General Information and Class Guidelines for Classical & Contemporary Programs

Start the season off right!  Class Guidelines

Students should:

• Arrive 5-10 minutes prior to class

• Abide by studio rules and respect the right of others to work in a class environment

• Respect personal and studio property and show responsibility for their own property

• Promote a clean, safe and healthy environment

• Behave in a polite, responsible and courteous manner at all times

• Wear the correct dance attire

• Attend classes regularly and attend every rehearsal

• Be committed to giving 100% effort in class

ATTIRE     "A dancer that looks like a dancer, dances like a dancer…"
Neatness of appearance is required by all students to assist with discipline and standard of BMD.  A Dress Code creates equality amongst students, and makes the dancer take the training we provide more seriously.  Therefore, all students must abide by the "Required Class Attire" for their level. Dancers not in the proper attire may be asked to observe class.

NOTE - Street shoes should never be worn onto the dance floors.  Please change into your dance shoes before going into class.  Dance shoes should never be worn outside.  Walking on gravel, pavement, or any other rough surface can ruin dance shoes, and in turn, can also ruin the dance floor. 

HAIR
Hair must always be neat and placed in a bun for ballet, ponytail (hip hop, cheer, jazz, tap, and theatre), or pinned back with no hair ornaments.  No jewelry except for studs.

CHANGING
Whenever possible, try to be dressed & ready upon arrival to the studio.  If a student needs to change before or after a class, please do so in the bathrooms.  The waiting areas are public area and we request you exercise modesty, even with the youngest of children.

STUDENT BEHAVIOR
Students are expected to conduct themselves with a sense of pride, self-discipline and a strong commitment to the studio in all areas of their performances. A responsible attitude and a respect for others are to be reflected in the students’ behavior both inside and outside the studio. 

Students, whether very young or adult, should always treat their teacher and each other with respect. They should be courteous at all times and not be disruptive to the class. BMD reserves the right to bar any student from entering class or to remove any student from class due to disorderly conduct/disruptive behavior or for any other reason determined by management as unsuitable behavior.

Dance classes require a lot of energy. Healthy snacks prior to class help keep energy levels. Please avoid foods high in sugar before dance class.  Send water with your child in plastic bottle/container for hydration.

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCES
Students are expected and encouraged to undertake classes for the full dance year. Please make sure to arrive a few minutes prior to class to get ready. Warm ups are conducted the first part of the class and are very important in order to prevent injury.  Tardiness can result in the instructor asking the student to sit out.

As dancers, students are part of a team and are required to attend all classes, extra practices, and dress rehearsal.  Missed classes and practices affect personal progress as well as class progress, so please try not to miss more than 4 classes during our dance year.  If a student knows he/she will be absent, please notify the studio ahead of time via phone or email.

Keep in mind that you are paying to hold your place in a class, as well as for choreography in the June Show. If you need to miss class due to outside activities, sports, etc, you are still required to pay the full amount for tuition whether you attend or not.

Between January and June, all classes are working on different show choreography. Students who miss classes between March and June may need to schedule a paid private lesson to learn the missed choreography at the discretion of the teacher.  If a student misses a class or rehearsal just before a performance, the student will not perform.

ILLNESS
If you're sick, please stay home until the symptoms have stopped, without the need of medication, especially when it involves active infections, runny noses, sneezing, coughing, vomiting, fever, or flu-like symptoms.

DROP OFF & PICK UP

BMD is only responsible for your dancer when class is in progress.  Parents of young children must remain with their child until the students are invited
into the dance room by their instructor, and should be waiting for them when the class is dismissed.  Please pick your child up promptly after class inside of the studio as it is unsafe for dancers to run out into the parking lot unattended.  Chronic lateness to pick up a student will be addressed, and can result with a baby-sitting fee of $1 a minute. Parents please do not use the waiting areas to hang out and socialize after your class has finished.

DANCE ROOMS
Only dancers with the proper attire are permitted on the dance floor when a teacher is present. If for some reason you need to walk onto the dance floor, please remove street shoes first. This will help keep the floor clean and extend its life. We ask that you do not walk across the front studio’s dance floor to get to and from the back rooms.  Please walk along the carpeted area.

No food, chewing gum, or open drink containers are allowed in the dance rooms. 

WAITING AREA
While families are welcome to remain in the waiting areas during classes, we ask that you to keep the noise to a minimum. The studio is not a playground. If you have young children, please bring some quiet and clean activities to occupy them while they wait. Absolutely no screaming, running around, or gymnastics in our facility. This is an educational and office environment.  Excessive noise can become a distraction to the classes in progress, and to the office personnel, so a quiet environment is much appreciated.

If snacks are brought, please be neat and carefully clean up after yourself so that the next group can come in to a clean environment. Cleaning supplies are available if necessary.

DIAPERING
Please do not diaper your baby in the studio or use studio wastebaskets to deposit used diapers.  We do not have baby changing facilities or diaper pails.  Please change your child before coming into the studio, or go out to your car to take on the task.

OBSERVATION
Blue Moon Dancesport maintains a closed door policy throughout the year. Parent Observation Weeks will be offered several times throughout the year to allow parents to see how their child is progressing.  Click on the Calendar button for details.

Please do not come into the dance room during class unless it is a true emergency. Trust that we will make the proper corrections to your child based on the skills we are working on at the time.

Do not interrupt class by opening the classroom door, coming into the dance room, or calling out to your dancer in order to get their attention - this startles and distracts the students.  If you will be picking up your dancer early from class, please inform the instructor prior to class starting.

CLASS CANCELLATIONS
A class may be cancelled or combined if there are less than 6 students enrolled. 

SEVERE WEATHER CANCELLATIONS
Call the office at 610-363-8679 or check our website www.bluemoondancesport.com. If classes are cancelled, there will be a message informing you of the cancellation. If you do not hear or see a message regarding cancelled classes, our classes will still be held. If our teachers can make it to the studio, classes will be held as usual.

RECITAL COSTUMES
Students will be measured for recital costumes in December, and orders will be placed in January. Parents should let the studio office and instructors know if their child will be participating in the Spring Recital by January 10^th. Costumes cannot be returned or exchanged, and it is your responsibility to get costumes altered. If for some reason a student cannot finish the dance season or attend the recital after a costume has been ordered, then the parents/student are still responsible for paying the remaining balance for the costume.

PHOTO DAY
Blue Moon Dancesport has a professional photographer come to the studio to take individual and group photos of students and their classmates. Photos are taken in late May or early June. As time gets closer, your family will be given order forms with a variety of photo packages available for purchase. Although students are not required to purchase photos, it is nice to have everyone attend for the class group photo.

DRESS REHEARSAL AND RECITAL
Each year, Blue Moon Dancesport holds a “Spring Performance” in June. This year, the dress rehearsal is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, June 8^th and the recital on Sunday, June 10^th. Although students are not required to perform in our end of the year performance, it is highly recommended as it is a great experience which helps them to build self-confidence, work together as a team, make new friends, and show family and friends what they have worked hard on all year.

The studio will not release a recital costume or sell tickets for the recital if payments for the classes are in arrears. Once payments are up to date, costumes and tickets will be available.

WHEN YOU HAVE QUESTIONS…
Throughout the year, you will receive newsletters & reminders to keep you posted on all important information.   Please take the time to read this information carefully and mark your calendars.  For any other questions, please feel free to contact us by email at info@dancebluemoon.com.

We recommend that you add Blue Moon Dancesport to your favorites list at the start of the season, so we’ll always be just a click away: www.bluemoondancesport.com.

Thank you for choosing Blue Moon Dancesport.  We look forward to dancing with you this year!