STUDIO INFORMATION
Click on the links below for important information concerning the studio and your dancer.
- Getting Ready For Dance Class
- Guidelines and expectations for dancers and parents entering a Mini-Starlight, Starlight or Starpower class
- Studio Policies
Tuition is due on or before the 10th of every month.
Tuition is non-refundable. Tuition is based on a 9-month class year (or approximately 36 weeks), and is broken down into 10 monthly payments (September to June). The monthly fee remains the same regardless of the number of classes in any given month. Most months have 4 classes, sometimes there will be 5. December and June are short months. There are no refunds given for missed classes, due to bad weather or other student absences. All absences can be made up. (See section regarding make-up classes.)
If the payment is received after the 10th of the month, there will be a $5.00 late charge.
You will be notified after the 15th of each month if tuition and/or late fees have not been paid. If payment has not been received by the last day of the month, an additional $5 late fee will be added to your account and a second reminder will be made. Dancers will not be allowed to participate in class if your account is more than 2 months past due. All previously paid for items, such as recital and competition fees, will be forfeited, if you choose not to return to the studio. All delinquent accounts will be turned over to a collection agency.
Tuition Guidelines:
. Due on, or before, the 10th of each month
. A $5 late fee is added if payment is not made by the 10th
. Returned checks will be charged a $25.00 service fee per check
. Late fee policies are strictly enforced
. On Your Toes accepts cash, check, Visa, MasterCard, and Amex
. Family discounts given for 2 or more dancers
Checks may be mailed or dropped off at the studio. There is a drop slot at the desk for payments. If the studio is closed, please slip tuition through the door of the main lobby area and do not place it in the mailbox. Calling to pay by credit card is acceptable.
On Your Toes now offers an automatic payment plan for families. Release forms are needed stating that On Your Toes has permission to automatically debit your checking or savings account or charge your credit card for tuition on the 1st of every month. There is a one time (annual) set up fee of $5.00. At the end of the year, we destroy all bank and credit card information on file.
Dancers must wear appropriate dance clothes to class. Warm-up clothes are permitted, but must be taken off when the dancer is "warm".
No baggy clothes, shorts, or t-shirts will be permitted! All dancers are required to wear leotard and tights to classes.
It is too difficult to give the proper corrections if the instructors cannot see the dancers' bodies. Jazz pants will not be allowed in the ballet section of class. Skirts are preferred, but Capri pants or bike shorts may also be worn. If your dancer has other activities before or after class, please do not send them in street clothes. Bring a change of clothes in their dance bag.
Faculty will ask a student to sit out and observe class if proper dance attire is not worn.
Hair needs to be tied back securely during class.
Ponytail holders will always be available at the front desk for $0.25. A neat appearance helps your child feel like a dancer, and realize that dance class time is special. Loose hair is distracting to both dancer and teacher. Please place an extra ponytail holder in your dancer's bag. If a dancer's hair is too short, please have them use a head band. Faculty is not responsible for fixing your child's hair.
Dancers are required to wear the proper shoes to each class. For recital, ballet shoes are pink, and jazz and tap shoes are black. Other colors are acceptable for class use only.
Mini-Starlights, Starlights, and Starpower classes must put elastic in your dancer's tap shoes. You may purchase tap buttons or elastic at the front desk. It's easier for the dancer to put them on, and there are no shoelace problems during class. Any time spent tying shoes is time taken away from class.
If your child dances in a jazz routine, they must have jazz shoes.
Dance shoes should be worn inside only. Wearing dance shoes outside will ruin the shoe and bring in dirt to the dance floor. Please put your dancer's name in their shoes as it's easy to get them mixed up. Masking tape on the bottom of tap shoes and a sharpie marker on jazz and ballet shoes is an easy way to uniquely identify shoes.
The first class of every month is watch week. (Exceptions are September, when there is no watch week, and April, when we will combine watch week with our recital meeting.) Please mark your calendars for these weeks. Guests will be able to view classes through viewing windows.
It is important to monitor your children's progress and see the instructors interact with the dancers. Watch weeks are not necessarily typical classes at On Your Toes. Please keep in mind that dancers' are very excited and can be easily distracted having guests watch through the windows. Instructors have to work extra hard during these weeks to make sure the class stays as structured as a class held outside viewing week. The staff appreciates your understanding.
Please take turns at the viewing window. Everyone will want to observe their dancer in class, so we ask that you be courteous to one another.
Gossiping about other children or teachers is not tolerated at On Your Toes, and if it is heard, you will be asked to leave.
When attending watch week, please limit the number of guest to one per family. Watch weeks are very exciting, but to make it an enjoyable experience for all, please be respectful of others.
It is extremely helpful to the instructor to keep voices down during watch week or any other classes. Noise does travel into the dance rooms and the dancers feed off the energy outside of the door.
Watch Week Guidelines:
. Occurs during the first week of every month except September
. Take turns at the window
. Limit of one guest per family
. Be respectful to others with noise level
All competition dancers must have their music copied.Their accounts will be automatically charged at the beginning of the season. However, in order to receive their cd, the dancer or parent must request it at the front desk by filling out a music request form, with a list of all the songs.
Dancers are strongly encouraged to have their class music copied in order to practice at home. A CD and jewel case will be provided for you with the music, for a $10.00 fee ($8.00 for copyrights; $2.00 for the CD). You may choose to bring in your own CD and pay only an $8 copyright fee. Copyright fees are charged for licensing fees from ASCAP. Failure to cover these fees is a violation of code and the studio is at risk of being fined and/or shut down. For families, the copyright fee is per dancer, but you may choose to order one or multiple cds.
STUDIO CLOSINGS (Please mark your calendars!)
In the event of inclement weather, please call the studio and listen to the recording.
If Mehlville School District is closed due to weather, so is the studio. If your class is on a Saturday, a recording will be set no later than 8:00 a.m. with the information about a studio closing. When calling due to weather situations, please be patient with our phone lines. They will get tied up a bit because of so many phone calls. Also, if weather becomes bad throughout the day, again, please call the recorder and listen to our message.
The studio will be closed on the following dates:
October 31 Halloween November 19-24 Thanksgiving Break December 22 - January 1 Holiday Break March 17-23 Spring Break May 26 Memorial Day
Recital fees vary depending on the number and type of classes the dancer is in. The average dancer's recital fees start around $140 per year. Recital fees include all costumes, props, auditorium rental, fifteen recital tickets per family, scenery and all staff for rehearsal and recital. Late fees will be added to accounts that do not complete recital payment on time. Costumes will not be ordered until the first payment is made. Recital fees are non-refundable.
Important recital dates to remember:
October Recital information is distributed November 3 1st recital payment due December 8 2nd recital payment due January 19 Final recital payment due February 16 Competition fees due June 8 Dress Rehearsal Day June 9-10 Recital Days
ATTENDANCE / ABSENCES / MAKE-UP CLASSES
Attendance is taken at each class. Good attendance is very important to each dancer's success, as well as the progress of the class as a whole. When a teacher must "go back" for a student who has missed material, it is unfair to the rest of the class. Please make every effort to have your child at class each week.
Missing classes is inevitable, but excessive absences can become a problem. If a dancer is struggling and the instructor feels it is necessary, a private lesson may be required to help the dancer with any missed material.
All classes can be made up. Please check the bulletin board in the hall or web site for times that are available for your dancer. If you miss a class, or we are off for a holiday, you may make up that class in another class at the same level.
All make up classes must be made up within a 4 week period.
Classes may be made up at any time during the 4 weeks that they were missed, except during a watch week. Senior dancers and competition dancers are encouraged to take technique classes to make-up their classes. Tuition will not be refunded or discounted due to absences.
In the event of a dancer falling ill, please keep them home from class in order to reduce the chance of spreading the illness. If a dancer is injured they are encouraged to observe class.
Dancers are placed according to age and ability. If a child is more advanced, a higher level of class may be needed to strengthen the dancer's ability and give them a challenge. In most cases, dancers are with others their own age.
Dancers are not placed because of friendships or how long they have been dancing. They are being placed strictly by the level of technique that they demonstrate on a weekly basis. A child is placed in a class where he/she will feel confident in order to promote the highest level of self-esteem.
Please trust the staff's years of experience in the decision for class placement. We are professionals and always act in the best interest of the dancer. Dancers progress at different levels and advancing a dancer before they are ready can create stress, a loss of interest and discouragement.
Dancers are not allowed to stand outside the building waiting for a ride!
Small children need to be escorted to and from the studio. Please do not encourage your dancer to find you out in the parking lot. Never leave your dancer unattended in any part of the studio at any time, other than the scheduled class time.
All traffic from the studio needs to come through the main lobby. Please enter and exit the far end of the building by the reception area only. The double doors need to remain locked and closed except in an extreme emergency. This is for your child's protection!
Please do not arrive more than 10 minutes early to class!
The studio will be considered open 10 minutes before the first class of the day. The door will remained locked until that time. During the first few weeks of class we may offer earlier hours to accommodate those who need dancewear items.
Please remember, On Your Toes is not a daycare. We do not want to be responsible for dancers that arrive too early or are not picked up on time. If you have arrived early, you must wait with your child until it is time to start class.
Dance rooms will remain closed until the instructor opens the door to enter. Teachers come in early to prepare for class. Please do not open the doors until the instructor is ready.
Mini-Starlights, Starlights and Starpower: Before class begins, please try to have the dancer's ballet shoes on. If you are late arriving to class, please stand outside of the dance room and put your dancer's shoes on so there are no interruptions during the class.
CHANGING OR TERMINATING CLASSES
If you would like to change classes, add or remove a class, or completely terminate dance classes, an Add / Drop slip must be filled out by a parent. In order to be removed from financial obligation, we must receive your intentions to stop classes in writing at the start of the month you wish to stop. Add / Drop slips are available at the front desk. If you are adding a new class, a staff signature is required.
There is a lost and found box at the end of the hallway. If something is left at the studio, it will be put in the lost and found box. We do not hold any items at the front desk.
On Your Toes offers each family the option of having all paperwork e-mailed. This reduces paper, misplaced items and allows parents to store all important documents on their computer. Email allows the staff at On Your Toes to keep you informed of important dates and new information. We do not sell or distribute addresses.
All schedules and important information is posted online at www.danceonyourtoes.com.
Please come in from time to time to check out our bulletin board and calendar on the wall. We are constantly posting new information for you. Any time a note goes home, we will also post one on the board in case the little elf in the studio runs away with your dancer's paper.
If you are unsure about any times, dates or places of any up-coming events just check the board in the hallway for the answer. We will also post things on the front door as reminders to you.
It is your responsibility to keep informed of all dates.
Please take the time to read the papers that come home and mark your calendar for all important meetings, rehearsal and payment dates. Staff members often get blamed by upset parents about late fees or dancers not knowing information. All of this information is sent home with dancers or emailed directly to the parents. On Your Toes works very hard to keep you informed and provide plenty of advance notice about important dates. As the season progresses, additional information will be posted, sent home, or emailed.
Thank you for taking the time to read this information. I cannot stress how important it is for the dancers and parents to keep the lines of communication open. If a problem or concern arises, please speak to me immediately so a solution can be accomplished. Without feedback I cannot solve problems for you and your family.
Thank you,
Kelly Kirkpatrick
Owner / Director
On Your Toes Dance Studio
The faculty at On Your Toes is all affiliated with Webster University, and has either received their dance degrees or is currently working towards one. Our teachers have several years of teaching experience, have traveled all over the world to teach and perform and are dedicated to providing your family with the care and attention they deserve.
Miss Kelly
Miss Dana
Miss Ellen
Miss Katie
Miss Kelly D
Miss Kirsten
Miss Lara
Miss Maggie
Miss Natalie
Miss Rachael
Miss Sherrie
Miss Traci
Auditions are in May or June. Please call the studio for audition dates.
On Your Toes also participates in three local competitions per year. In order to be a competition dancer, all dancers must go through the audition process. There are combinations taught in jazz, tap, lyrical and hip-hop.
Each birthday party is priced at $115 for a 2-hour \ party for up to 12 children. For each additional child it is an extra $6.
All parties can be modified and/or designed to each birthday girl due to age or special theme of the party. We will work with you with further ideas and details.
Basic Package Includes:
- Mini dance class
- Costume dress up (age appropriate)
- Present time
- Cake time
- Paper goods for cake and drinks (cake and drinks not provided)
- Decorations are not provided
All parties must be booked at least a month in advance if at all possible. There will be a $25.00 deposit for all parties that are applied to the cost of the party; non-refundable on cancellations. Weekend and Friday evening parties are available. To book your party, please speak with Kelly.
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