Policies

Contact Us

Email: elementsdanceterrace@gmail.com

Website: http://www.elementsdanceterrace.com

Office Phone / Miss Molly: (250)-975-0087  Miss Jess: (250) 922-4940

Have a complaint or need to file an incident report? Login to your Studio Director account. Under “Actions” click “View Class Documents”. Fill out the appropriate form and submit your Complaint form or Incident Report via email.

Payment Days –

This season we will not be hosting an in-person payment day due to COVID-19.

Our preferred method of payment is email money transfer to:

elementsdanceterrace@gmail.com

Registration fees –

Registration: reduced to $12 this season!

Receipts are provided electronically to your email address provided on your registration form and registered / entered on your Studio Director.

Discounts

• Family Discount – 2nd Dancer from the same household – 15% off (This excludes Creative Dance and Adult Sessions)

Pay for the entire year in full upfront on Sept 5th receive 10% off your total. (this does not include payment plan with post-dated cheques)

*NEW*Any dancer with First Nations Status will receive a 10% discount on tuition

Late Fees/Interest Build-up

Tuition is due at the top of each session. We are willing to work with families and create manageable payment plans, but this must be discussed and agreed upon before the beginning of the season.

Late fees will be added to your account if monthly tuition fees are not paid up on time. If late, fees accrue, interest will apply as follows:

One month overdue – 2% interest added to existing fees

Two months overdue – Additional 2% interest added to existing fees

If fees are still outstanding after two months past original due date, each occurring month will increase by 2%. ie. 4% interest on month three, 6% interest on month four etc. This is on top of all unpaid fees including previous interest added. So please pay your fees on time. We can make individual payment plans that work for you so that you don’t get behind.

How to Pay

Our preferred method is Electric Money Transfer EMT (send to elementsdanceterrace@gmail.com No password needed as we have direct deposit set up!

Payment Options:

1. Pay for full year (9 months) upfront (10% discount) – (Due September 5th 2020)

2. Pay for Fall Session (4 months) – (Due September 5th 2020) & Pay for Spring Session (5 months) – (Due January 1st 2021)

3. Set up a monthly payment plan with post-dated cheques – September Tuition Due Sept 5th 2020, each month after tuition fees are due on the 1st

We also accept:

Credit Card (if paying by credit card family, status, and full season discount is only 5%) Costume deposits will NOT be taken on CC. See page 5) A payment appointment will need to be arranged to pay with CC.

Cheques – we accept post dated cheques and we can make a payment plan that works for your family’s budget delivered to: 3477 River Drive – Thornhill

Money orders delivered to: 3477 River Drive – Thornhill

***Cash in a labelled envelope dropped off at (3477 River Dr Thornhill)

If paying in cash it must be in an envelope marked with the amount, the dancers name and class, and must cover all months Sept-Dec. We will not accept any cash money that is not labeled and in an envelope.

Please make cheques payable to Free Elements Dance Studio for all payments unless otherwise notified. Please make sure the memo section of your cheque includes where this money is to be allocated (tuition, choreography, privates, costume deposit etc).

Costume Deposits

All General Program Classes $50 / per class
This separate costume deposit is due at the same time as your tuition. This is payable to Free

Elements Dance. Without payment a costume will not be ordered for your dancer.

Please make sure the memo section of your cheque includes your child’s name and what class they are in, please also mark “costumes”. We will not take credit card payments for costume deposits.

If a costume is not ordered for your dancer (ie. If you do not continue in January 2020 and provided notification prior to Nov.1, 2019) a costume deposit refund will be provided. If we have not been notified by November 1st 2019 there will be no costume deposit refund.

If your deposit amount is more than the costume cost, you will be refunded the difference. If your costume cost is more than your deposit, money will be owed and the costume will not be released until paid in full. Fees will be reflected on your Studio Director Account.

Costumes will not be ordered for dancers if their account is in arrears, nor will they be released in the Spring until fees are up to date. Thank you.

Additional Fees

Pacific Northwest Music Festival requires a $9 fee per dancer in groups. If your dance is in the PNMF this fee will be added onto your costume invoice based on the number of groups your dancer(s) participates in. This is for Pre-advanced Jazz and Senior Jazz only.

If your child is selected to perform in an additional piece of choreography whether solo, duo, trio, or small group, additional fees will apply.

In-House Choreography fees are payable to Free Elements Dance and are due on the first session of choreography.

Refunds and Withdrawing From Classes

You have a two-week window from your first lesson to decide if you wish to withdraw from dance. We are happy to issue refunds at this time, with the exception of registration fees.

Withdraws after week two – 80% Tuition refund
Withdraws after the first month of classes – 50% Tuition refund

Otherwise there’s a four-month commitment with no refunds. If your dancer does not wish to continue in January you must inform the studio by no later than November 1st 2020. If you do not inform us that your child will not continue in January you will automatically be enrolled in the next session (January – May).

We will require full payment for the second session on January 1st 2021.

The Shuffle – To ensure your dancer is in the correct class for the season, please bring be advised that these first two weeks may involve a shuffle.

Attendance

Dancers are expected to attend every class, with the exception of illness or family obligations. When possible, notice must be given one week in advance. If a dancer is sick or unable to attend class, parents must inform the Free Elements Office ASAP via email: elementsdanceterrace@gmail.com. We will not accept Facebook posts, FB messenger, or texts as a notification of a dancers absence. Please do not email the teacher directly when sending absent notifications.

Please arrive on time (which means 5-10 minutes early!) for class. Tardy dancers are asked to wait outside the dance room, as to not disrupt the class. The teacher will greet them at the door as soon as possible. If absences or tardiness are frequent, parents will be notified.

Dancers who are showing a high volume of unexplained absences, go on vacations mid-season, or are sick for extended periods of time, may not be in sections of choreography they missed. Attendance is very important when a dance is being created. More importantly poor attendance will affect the dancers technique and progression throughout our dance year.

If your child is ill, please keep them home.

Locations
Classes are held at Skeena Middle School Dance Room, 3411 Munroe St., this

is our main Studio.
We also use My Fitness Centre studio located at 4650 Lazelle Ave. http://

Studio Etiquette

Both studio spaces are rented from second parties by Free Elements and we must treat them with utmost respect.

At Skeena – Dancers are asked to stay in the common area / cafeteria while waiting for classes. Dancers should not roam or run through the halls and cafeteria, or go upstairs.

If parents rely on the school bus to drop students off for dance, we expect young dancers to follow these rules, as the instructor often arrives after the buses.

My Fitness – To access the studio space, we must walk through the workout gym. We ask each student to walk quietly through the gym to the back studiospace. Teachers and Teacher Assistants will meet students at the Front desk and guide them to the studio.

Phones – Students are not permitted to use their phones during class. Nor during breaks in class lessons. If a student has an urgent need to connect with parents, they must ask the teacher permission. If phones become an issue in any class, phones will be collected by the teacher at the start of class then redistributed at the end.

Since we do not have lockers, we ask that all dancers place their bags along the bench by the windows in the Skeena Dance Room. This will reduce clutter along the wall and dance floor. At My Fitness Centre, please leave your outdoor shoes in the entrance mudroom, and bring your bags and belongings with you into the studio.

Cancellations

Classes are not held on public holidays unless otherwise posted. Classes are not held during Winter Break or Spring Break. Please check your email, the website/ Facebook page for any other cancellations. (Ex. Snow Days / Power outages)

Pacific Northwest Music Festival

The festival takes place in April. To prepare, dancers must take part in a rehearsal at the REM Lee – PNMF Stage Rehearsal TBA

Year End Recital 2021

All dancers registered in the 2020/2021 Season will participate in our Year End Show Recital taking place at the REM Lee Theatre end of May 2021.

Only graduating dancers, or dancers who were selected to perform at BC Dance Provincials will be asked to perform a solo in our Year End Show. All soloists will have an opportunity to perform their solo during our Soloist Gala.

Dance Essentials

All dancers should have a designated “Dance Bag” to store shoes, attire etc. to ensure all dance needs are present for class. Dance bag should include:

Clean dance attire
Class appropriate dance shoes Deodorant
Water bottle

Dance Attire

Hair ties
Hairbrush
Hairpins
Snack (for dancers who start right after school)

The T-Shirt Crack Down! We no longer want to see baggy t-shirts that slowly filter in throughout the year. If you aren’t prepared for class with the correct attire you may be asked to sit and observe class for that day.

Form fitting dance attire has its purpose; we need to see you move, we need to see posture and positioning.

Jazz/Tap/Modern

All students need form fitting dance wear, including black tights, black bodysuit and black jazz or tap shoes or black modern dance socks are suitable so the teacher can offer correction of body placement. However, the following can also be worn:

Black leggings

Black capris

Black shorts

Jewelry

Black tank top
Black T-shirt (form fitting) Black work-out top

Small earrings (studs) may be worn, but no other jewelry (No dangly earrings, necklaces, bracelets, or watches or Fitbits) Medical Bracelets are okay.

Hair

Hair must be tidy and tied back away from the face. If hair is too short for a ponytail, please use headband or hair clips. Hair should not be a distraction in class.

Ballet / Pointe

Light pink tights are required for all ballet students. Hair must be in a tidy classical ballet bun with bangs pulled back.

Dancers should have tights pulled up to their belly button or smallest part of their waist. No underwear underneath ballet outfit as tights act as underwear. Make sure tights cover the feet.

Junior Ballet

Pink bodysuit, pink tights, pink ballet slippers. Pink ballet skirts (above the knee) can also be worn, but is optional.

Intermediate Ballet

Navy blue bodysuit, pink ballet tights, pink ballet slippers.

Intermediate 3/Senior Ballet

Black bodysuit, pink tights, pink ballet slippers.

Pointe Shoes

Shoes can be ordered from Spectrum City Dance in Prince Rupert, call Gina (250)-624-6131 and explain you are a beginner, provide shoe size, width etc.

Hip Hop

Dancers need to have indoor/clean sneakers, hair must be tidy. Dancers can reflect their own personal style, but must not be distracted by their outfit.

Stretch & Strength

Wear Workout attire and bring indoor/clean sneakers. You can bring your own weights/yoga mat/Thera-band if you prefer.

Tap

Please refer to Jazz attire, exception of tap shoes, either lace-up or slip on.

Modern
All black: Long pants and long sleeves are recommended. Be prepared for floor

work.

Acro

No loose fitting clothing. Please wear gymnastics or workout attire, go barefoot. Hair must be up and out of face.

All other dance attire can ordered from All Seasons or Spectrum City Dance in Prince Rupert (250)-624-6131, 845 Fraser Street, Prince Rupert, BC, Canada V8J 1R1. Or ordered online www.dancewearsolutions.com