Miss Lisa's Dance Express News Letter

THESE PERSONALIZED LETTERS WILL BE MAILED OUT THE LAST WEEK OF JULY!!!-
Watch your mailbox!!!

Miss Lisa’s Dance Express 2008 - 2009

Greetings and welcome back to Miss Lisa’s Dance Express! I am getting so excited to see everyone and kick off our year. I have lots of great ideas and am ready to help all these young people to achieve their dreams! Thanks for signing up and I look forward to working with you! -Miss Lisa

Your child’s class is scheduled on:
            Dance (ballet, jazz, tap) ________from________beginning____________
            Tumbling/Acro………_________from________beginning____________
            Other………………...________from________beginning____________

Your monthly tuition will be $_____. Second son/daughter is 15% off. For more additional children, there are additional discounts. See attached invoice for breakdown. Payments due by the first class.

All classes will start after Labor Day on Tues, Sept 2, Wed the 3rd, Mon the 8th. Please be patient during this first month, I will try to have exact classes nailed down by October, but until I get to work with everyone it is impossible to have classes exactly set until I see ability levels. So, please be patient with me.

Dance Class Dress Code
Click for a pictures!
Dance
(ballet, jazz, tap)
Girls:Solid color leotard and Lt Toast tights, Tight biker shorts or hot pants
Ballet skirt above the knee allowed for ballet class only
Boys: Tight white t-shirts/tanks, Shorts

Dancers in 30& 45 min classes
Solid Colored Leotard and tights

SHOES
Pink ballet shoes (no slippers) ($18) ballet dance paws ($18-28)
Black beginner tap shoes ($19) black leather tap shoes ($44-55)
Black leather jazz gore boot ($28-must be boot-no ties!)

Tumbling
Same as dancers, No feet in tights (use convertible tights or footless)
Can wear capris
No shoes required
Boys…Same as for Dance
Any 1 hour or longer classes will require purchasing a DE tank and black jazz pants by September 15th. We will begin community performances in October and everyone must have one. So, come to Open House and get yours or order it to ensure we get it here on time for you. Same black tanks as last year!!!

No t-shirts or baggy pants. The dress code is new this year and will be strictly enforced. Your child need to be dressed appropriately so we can provide proper body instruction of alignment. Students will not be able to participate in class if they do not have on proper attire. Dance Express has a selection of dancewear and shoes for classes available at OPEN HOUSE. This is provided as a convenience for parents. An open house will be held August 14th from 5-7:30PM. If you need to purchase shoes or dance attire please attend and we will assist you. There will also be a discounted rack of Dancewear sale that day only! We will not be carrying all the apparel as we use to.

We are ordering new warm-ups this year for anyone interested..they will be $75 and you can view a sample at the studio or on our website under the apparel shop link. They will have our embroidered logo on the back. Check out the details online! Orders and payment due Oct 1. Will be back by Nov 15th! Christmas presents???!!!

Dancers Etiquette

Do not wear jewelry in class.
No candy or chewing gum in class.
Be on time for classes. Change into dance clothes and shoes before classes begin.
Hair must be pulled back away from face and off neck.
Roughhousing during classes or in the lobby will be strictly prohibited. You will be asked to supervise your child if they cannot behave. Sibling may be asked to leave if not behaving.
Follow dress code!

We have had A LOT OF PROBLEMS with students and siblings running through the halls, damaging the building, blocking other business’s doorways and rough playing. This will NOT be tolerated. If this pertains to your family, you will have to be asked to leave. _________________________________________________________________
Lobby/Waiting Area

You are welcome to wait for your child in the lobby/waiting area. Observation through the windows is allowed during certain times of the year. However windows will be covered after Halloween so progress can be marked. The windows tend to be a distraction to students because they want to see who is watching OR they don’t like to be watched. They need to concentrate. We will have two watch weeks throughout the year. They will be the first week December and February, so mark your calender. Remember our studio is small…so parents only.

Joe Tremaine, Professional Dance Company in L.A., does suggest dropping your child off and not staying. This is so your dancer/tumbler can completely focus. We do understand with our younger ones, parents do need to stay. If you choose to stay, we do ask that you help us to keep the lobby/waiting area clean. Also, please help us with the noise and activity level. Children and siblings of students should always have adult supervision.

Drop Off and Pick Up

Please make sure a teacher is present before dropping off your child. Please be on time to pick up your child. Once your child’s class ends I cannot be responsible for them as I am beginning another class. For safety reasons I don’t recommend having your young child wait by the outside door. They are welcome to wait in the lobby/waiting area until you arrive.

Tuition & Additional Fees
Tuition is due the first week of every month. If tuition is not paid by the 10th of each month then a $10 late fee will be applied. You are responsible to pay late charges and the month’s tuition. Your child will not participate in class until the fees are paid in full. Checks can be slid under the office door if we are not there. If you need a payment arrangement due to your payday, please talk to our office staff and we will try to work with you. There is a $30 fee added to returned checks. If a class meets less than three times in one month, your tuition will be adjusted. We do not prorate if you miss a class.

Additional Fees: I thought you might want to know in advance costs you will incur other than tuition throughout the year. All fees are non-refundable:
Costume for recital due in November: Dance & Acro costumes-$50 Tights- $13
Recital fee due with March tuition: $45 per family. This fee includes 2 tickets to the show, one recital T-shirt and one program.

Attendance

Attendance is important to the success of your child and to the whole class. Your child can fall behind if he/she misses frequently. Practices in April and May are mandatory for the recital. Please keep this in mind on class night. You must be at the two practices prior to a general performance in the community (i.e. ballgames, Nursing Home appearances and such) in order to participate. Students not able to abide by this regulation will be taken out of that number for that particular event. Dance/Acro is a team event! Everyone matters!

Studio Closed

September 1-Labor Day, November 24-28- Thanksgiving Break, December 22- Jan 4- Christmas Break, Feb 16th- President’s Day, March 24-28 Spring/Easter Break. We will have classes on Martin Luther King’s Birthday.

The tentative date for the Spring recital is Saturday, May 20th.
We will take Studio pictures (individual and group) in March.

Please bring with you to our first class, the completed emergency/student info sheet for each student. If you are a returning student, you must correct & initial your current sheet in the office. Everyone must have a current release on file in order to participate in classes. You may do this at Open House as well. I prefer to always be prepared just in case of any incident.

Please remember it is often necessary to rearrange classes once they have begun. I do my best to fit into your busy schedule and at the same time schedule a class that is well suited for the student. If you have further questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to contact the studio 885-2630, email: danceexpress@sprintpcs.com .
Updates, copies of class notes, and more info can be found on our website: www.misslisasdanceexpress.com. We have TONS of info on the website, so please check it out! We try to send out monthly newsletters via email if you have it, if not by paper copy. We have extra copies of the months newsletter posted on the bulletin board and in a folder next to the bulletin board. It is the parent’s responsibility to keep up on when the extra performances are.

I’m looking forward to seeing all of you!!!
Thanks!
Miss Lisa

Open House August 14th..5-7:30PM

OPEN HOUSE IS INTENDED to give families a chance to check out and familiarize yourself with the studio, get sized and purchase their shoes & apparel if needed, so they are ready for the 1st class. PLEASE don’t wait until the first class! It helps your child feel more prepared to have it all taken care of before the first class!
Stock is limited!
Apparel Rack SALE!!!
If you are interested in selling used tap shoes, I recommend you bring them in to the studio’s used shoe rack as early as you can, so people can try them on. No ballet shoes as they are too worn!!! Please mark your name and price on them. I am not responsible for any missing shoes. I am trying to make this as convenient as possible to avoid everyone having to drive to St. Louis to get shoes and apparel!

If you have changed your mind about taking classes, please let us know asap as we do have a waiting list.