees are non-refundable any credit remaining on your account that may be from any funds, you will have a year (365 days) to use that credit in classes/private lessons at any of the studio locations or transferred within that time frame or the account credit will automatically be transferred to the scholarship program or a scholarship student directly.
GENERAL STUDIO POLICIES
*All dancewear/costuming orders must be paid for in full before the order will be placed. All orders must be picked up within 30 days.
*COSTUME fees will be applied at the time of class enrollment for the annual recital and slip sent home. Once you complete your enrollment you are financially responsible for all performance related costs if that is part of your enrollment. Late student enrollment is accepted,however to participate in the recital/performance events, your costume order may be subject to an additional fee and director approval to get the costumes ordered.
*All students are expected to have the appropriate dance supplies/attire for the class they are attending. We have several ways of accumulating items, let our staff know if you are in need of something. Students cannot get 100% of their dance education without the correct supplies. Students are expected to have the appropriate attire or to have ordered within their first 30 days of class.
*You are responsible for retrieving studio news/team information. You must come in to the front desk the first week of every month, or send in a guardian to sign and pick up your copy. If you fail to come to sign for a copy of the information, you will not be current on information that you will need to know. We do keep a record of this.
*Photography/Videography is used throughout the year during class times and performances, and will be used for critique and documentation purposes and may be added to our studio’s social/advertising sites. Our annual recital is also video recorded and may be used for those purposes as well. If you prefer not to be in any studio content, please be sure to check the appropriate box on your registration paperwork.
*Parents/Visitors/Friends/Family are only permitted to sit in on a class under instructor approval. We will have designated times of year for family/friends to attend! PLEASE DO NOT DISTRACT THE STUDENTS WHILE YOU ARE AT THE VIEWING WINDOWS DURING CLASSES. ALSO REMEMBER TO KEEP THE LOBBY AREA CLEAN AND QUIET while classes are in session.
*Toddler classes are required to have a parent/guardian in the lobby during the entire class to help aid in potty breaks and getting their shoes on etc...Parents of toddler classes please be sure you have read the toddler welcome letter!
*Student class rewards. One way your student can earn rewards in class is through earning a Dance Ticket! By following directions, behaving appropriately, and giving 100% in class, these are ways to do so. At the end of the month a dance ticket winner will be drawn for a special prize. All the studio entries go into the bucket each month and we do the drawing via Facebook.
*Certain holidays we send home treats for the students, if your student is not allowed a certain food/candy, please let our staff know.
*We do not prorate any class fees, or refund fees paid for tuition. Weather cancellations will be handled with a class pass or makeup if an online option is not offered. We follow the local school for weather cancellations.
*You will still be responsible for the same monthly tuition if your student should need to drop a class for a short break. You may substitute another class on a different time/day or studio for that break if need be, however your tuition remains the same to hold your students spot. Should you wish to completely withdraw after 45 days, you would need to completely re-enroll. Your dancer is allowed to attain class passes as well.
* Classes must have 4 or more students enrolled to be considered a group class and to be held. If a class has less than 4 enrolled and the current students would like to pay the required fee to hold that class as a group they may do so and their member fees will be adjusted.
*Students are not permitted to wait outside of the building alone. A parent/guardian must enter the building for students under the age of 16. We keep the building locked during certain times of the year and certain times of the day for staff and student safety.
*Students are expected to be in every class on time. If you are more than 10 minutes late, that is a disruption to the class and you will be asked to sit and watch and take note of class technique. There are no prorated fees for any missed classes for any reason. Students are able to attend a higher level class the following week if they miss a class. It is very important to be in class to learn as much as possible. Students missing days during rehearsal week will run the risk of not participating in the show!
*Street shoes/attire are not permitted in the studio. Please check out our attire policy or our YOUTUBE channel for what’s appropriate for class. There are some classes that require attire. You have 30 days to meet the attire requirements before your student may be asked to sit and watch. After 30 days we will bill the attire to your account. The attire must be paid for and picked up before your student is able to return to class.
*Students may bring bottled water or sports drinks to class, no food or soda is permitted in the studio room at any time! Punch cards for drinks/snacks may be purchased at the front desk.
*Any disrespect of any staff member or guest teacher will not be tolerated. If we see inappropriate behavior your student will be asked to sit out and watch and then will be asked to move to the lobby if need be. We do have security cameras throughout the building.
*Our studio offers a carpooling program. If your dancer needs a ride to and from the dancer, please contact our front desk. There is a $5 fee per trip that is paid to our carpool staff member!
*Our studio is a teaching studio and we have developed a great student apprentice program. Participants within that program will substitute a class from time to time. We feel these student teachers are well prepared and allowing them the opportunity to teach is essential for their progression in the program. We ask that you help support the student teachers as well as your own student. A student can learn a great deal from substitute teachers. Our apprentice program begins at age 10 and requires specific class enrollment. If your student is interested in this program, please see a member of our staff so that we can begin preparing them for the program and get their dance education on the right track! *Student placement in any class/classes are based on age, skill level, previous training and teacher’s discretion. Our studios are very busy and have teachers substituting to give our students a wide variety of instructions as well
RECITAL/COSTUME POLICIES
Recital participation is not mandatory, however it is what your students prepare and work for all year.. It would be comparable to baseball players practicing then holding their games and tournaments. In order for our shows to be successful we truly need to have all of our dancers participating and to be present. The process of a recital is part of the dance education process. They learn how to produce a show, how to perform and how to behave in a professional show atmosphere as a professional dancer. Because we don’t do a show every weekend like they do games every weekend it is important to the dancers to allow them to participate. The show is lengthy for that reason also. We have a lot of students and talent to showcase! No apologies to show off the many talented kids we have :)
It takes a lot to make a huge show run smoothly and safely so we must enforce the policies and procedures of the recital week. There is no room for budging on those rules. We have the rules set for the safety of our students and to keep things running smooth and as fast as we can. It is our hope that everyone participating reads the packet and information sheets accurately and supports our staff in the decisions we have to make during that week! If you have questions regarding any of the following policies, now is the time to ask!
Recital Costs
As our recital costs have significantly increased over the last few years, instead of raising our monthly program fees significantly, we are implementing a recital fee as do and have most studios in the industry. The recital fee helps cover the cost of staff, venue costs, backstage items the dancers need and insurance liabilities for each dancer. Each student participating in the recital will need to pay this fee, however for doing so, your dancer will receive their dancer lanyard, and your parents pass. Each season there are some specialty items your dancer will receive as well. Watch your recital packet in the spring for what those items are! ! The fee per dancer is $50 and you will see this fee added to your account upon enrollment along with any costume expenses. There are no sibling discounts on this fee. The fee is low in the realm of all we have to cover so it must be paid per dancer. This fee is also non-refundable as we begin work and expenses in August for this event. If you drop out of the recital after march 15th, you could be responsible for a reblocking fee of $40 for the first routine and $25 for each additional that will be sent with final billing.Costume costs and recital fee are due no later than December 10th. Recital packets with full details and order forms for tickets etc.., will be handed out March 1!
Costumes
You will be given an information sheet that will have all of your costuming information. You will have a total cost of all your child's recital needs as well as anything you need to acquire . Items will not be shipped until that balance is paid in full. All students participating in the recital are required to have the required costumes for that class. Some classes have two costumes so please note that your cost for the class could be two per class as there may be a class piece AND a production piece. There are no refunds on any fees paid on costumes. We place orders/begin preparing costume/recital things as soon as your payment is made.
General Policies Surrounding Recital:
-During recital activities during class, students that are not participating in the recital will be working with a sub/helper to keep their class work going.
-Once your costume/accessories/tickets have been ordered there are no refunds on recital items.
-All rehearsals during the week of recital are MANDATORY unless cleared by Miss. Nikki.
-We will only release a student to the person signing in as a student at check in unless prior arrangements have been made.
-All students are REQUIRED to have a hair pony and earrings and the correct shoes and tights to correspond with each of their costumes for each of their classes to participate in the recital/performances.
-Full recital details and scheduling will be released at costume pick up week.
-Students enrolled in core performing classes are REQUIRED to stay for the entire show from start to
finish. This includes the toddler classes as well unless otherwise directed from Miss. NIkki.
-All students are required to comply with hair and makeup requirements as the stage lights wash out the faces of the dancers.
-All account balances must be paid in full before recital week to participate in the show or be on an auto pay payment plan to proceed into recital week.
-There are No parents / visitors allowed in the changing areas or backstage area during the showtimes. Parent passes allow a parent back before and after. This is STRONGLY enforced.
-Picture day is mandatory for participation, however you do not have to purchase it if you do not wish to.
-There is no reserved seating in the auditorium and every person sitting in a seat needs a ticket.
Performance/Event Expectations
Performing opportunities is much like games, or swim meets etc., for other sports. There may be a lot one season and not much the next so getting your student to the most events you can is ideal. The more performing opportunities your student participates in the more experience they gain and the further they will progress with their dance education.
ALL DANCERS ARE EXPECTED BUT NOT MANDATED TO PERFORM IN ANY/EVERY PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITY.
-WHEN ARRIVING TO AN EVENT FOR PERFORMING, STUDENTS SHOULD ALWAYS BE NEAT AND CLEAN WITH THE PROPER ATTIRE AS HANDED OUT PREVIOUSLY FOR THE EVENT. THIS INCLUDES HAIR AND MAKEUP.
ONCE STUDENTS HAVE BEEN CHECKED IN AT THE MEETING LOCATION, THEY ARE NOT PERMITTED TO SIT WITH FRIENDS OR FAMILY UNTIL THE EVENT HAS CONCLUDED.
STUDENTS NEED TO BRING ALL ITEMS NECESSARY FOR THEIR PERFORMANCE. IF THEY DO NOT HAVE ALL OF THEIR ITEMS, IT COULD RESULT IN YOUR STUDENT NOT PERFORMING. SHOULD THIS ARISE, THE STUDENT IS EXPECTED TO HELP BACKSTAGE ANY WAY THAT THEY CAN AS IT IS A LEARNING EXPERIENCE AND THEY NEED TO SUPPORT THEIR FELLOW DANCERS.
STUDENTS/PARENTS AND FAMILIES ALONG SHOULD ALWAYS CONDUCT THEMSELVES RESPECTFULLY TO THE VENUE AND STAFF OF THE VENUE. YOU ARE REPRESENTING YOUR DANCER AS WELL AS EXPRESSIONS DANCE STUDIO!
PERFORMANCE TIMES ARE NOT SUGGESTIONS, YOU SHOULD ALWAYS AIM FOR ARRIVING TO THE VENUE 10 MINUTES BEFORE YOUR INSTRUCTOR/DIRECTOR HAS INDICATED. IF YOU LATE IN THE LEAST BIT IT COULD RESULT IN YOUR STUDENT NOT PERFORMING.
THERE ARE NO CELL PHONES PERMITTED AT ANY EVENT IN THE STAGING AREA. YOUR STUDENT MAY NOT BE ALLOWED TO HAVE THEIR PHONE OUT UNTIL THE CONCLUSION OF THE EVENT.
SHOULD YOUR STUDENT NEED SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR ATTIRE IN ORDER TO PERFORM AT AN EVENT, YOU WILL BE GIVEN A COSTUME/ATTIRE ORDER FORM AND INSTRUCTIONS AHEAD OF TIME.
IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO ATTEND AN EVENT SCHEDULED FOR YOUR CLASS, PLEASE NOTIFY THE FRONT DESK OR YOUR TEACHER IMMEDIATELY SO THEY CAN PREPARE CORRECTLY FOR THE PERFORMANCE. WE ASSUME EVERYONE PERFORMS AT EVERYTHING; AFTERALL, THAT’S WHAT WE DO :)
IF YOUR STUDENT DOES NOT HAVE THE CORRECT SHOES/ATTIRE FOR A PERFORMANCE, THEY WILL NOT BE PERMITTED TO PERFORM. NOT ONLY FOR UNIFORMITY, HOWEVER IT IS A SAFETY MEASURE.
Costs to perform at local events will range from $0.00-$25 per event. If your dancer is labeled a performer, he/she will automatically be billed for any local performance and built into the routine. There must be a 7-10 day notice before an event to opt out of payment for the performance.
If you cannot make it to a performance scheduled and handed out by your instructor, please let them or the front desk know as possible if you cannot make it. You can also send an email to: expressionsdancestudio.14@gmail.com to report and event absences.
EVERY EVENT YOUR DANCER ATTENDS, THEY WILL RECEIVE A DANCE TICKET FOR THEIR ATTENDANCE!