NEWSLETTER - SEPTEMBER 2009
Phone (604) 465-6681 Fax (604) 460-8296

 birthday parties   attire    etiquette   attendance    placement    exams   stat holidays
spring break    conventions    photos    recital    costumes    fees    cancellations

Welcome to CentreStage Dance. We are looking forward to another exciting season of dance. We'd like to thank you for your support in the past year and welcome you if you are new to our studio. This newsletter will serve as a guide to this year's events. Please take the time to read this thoroughly as it has many important dates for the next year. Keep it handy and refer to it regularly to help keep you informed.

CLASSES BEGIN SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12TH, 2009

NEW THIS YEAR
This season CentreStage Dance will be offering Birthday Parties! If you or someone you know would like to have their birthday party held at CentreStage Dance please contact the studio for more information.

DANCE ATTIRE REQUIREMENTS
Upon registration, you will receive the guidelines outlining the appropriate attire and footwear required to participate in dance class. These requirements are mandatory to enable the teacher to detect and correct student's body alignment. Street clothes such as shorts, blue jeans and loose fitting t-shirts do not allow for freedom of movement.
Please follow our simple rules as they are designed for the safety of our students. Please make sure to label both shoes and clothing with the student's name. Thank you.

DANCE ETIQUETTE & BEHAVIOR
We look forward to creating a positive atmosphere for all students attending the studio. It is our responsibility to show appropriate and respectful behavior towards the students and in turn, we feel the students should be respectful and show appropriate behavior towards all teachers, reception staff and other students while on the premises. If any problems occur, parents will be contacted and a solution will be discussed.

ATTENDANCE & COMMITMENT
During each dance season, students work on a choreographed dance, which will be performed in the year-end recital. Students enjoy a great sense of pride and accomplishment through hard work and dedication. Our goal is to see each student improve his or her performance and technical skills throughout the year. A successful performance requires both attendance and commitment to dance classes, therefore we ask that students attend their classes regularly. Re-enforcing the work each week goes a long way to increasing the student's self esteem. Students missing 4 or more consecutive classes (without just cause) may, at the discretion of the teacher, be excluded from the year-end performance. Please remember dancing is a TEAM EFFORT, no different than any other sport and we all rely on each other to be there!!!!!

Please contact the studio if your child will be absent from class.

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STUDENT PLACEMENT
Upon registration, you will receive a day and time for your child to attend dance class. Occasionally, a teacher will see a need to place a student into a class that is better suited to their individual abilities. During the months of September and October the teacher may suggest to the parents, an alternative day and time for their child to attend class. Our main concern is for the students to enjoy dancing and feel good about their accomplishments.

Please note: Studio schedules are subject to change.

EXAM CLASSES
Exam classes are recommended for the more serious and dedicated students. Exams offer students an excellent opportunity to enhance their technical skills and achieve higher levels in dance. Please ask to see our detailed brochure outlining this program. Congratulations go to all our Ballet, Jazz, Tap and Acro students in their successful participation of exams this year!

STATUTORY HOLIDAYS AFFECTING MONDAY CLASSES
Due to lack of studio time, Monday classes affected by statutory holidays may not be rescheduled. Students wishing to make these classes up may attend an equivalent class during the affected month. Arrangements must be made at the front desk.

Please note: Classes cancelled due to whether conditions beyond our control will not be rescheduled. If you wish to find an alternate class to make up for the one missed, please contact the front desk.

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FAMILY VIEWING
Family viewing week will be held Saturday January 16th - Friday January 22nd. During this week, family members are invited to view their child's class. Parents bringing small children are asked to keep them seated during this time. Thank you.

SPRING BREAK 2010
School District #42 is continuing with its one week Spring Break. Spring Break will be held March 7th - March 14th 2009. Classes will resume Monday March 15th.

LOST & FOUND
Our lost and found is growing increasingly out of control. Our lost and found is located in the girls change room. This year we will be donating the items in the lost and found to charities at Christmas, Spring Break and Year End. In the weeks prior to these dates the lost and found will be spread out down the hallway of the studio.

THEFT AND VANDALISM
Any students caught stealing; mistreating or vandalizing the premises will be dismissed from the studio. Please leave your valuable items at home, as we want to minimize the risk. The studio and its faculty are not responsible for any lost or stolen articles.

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DANCE CONVENTIONS
Various Dance companies will be hosting conventions throughout the later part of 2009 & spring 2010 in the Vancouver area. They are intensive 2-day workshops offering Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop, Lyrical, and Musical Theatre. Students attending last year's conventions learned the latest dance moves and had a great time! There are usually 3 levels offered - Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. The level of class to be taken must be determined by the teacher. Students interested in attending a convention should be taking more than 1 style of dance, to get the most benefit from the workshop.

• Coastal Dance Rage - September 19th & 20th 2009
• Triple Threat - November 28 & 29th 2009
• Extreme Dance - Spring 2010 TBA
  

PHOTO SESSION
We are excited to once again be using PHOTO EXPRESS as our photographer this year. Please remember that pictures are pre-ordered and pre-paid on the day the photos are taken. Please remember, if you have multiple classes, you will have multiple order forms. This format will speed up our turnaround time and will eliminate the deadline for returning proofs.

• SR. / INTERM. PHOTOS - Saturday April 10th & Sunday April 11th
• PRIMARY / JR. PHOTOS - Saturday May 1st & Sunday May 2nd

Class and individual photos are taken of the students each year at the studio. Times will be posted in the lobby of the studio one month prior to the photo sessions.

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RECITAL JUNE 2010

In June 2010 we will be holding our annual Dance Recitals at the Ridge Meadows Arts Centre & Theatre. The student's work very hard on their dances during the year, and the recital is a great way to bring the dance season to a close. Also, it gives the students an opportunity to learn the art of entertainment, which is another very important part of dance. We hope all students will be allowed to participate, as they all look forward to performing for their families and friends. Tickets go on sale one month prior to recital. Tickets can be bought online, over the phone or in person through the Act Theatre. Please remember tickets sell fast!

We would like to take this opportunity to again thank all the friends, family and parents for volunteering their time at our rehearsals, recitals and community events. We can't thank you enough for your support each and every year. We wouldn't be able to do it without you!

There will be NO classes held on the Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat between dress rehearsal and recital.

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COSTUMES
For this recital the students will need a costume. We try very hard to keep the costumes reasonably priced and from past experience, we have found costume prices to average between $50.00 and $80.00. Costumes may be purchased, if necessary, or sewn by seamstresses, whichever proves to be the most economical.

COSTUME DEPOSIT - $40.00 PER CLASS / DUE UPON REGISTRATION
The costume deposit is designed to allow the coordinators to purchase costuming supplies for the entire class. This deposit will be due upon registration to ensure your child's spot in the class and the $40.00 will be deducted from the total cost of the costume.

Costumes will not be handed out until the final balance is paid.

COSTUME DEPOSIT & REFUND POLICY
From September through to November 1st 2009, $10.00 will be withheld per class upon cancellation of classes to cover administrative fees. Costume Deposits will NOT be refunded after November 1st, 2009 as costumes are already in progress. Costumes completed at time of cancellation must be paid for in full.

DANCE FEES
Again this year dance fees will be paid by Pre-Authorized Withdrawals. Payments will be debited from your accounts on the 1st and/or the 15th of each month from September through June. We have based our monthly fee on your child receiving a minimum of 37 classes per dance season. The 37 classes are multiplied by the cost per class, then divided by 10 to arrange equal monthly payments. In past years, our recital has run later in June, giving students an extra class, which has not been charged for. We have not yet encountered a year that has offered less. If you have any further questions regarding this, please feel free to contact our studio.
N.S.F. Fees: Our fees for all N.S.F. cheques is $20.00

CANCELLATION & REFUND POLICY

• CANCELLATION OF CLASSES MUST BE RECEIVED IN WRITING.
  ONE MONTH NOTICE IS REQUIRED IN ORDER TO STOP YOUR
  PRE-AUTHORIZED WITHDRAWAL.
  
  
• SORRY, Telephone cancellations WILL NOT be considered valid.
  
  
• Effective May 31st, 2010 Dance fees are non-refundable.
  
  
• $15.00 Registration fee is non-refundable.

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