Policies & Procedures

 

Dress Code:

 

Dance wear will be set up in the studio during registration, you can also order all dance shoes at that times. No flip flops in any class- it is very dangerous.

 

Hair- must always be pulled back into a ponytail, bun or braid.

 

Clogging- Clothes dancer can easily move in (fitted top and pants/shorts, etc. NO denim!) and, of course, clogging shoes!

 

Creative Movement- leotard, pink dance tights, and ballet shoes…NOT slippers, actual ballet shoes. Hair must be secured in a ponytail or bun.

 

Ballet/Lyrical/Jazz- leotard, pink or tan dance tights, and ballet shoes…NOT slippers, actual ballet shoes. Hair must be secured in a ponytail or bun.

 

Mini and Junior Mountaineers- Fitted top (t-shirt, long sleeved fitted top, tank top, leotard, etc.) fitted pants or shorts, appropriate shoes with hair secured away from the face. (shoes are part of the required uniform, these will be ordered with the uniform if you are a new member, or need new shoes).   

 

Jazz- a leotard or fitted top, fitted pants or shorts, and proper jazz shoes. Boys: a tank or t-shirt with dance pants and jazz shoes. 

 

Hip-Hop: any comfortable clothing and sneakers.  

 

Note:

A dress code is required so that the instructor may easily see the dancer’s body lines, which is very important in order to correct any alignment problems. Also, it is important to wear the proper clothing and shoes to avoid any injuries.  We recommend all dancers to carry a dance bag containing their proper dance clothes (and backups…just in case), all dance shoes, plenty of hair “stuff” (elastics, bobby pins, hairspray, etc.), and any other items they may need during class (band-aids, deodorant, etc.) During winter months, dancers may wear cover-ups during the warm-up to prevent injury.

 

In The Studio:

Please make sure your take all of your belongings with you when you leave the studio- we are not responsible for items left in the studio. In the event you leave something, make sure all of your belongings are labeled- it will be much easier to locate them. Please turn all cell phones off or to silent while in the studio, no cell phones allowed in class. Parents are not allowed to observe class unless they have been invited in by the instructor (for parent observation day, etc). It is extremely distracting to the students and the teacher.  You are more than welcome to wait outside on the bench or in your vehicle until the conclusion of class.  Most classes run back to back- if you need to have an extended conversation with an instructor, please schedule a time to meet with them so that we can make sure classes begin and end on time. We want to answer any and all questions, but we also want to provide your dancers with a quality dance education.

 

NO gum or candy is allowed in anyone’s mouth during class- it is a choking hazard. Please do not wear dirty shoes through the studio- take them off at the door- especially during snowy weather.

 

Class Placement:

It is the responsibility of the teacher to place each child in a class most suitable for him or her. We ask that you trust our judgment in class placement. It is our goal to place every child where they will receive the best dance education for their age and ability level. Unfortunately we cannot honor class placement requests if it is not suitable for their skill level.

 

Attendance:

Dance is a participation activity and all dancers are required to attend classes regularly. We understand that stuff happens (sickness, injuries, etc). In the event of illness (non contagious) or injuries, dancers are expected to sit and observe class. When a dancer is missing from class it affects many people- not only the dancer themselves, but the teacher and the rest of the class. If you find it necessary to miss class- you must notify the instructor of the class that you will be absent. Please do not keep dancers from class as a form of punishment- it is not fair to the class. Dancers may not have excessive absences!

Competition dancers exceeding 3 unexcused absences will be required to take a private lesson through the studio which will need to be paid for separately.  Also, any competition dancer who misses a class 3 weeks before any competition or show WILL NOT be allowed to participate in the event (even if it has been paid for).

Excused absences are defined by the following: contagious illness, death in the family, or mandatory school events. A dancer who is missing from class for any other reason is considered unexcused. Attendance will be taken in every class. The dance year begins August  31st, 2015 and ends June 30 th , 2016. We want to be understanding of each situation- so please always talk to us- however, we ask that you not abuse the attendance policy. We do not prorate tuition for absences.

 

Snow Policy: 

In the event of a Watauga County School snow day, we will make a decision about the operation of dance classes by 12:30 pm that day. A decision will be posted on booneweather.com, highcountrydancestudio.com as well as a phone call placed to the number you have listed under “snow number” on your registration form.  We will only cancel classes when driving conditions have deteriorated. Since we live in an area where we receive a lot of snow- we are more experienced in driving in this kind of weather and will only cancel class when it is absolutely necessary for all of our safety. There will be no tuition refunded in the event of cancellation due to snow. In the event that snow days become excessive, we will implement a class make-up schedule (which will be held on the weekends). Website: Our website is www.highcountrydancestudio.com . You need to check the website frequently as important information will be posted there. There is a special page just for dancers and parents that is password protected. When you register for classes- we will give you login information for the page. We also send out frequent emails with very important information. We will use the email you provided on the registration form for our mailing list. Should you change your e-mail address or you simply want to add an additional address- you must email: highcountrydancestudio@gmail.com as that will be the official