DancePro Academy brings the love of dance and performing arts to all its students – click to find a class for you
Studio Handbook for Parents and Students
1 – Introduction
It’s our absolute pleasure to warmly welcome you into the DancePro Academy family. Our team is thrilled to see many familiar faces return to the school and even more excited to see new faces join our community. We have created this one-stop handbook to hopefully shed some light on how things will run throughout the year as well as answer a lot of queries you may have before the year begins.
While we would love you to take the time to read this information carefully and keep your handbook in a safe place to refer to as you need, don’t forget that our friendly staff are always here to help and will happily answer any queries you may have. Nothing is too big or too small, we promise!
Quick Reference Information
Principal Details:
Gill Grueber
07729 221169
[email protected]
72 Broadwater Crescent, Welwyn Garden City, AL7 3TU
Studio Addresses:
Southern Maltings, Kibes Lane, Ware, SG12 7BS
Christchurch School, Bowling Road, Ware, SG12 7EF Chauncy School, Park Road, Ware, SG12 0DP
2 – Studio Manifesto
To start us off, it’s important to us at DancePro Academy that all members of our team share our vision, our purpose and the philosophy that encompasses everything we do both in and outside of our classes. This is a vision that is shared and demonstrated by the teachers and staff members, and it is the driving force behind every interaction with our students and their families.
DancePro Academy is place where kids of all ages shapes and sizes learn to dance, sing and perform. This is a studio where creativity, individuality and self-expression is encouraged and has a community of teachers, students and families who are passionate about performing arts. Our goal is to create a positive and happy experience for all of our students.
We strive to nurture and develop talent, celebrate the achievements of all students and inspire a love and appreciation of all styles of dance and the arts. We are committed to providing a safe and positive environment in which all students can feel empowered, comfortable and free to express themselves.
3 – Registration
Before lacing up those tap shoes, it’s important that all new students and/or parents have an account with us so they can access their portal and keep up to date with what is going on. Use the Dance Studio-Pro link to create your account and ensure we have the most up-to-date contact details for you. In your portal you can amend your details, add medical needs, acknowledge media release forms (so we can show off photos and videos of our amazing dancers in and around the studios), and more. Our registration ensures that in the event of classes reaching capacity before term kicks off, you will be guaranteed a place in the class/es of your choice.
You can register online at danceproacademy.com or dancestudio-pro.com/online/dancepro
Should you wish to enrol, our one off registration fee is £10 per student and must be paid in full after the trial classes. Make sure you get your payment in via Internet Bank Transfer, Cash or through your invoice as failure to pay your registration fee in time may result in losing your place in the class.
We encourage all of our students and families to try a variety of dance styles and we are more than happy to accommodate trial classes for existing students who are wanting to try something a bit different. Please email Miss Gill if you would like to try a new class and we will happily schedule your trial (provided the class has not reached capacity).
4 – Communication
By now you have probably noticed that we are BIG on communication here at DancePro Academy. It is our promise to respond to all enquiries within 24-hours and we will never leave a query unanswered.
For convenience, our primary means of communication is via email. You will receive the occasional newsletter and important information via email so please ensure you have provided the studio with an up-to-date email address that is regularly checked. We are of course happy to include multiple email addresses per family if you would like your correspondence sent to numerous recipients. Don’t forget to add our email address [email protected] to your contacts so we don’t end up in the dreaded Spam folder!
In the infrequent case of urgent information (for example, unexpected class cancellations or performance changes), we will send an SMS and/or telephone to all families. So, for this reason, please make sure the mobile phone number you have provided to the studio is correct and up to date.
Facebook is a great way for us to keep in touch with a large number of people at once, so we encourage all families to join our closed Facebook group. This group can be found here and will be monitored to ensure all content is appropriate and relevant. You can buy and sell you secondhand DancePro Academy uniform here too.
We are always happy to chat in more detail about communications you may receive from us, so if you need any clarification, please don’t hesitate to call us on 07729 221169 to chat with Miss Gill in more detail.
5 – Code of Conduct
To ensure the smooth, safe running of DancePro Academy and an enjoyable experience by all, below you will find our code of conduct. As always, we are open to feedback, so if any of the requirements outlined below are unclear or concerning, please give us a call to discuss further. Following a formal meeting, we do reserve the right to dismiss or take disciplinary action on any students or parents who breach our studio’s code of conduct.
Families who do not comply with their payment obligations will be charged a late fee, and / or excluded from performances. External debt collection may occur when fees remain overdue, and this will be at the expense of the client. Costume expenses are the responsibility of the parent, and costumes will not be issued to students with unpaid class fees.
No classes (including private lessons) or teachers are to be disturbed unless it is an emergency. Parents are not to approach teachers or students during class and if messages or food/drink/medication needs to be passed on to a student, it must be done through a DancePro Academy staff member. All parents must wait in the waiting areas or outside of the studios until classes have been dismissed.
We are unable to take responsibility for our students before or after their scheduled classes. In the case of an emergency or unavoidable delay, please contact the principal immediately to inform us of the situation so we can keep your child calm and safe until they can be collected. Students that are collected more than 5 minutes after their class time will be charged an immediate fine of £50.
Any questions or complaints must go through Miss Gill – parents and students are not permitted to contact DancePro Academy teachers via phone, in person, or via email / social networking with issues unless it has been broached with the principal first. Personal meetings with the studio principal can happily be arranged via email.
In the rare case of a parent or student showing disrespect or defamation to any parent, staff member or student, a meeting will be called immediately, and dismissal may be considered at the discretion of the principal. Physical, mental, emotional or cyber bullying by parents, staff or students will not be tolerated and may result in dismissal from the studio.
DancePro Academy takes no responsibility for any stolen or misplaced property on the studio premises, and we encourage our families to avoid bringing valuable items into the studio where possible.
DancePro Academy management reserves the right to change teachers or timetabling when necessary, at any time throughout the year. Choreography, costuming and our policies remain the intellectual property of DancePro Academy and may not be reproduced or sold by any students, parents or staff without permission of the principal.
6 – Age Groups
Preschool Classes
Baby Ballet: is an introduction to classical ballet using creative, imaginative role-playing and fun props. This class may involve pretending to be animals, playing instruments to learn rhythm, learning balancing, skipping and running and techniques using costumes and ribbons, or picking up “diamonds” (shhh…they’re actually just feathers) from the ground to develop their hand-eye coordination. This class is suitable for both boys and girls who are having so much fun that they don’t even realise that they are learning the fundamentals of ballet technique along the way.
Primary / Middle School Classes
Primary / Middle-School Ballet: In this class, our dancers build on their ballet technique using creative role play and props and will thrive from positive reinforcement. There are opportunities for students in this class to participate in ballet exams which will encourage them to progress through the syllabus and work hard to move up into the next graded level.
Primary / Middle-School Modern: Our Primary / Middle-School Jazz students are building on the basics of jazz technique to popular and age-appropriate music. Some examples of the techniques our jazz students will learn include turns, kicks, leaps and body isolations.
Primary / Middle-School Tap: In this class students would be learning the basics of tap technique as well as building on their sense of rhythm and their confidence when it comes to performances. Our tappers love dancing to popular, age-appropriate music and getting LOUD!
Primary / Middle-School Musical Theatre: If your child enjoys acting, singing and dancing then Performing Arts is the perfect class for them. Working on scripts, improvisation, voice technique, songs and choreography throughout the term, this class will keep your child entertained. For students who are less confident, drama exercises are played each week to encourage and nurture their self-esteem, developing character in all the students.
Primary / Middle-School Street Dance: This is a fun and funky class using popular music where children can learn the basic and skilled moves of street dance. Compromising of warm ups, stretches, jumps and leaps followed by an energetic routine.
Secondary School Classes
Secondary School Ballet: Dancers are gaining strength and co-ordination to work towards pointe work. This takes great understanding of their own physique and which muscles are used to instigate movements. We continue with ballet exams at this level as some exams are equivilant to a GCSE!
Secondary School Modern: By now students have the technique to turns, kicks, leaps and body isolations.
Secondary School Tap: In tap we start introducing ‘light and shade’ and ‘tonal quality’ to the dancers’ beats. There is also an expectation of performance when entering for exams.
Secondary School Musical Theatre: Creating improvisations with thicker plots and more complex characters, students come out of their shell to perform various roles for plays.
Secondary School Street Dance: Our senior students love this class and take it quite seriously, wanting to learn and perfect complex routines- there is a real team mentality here.
7 – Safety
With the safety of our families a number one priority, DancePro Academy is very serious about upholding Child Protection laws and policies within the studio as well as at public performances and in the online arena (website and social media).
As a safeguarding measure, we would like to make you aware that Southern Maltings has CCTV in operation in all the communal areas. All premises used, are open to the public therefore please be mindful of changing, leaving children unsupervised and others using the building. DancePro Academy can only be responsible for your child during their class time. That said, if you are running late, students will never be left alone to wait for you.
As part of your registration, you will have read a media waiver allowing us to proudly use images and video footage of your student for advertising and promotional purposes. Please ensure you acknowledge the check box if you do not want to participate in any online promotional activity. This is then shown on the register so the staff are aware.
At the end of the Autumn and Spring term we have “watch week” which is where parents are invited to view all or part of the class. All of our teachers and staff members have undergone official checks allowing them to work with children.
The directors and staff at DancePro Academy are educated in the negative impact of inappropriate music and costume selection when it comes to performing dance routines and are wholeheartedly committed to ensuring children in all of our dance routines are not subjected to any inappropriate songs or costuming. We recognise that songs with sexist, explicit, violent, racist, homophobic or criminal content may influence our dancers and/or audience and will strive to avoid using such music. We are committed to restricting costumes that project sexuality, contain explicit graphic or textual content.
Our staff members have all been trained in first aid. We enforce a nut-free policy at the studio to ensure the safety of any students or parents with allergies to nuts or nut products and encourage gluten and dairy free options when involved in fundraisers or events.
DancePro Academy takes no responsibility for any stolen or misplaced property on the studio premises, and we ask our families to avoid bringing valuable items into the studio where possible.
8 – Privacy
When you purchase or hire a product or service with DancePro Academy, the information we may collect from you includes your name, address, telephone numbers, email addresses, medical information. It may also include details of the products and services we provide to you as well as the status of your enrolment. We only collect information directly from our students or their parent/guardians primarily for the purpose of providing services and products to you and to administer and manage invoicing and debt collection.
We may occasionally use your information to promote and market to you information which we consider may be of interest to you unless you contact us and tell us not to do so.
We will never sell or pass on any of your information to third parties unless required by government authorities or in the event of debt recovery. Any information passed on will be done so with appropriate privacy and confidentiality protection.
Information is stored securely electronically and is accessible only by authorised personnel with the password.
If you would like to know what information we hold about you or wish to update the information, or if you wish to be removed from all further direct marketing communications, please contact Miss Gill on 07729 221169 or refer to your parent portal.
9 – Exams
As a studio who values the growth and commitment of our dancers from all ages, it’s our pleasure to offer exams to students in ballet, tap and modern as a part of our ISTD program. And acting and devised improvisation with Lamda. We encourage all students who attend syllabus classes to enter for exams. While exams are not compulsory, our syllabus’ are the most highly recognised syllabus’ worldwide. If your child is considering continuing to dance vocationally as they grow older, we strongly recommend participating in exams.
On a side note, our vast experience shows that formal exams present a unique opportunity for the children to display and take pride in how hard they work. Our exam students always find their exam experience to be uplifting, beneficial and rewarding and higher grades contribute towards UCAS points.
As part of the exam preparation, exam dancers will also need to attend extra lessons at an additional cost from their fees. Payment must be made prior to the exams and extra classes. If you have not paid by the requested date, unfortunately your child will not be eligible.
What happens in a dance exam?
The students will come to the studio about 40 minutes before their exam begins. Hair will be groomed by our parents and teachers. Uniforms must be worn. In groups of 2- 4 students, they will enter the studio (with / without their teacher) and greet their examiner. Exam students will learn their examiner’s name prior to the exam so they can greet them by name. For example: “Good Morning Mrs. Hartley.” Over the course of 30mins to 1hr depending on the grade, they will perform their entire syllabus for the examiner, both as a group and individually. There is not a written exam however terminology is questioned to assess understanding. It usually takes about 6 weeks for all exam data to be compiled and moderated, but once the examining body has completed the marking process your child will be presented with their exam grade, percentage, an exam certificate, as well as comments and areas for improvement on their performance.
Your child’s exam results and certificate will be awarded in class once they are ready at the studio.
10 – Timetable
Timetabling our classes is a huge task and we take all care to ensure that children are given classes at an age-appropriate time without long hours that may lead to fatigue or disrupt home / school life. Please find our timetable for 2022- 2023 here and please contact us if you have any questions at all.
11 – Uniform
At DancePro Academy, we believe that wearing studio uniforms give students a sense of belonging to our family as well as creating an identity for our studio in the greater community.
Our uniforms also:
- Encourage discipline
- Help students resist peer pressure to buy stylish clothes for class
- Help identify non-students in the studio
- Diminish economic and social barriers between students
- Increase a sense of belonging and school pride
- Improve attendance
Uniforms can be purchased year-round from the studio or from our website shop or contact Miss Gill.
For secondhand uniform please sell / donate / request uniform on our Facebook page.
Request: Please ensure all parts of your child’s uniform are clearly labelled – individual shoes, socks, underpants… you’ll be amazed at the amount of lost property we generate!
Further style-specific uniform requirements are as follows:
Ballet: Female Ballet students must have pink satin ballet shoes which can be purchased from our website. You will also need pink ballet tights or socks and a Sky- blue leotard or navy leotard for older students. (Skirt required up to Grade 2)
Modern and Tap: Students require black jazz and/or tap shoes with socks. For their uniform, students may wear any combination of leotards, shorts or pants from our uniform shop.
Street dance and Musical Theatre: Students require black sneakers / jazz shoes along with the DancePro Academy t-shirt, DancePro Academy hoodie and black leggings.
Request: Jazz and Tap shoes – Please exchange all laces for elastic so children can slip shoes on and off so we spend more time dancing and don’t waste time tying shoe laces!
12 – Fee Structure
Please find below the fee structure for the academic year 2022- 2023. Feel free to contact Miss Gill if you have any fee-related queries.
| Item | Duration | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Class | 30 minute | £5.75 |
| Class | 45 minute | £6.50 |
| Class | 60 minute | £8.00 |
| Registration fee | Paid upon enrolling with DancePro Academy. Includes a gift. | £15.00 |
| Discounts per student | 2 classes | 10% discount |
| 3 or more classes | 15% discount | |
| Show fee | Per genre | £20.00 |
We offer the following options for fee payment:
Payment – you will receive your termly invoice 6 weeks prior to the commencement of the following term and have until the end of the current term to pay these fees in full.
Payment options include:
- Cash in a named envelope
- BACs Transfer referencing your student’s name
- Through the invoice – there is a 3% convenience charge when paying through the invoice
- You can enrol in Auto-pay which is like a direct debit on the 1st of the month
- You can set up a payment plan by enrolling in auto-pay and spreading the cost throughout the term
DancePro Academy LTD
TSB bank | 00014899 | 30 98 52
Overdue fees: All overdue fees will accrue a 10% late surcharge and if fees remain unpaid in week 1 of classes, students will not be permitted to participate in their lessons.
Please note: All students are invoiced based on an 11- 13 week term so your invoice will fluctuate in price but the price per class remains the same. Fees last increased by 5% in January 2023. Fees will increase by 5%- 7% in January 2024. If you decide to withdraw from classes mid-term for any reason, you will still be charged for the entire invoiced period.
Refunds will not be issued for missed classes due to cancellation, the weather or public holiday – where possible, we will endeavour to arrange make-up lessons for classes cancelled by DancePro Academy or will offer an alternative class.
Trial Payment
You can trial a class as a ‘pay as you go’ student for up to 3 weeks before deciding to enrol. Our Trial classes can be paid as you attend via cash to your teacher or BACs.
Notice Period and Fees in Lieu
If you wish to withdraw from classes at DancePro Academy, it is a requirement that you notify DancePro Academy in writing at half term. Failure to do so will result in half a terms fees being charged in Lieu.
This is to cover teaching, insurance, venue costs etc so classes can continue running. A budget is predicted to ensure there are enough students to cover costs for the following term.
Should notice be given late or not at all an external debt collection company will be used to collect the outstanding balance. Their fees will be at the expense of the client.
13 – Attendance
Your child’s attendance in class is very important to their peers and our teaching staff. As a member of the team, it is a commitment for you to ensure your child attends their classes each week. Not only do absences impact the routines teachers are creating for shows and events, it also impacts the social and confidence-building principals we work hard to foster in each age group.
If you know in advance that your child will be absent due to holidays/vacations, commitments or school trips, please let us know ahead of time so the class impact is minimal. If your child is too unwell to attend class, we ask that you inform Miss Gill as soon as you can so they can let the teachers know.
Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate make-up sessions or refunds for students who miss classes, but will make every endeavour to schedule a catch-up class in the unlikely event that DancePro Academy needs to cancel a lesson.
14 – Social Media
DancePro Academy’s Social Media Policy refers to all social networking sites, video/photo sharing sites, blogs, micro-blogs, wikis, podcasts, forums, instant messaging and geo-spatial tagging (for example, Facebook check-ins). Please see below for our regulations regarding Social Media and feel free to contact our office staff if you have any questions.
Please remember that your anonymity on Social Media is never guaranteed and to exercise particular caution when posts, images or videos identify children in your care.
Remain mindful that your behaviour on Social Media remains in keeping with DancePro Academy’s code of conduct as outlined in chapter 6 of this handbook.
Any comments or posts perceived to be obscene, defamatory, threatening, harassing, discriminatory or hateful towards DancePro Academy staff, students or families may subject the owner to disciplinary or legal action.
Should you wish to engage on Social Media while identifying as a studio volunteer or employee, you may only do so with integrity, respect, and adhere to privacy and confidentiality policy.
Any content revealing or referring to sensitive studio information is not allowed to be shared online.
Intellectual property laws (for example, costume design and choreography) must be observed by all studio patrons when posting online.
While affiliated with our studio, (for example, images of your child in DancePro Academy uniform) we will not tolerate any posts that are racially, sexually, physically or religiously offensive.
All matters pertaining directly to DancePro Academy – whether it be fees, scheduling, placements or performance opportunities – may not be communicated via Social Media. We have an open door policy and encourage all communication, complaints and feedback to be communicated to the Principal directly.
We discourage parents / students and teachers from becoming ‘friends’ or ‘followers’ on Social Media, unless there is an existing relationship. We consider all studio members to be family and as such feel the obligation to respect and monitor personal boundaries.
Families found to be engaging in ‘hidden’ or ‘private’ groups formed for the specific purpose of discussing studio matters will be encouraged to join our closed Facebook group for public discussion and warned against discussing Studio matters in their private online groups.
Photos or Videos taken from performances or rehearsals may NOT be posted online.
You may not post photographs / videos that feature DancePro Academy dancers other than your own child online without the proven consent of their parent/guardian.
Identifying information of any featured minors – including names, ages or location – must be removed when posting on Social Media.
15 – Our Teachers / Faculty
Finally, it’s our pleasure to introduce our hand-picked faculty for 2022- 2023! Our enthusiastic, passionate, and dedicated teachers are thrilled to be a part of your family’s dance journey this year. We are truly looking forward to growing together to mold this generation of skilled, confident, genuine and unique performers.
Miss Gill – FISTD, PGCE Principal, Teacher
Miss Lydia – Commercial and musical theatre teacher
Miss Kate – ISTD ballet, tap, and modern teacher
We are an established Dance Academy based in Ware, Hertfordshire, offering term-time classes in Ballet, Tap, Modern, Commercial and Musical Theatre.
Copyright © 2024 | DancePro Academy. All rights reserved.
