STUDIO POLICIES

Registration
A non-refundable fee of $15.00 is required at the time of registration. Students will not be placed in a class until this fee is paid. Current students registering after June 1st will be charged a $25.00 late registration fee.

Tuition
Tuition is setup to be paid yearly, by the 1/2 year, by the 1/3 year, or by the month. Tuition paid by the month must be paid by the 10th. There are no refunds for missed classes. Please ask and we may be able to allow a student to make up a class that is of similar age and ability.

Attendance
Students are expected to attend classes regularly. If a student is ill, unable to attend class or going to be late—please call! Good attendance is critical to learning and development. If a student is consistently late or has 3 or more missed classes, he or she may be moved to another class.

Dance Class Attire
All students need to wear proper dance attire to class. Sweats, jeans and dresses will not be allowed in class. Students who come not appropriately dressed may be asked to sit out in class. It is no different than any other sport—you have to have the proper attire! Ballet students must wear a leotard and tights. For Jazz and tap classes, students may wear leotards and jazz pants or dance shorts, but will not be allowed to wear long shirts, sweatshirts or shirts that need to be tucked in. Please ask Deb or Lisa what is appropriate if you’re not sure. No dangly jewelry is allowed. Hair should be securely tied back and out of the face. All hair must be pulled back into a bun, ponytail, braids, pigtails, etc. except for short hair.

Snow or Inclement Weather
The studio will not necessarily close due to weather regardless of school closings. We generally try to make a decision by 2:00pm if classes will be cancelled and will post on our website and on our Facebook page. You can be added to our email notification list as well. If in doubt, call Deb at (712)-225-4413.

Recital
Recitals are usually held the 1st or 2nd weekend in May.  Cherokee has two performances - one Saturday night and one Sunday afternoon. Storm Lake’s recital is Saturday night. Both have Saturday morning rehearsals. On occasion, Friday evening rehearsal for our high school dancers is necessary to avoid other conflicts with large group band contest, etc.

Costumes
Costumes are ordered the end of December and are expected to be paid in full by the end of January. Once the costumes are ordered they cannot be returned and full payment must be made whether the student is dancing or not. Any discontinuing of lessons must be made in writing to Deb by December 20. Costumes will be handed out once they are paid in full.

Liability
Parents, legal guardians of minors, students and adult students waive the right to any legal action for injury sustained on school property resulting from normal dance or any other activity conducted by the students before, during or after class time.

Class Observation
Parents are allowed to observe during three designated Visitors’ Days throughout the dance year. These Visitors’ Days are in October, February, and April. Calendars are handed out at the beginning of the year with Visitors’ Days, holidays, recitals and all other important dates to note.

Class Behavior
Students are expected to follow the rules of the class. If a student is disruptive, they may be asked to sit out. All discipline will be fair and age appropriate. Parents will be made aware of any behavioral problems.

Care of Students
The studio is not responsible for providing before or after class care for students. Students are not to be left at the studio for excessive time periods before or after their classes. They may change and wait in the dressing rooms. The dressing room noise level must be kept to a minimum.

Food Policy
Absolutely no gum, food, or pop in the studio dance rooms—water only! Snacks/drinks are allowed in the dressing room and waiting areas, but please keep our studio clean!

Photo Release
Photos and videos may be taken throughout the year and these photos or videos may be used on our website, Facebook page, or in other marketing for Deborah’s School of Dance.  We do not use the students’ names when using the pictures or videos.

Other
No students are allowed in the dance room without the teacher present.

Please make sure that your student uses the restroom BEFORE class!

RECITAL POLICIES

The annual recital is mandatory for all students and is the culmination of the dance year.

A detailed recital policy and information letter is sent out to students in the spring, including rehearsal times, etc. Below are the basic guidelines to be aware of:

Rehearsal
Rehearsal for the recital is done on Saturday morning—the morning of recital. Students must be properly attired for performance on stage. Be ready to go on stage at your rehearsal time.

Recital Checklist
1. Wearing glasses in the recital will be the student’s choice.
2. No jewelry! This includes belly rings and nose rings, and even small earrings.
3. All tattoos must be covered.
4. All ballet shoes are to be black and the ties must be tucked-in.
5. No underwear is allowed to be worn during both rehearsal and recital. We will not allow students to perform if they are wearing underwear.
6. All headpieces are to be the same, no extra flowers, barrettes, etc., unless the entire class has the same.
7. All hair, unless it is too short, must be off the neck, put up in a bun, French-braided etc. No loose braids or ponytails (no loose flying hair). Ends of French braided hair must be tucked-in.
8. All straps are to be sewn down securely and the extra cut off.
9. All shoes, tights, costumes and costume pieces should be labeled clearly so that there are no mix-ups. That way, anything left behind can be returned to the proper owner.
10. Extra items to bring: Bobby pins, safety pins, needle and thread.
11. Wear old tights for rehearsal. Students that did not receive tights should wear sheer to waist—nude or suntan color (this mostly pertains to older students).
12. Makeup must be on everyone (boy or girl) so that features are not lost in the bright lights of the stage. Items needed: Blush, lipstick (shade of red only), eye-shadow (no pastel colors), eyeliner, and mascara (if possible).
13. Bring some quiet activities for younger students so that they are not running around.
14. Bring some blankets to sit on to keep the costumes from getting dirty or snagged.
15. Parents, please be responsible for your own child or be sure you have someone that will be, as there are many students dressing in the dressing rooms and it gets to be very hectic.
16. Dancers are expected to stay with their class so that they may be found easily.
17. Be respectful of my crew, and do as they say! They know what they are doing and without their help there would not be a recital!

Arrival Times
Students should arrive no later than a half hour before the recital begins.

Video and Picture Taking at the Recital
Video taping of any of our shows is not allowed. They will be taped using professional equipment and copies will be available at a reasonable price. No pictures of any kind are allowed as they are a distraction and danger to the students. Videos and pictures are allowed at the dress rehearsal only. A mandatory picture day will be in the spring at the same time as our last Visitors’ Day for group and individual pictures - purchase is not required.

Recital Tickets
As of 2014, we have initiated a ticket admission policy for our Cherokee recitals. In order to account for rising auditorium costs and COVID measures, we are implementing ticket sales for the Storm Lake recital as well as of 2021. This is to ensure that we are within the fire code seating capacity of the auditorium. To purchase tickets, click on the “recital tickets” link on the home page. *Note that this link will only be available in the weeks leading up to the recital.