Welcome to Summit School of the Arts! We are so excited you've chosen to join our dance family.
Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with our program and let us know if you have any questions.
We look forward to getting to know your family!
WHAT TO DO FIRST
All students are expected to come prepared for class with the proper dance attire. Click here to see our dress code. You can first check out the leotards, tights and dance shoes that we have in stock at the studio. Our selection is limited but if we do not have what you are looking for we would suggest https://www.discountdance.com.
NEW SEASON KICKOFF
This event will be held during the 2nd full week in August. During this time, our teachers will be available to meet families and we will be running intro classes for new students, enrollment conferences, placement assessments for returning dancers, and fun activities to get everyone excited for the coming season! This is an open-house-style event and doors will be open from 3:00-7:00 Monday. More about our teachers can be found here and will be updated with additional information soon.
THE REAL REASON TO ENROLL IN DANCE CLASSES
You may or may not have big dreams of your child's future career as a ballerina, member of a college dance team, or Broadway star. The truth is not everyone that enters our program will become a professional dancer. But we hope that every single one who enters will become their own kind of professional human being! Through consistent hard work, discipline, and encouragement we teach our students how to set a goal and help them develop the tools to reach it. Our dream for our students is to help them discover and pursue THEIR dreams, to have a deep gratitude and respect for the gift of their miraculous bodies, and to cultivate the confidence and perseverance necessary to succeed in all aspects of their lives in the future.
YOUR PARENT PORTAL
Now that you're registered as a part of our school you have access to a parent portal. You should have received an email when your registration form was submitted that allows you to choose your password. This portal gives you the ability to enroll in classes, check your balance, view details about the classes you're currently enrolled in, update your credit card information, and most importantly stay up-to-date with our "Latest Announcements" section. In the event that there is a change to our policies & agreements, you can also use this portal to view and accept updated policies.
COMMITMENT
Dance training is different from most extracurricular activities in that it is not a seasonal sport. It is a progressive skill that is developed through consistent, committed practice. For this reason we encourage students to begin as early as possible in the fall, continue through the school year, and be consistent with their training during the summer. It is expected that large breaks in training will lead to “setbacks” that may require a student to take some time to re-establish certain skills before they can safely jump back into rigorous training. We hope that as students progress though a set curriculum they will be prepared to enter a new level every season or two. If a student only participates for a short time they may be asked to repeat a level they have already started, or take a placement assessment to demonstrate that they are ready to progress with their peers.
TUITION & FEES
Our tuition is set up to be automatically billed monthly using a credit card we keep on file. Each tuition payment is applied towards the family's total annual balance, which differs based on the number of classes they are enrolled in. Families with multiple students enrolled will receive a discount.
Down payments will be processed during the first week of classes with your first month of tuition. This payment goes towards the total annual tuition and is non-refundable.
If you decide to withdraw from a program please let us know as soon as possible so that we can alert members of the waiting list that a spot has opened up. Downpayments are non-refundable except in extreme circumstances and will be handled on a case by case basis.
If we are able to offer additional workshops or master classes, these may require additional fees. These programs will require advanced signup and may not be available to all ages.
There will be additional fees for performance-based opportunities to cover costumes, production costs, photos and video.
PROGRAM ENROLLMENT PERIODS
Students can register at anytime of the year even if they are not immediately ready to enroll in a class. Registration will allow you to have access to a parent portal and does not require any fees at the time of registration. We encourage students to enroll in classes at the beginning of the season (September) or no later than January. The enrollment deadline to be eligible to audition for The Nutcracker is the beginning of September for ages 13+ and October for ages 7-12. The enrollment deadline to participate in the recital is February 24.
VACATION DAYS
We will not have classes during the following holidays and break periods. If at all possible, please schedule family trips during these times:
Nov. 21-25, 2022 Thanksgiving break
Dec. 19-30, 2022 Christmas break
Mar. 27-Apr. 5, 2023 Spring break
May 29, 2023 Memorial Day
June 12-TBD, 2023 Summer break
PROGRESSION TO A HIGHER-LEVEL PROGRAM
We ask that our students demonstrate an appropriate level of commitment and have minimal absences in their current level if they wish to continue to progress in their dance education. To progress to level 2 and higher students will complete a ballet assessment and/or acro skills assessment. Students who would like to progress more quickly may be encouraged to complete suggested home-conditioning exercises.
CONTINUED ENROLLMENT IN DESIRED PROGRAM
Students need to re-enroll each season. The official time for new enrollment or re-enrollment is around the 2nd week of August. The following are expectations we have for students who wish to continue in a program:
-Be on time to class
-Honor the dress code
-Demonstrate good attitude and work ethic in the classroom
-Make up missed classes to avoid slipping behind
PARTICIPATION IN THE NUTCRACKER
-Minimum age 8
-Casting is determined by audition
-Must be enrolled and fully participating in a program for their age and skill level
-To be considered for a part en pointe, students must be consistently attending 3 ballet classes (level 5 and higher) and have been en pointe for at least 1 year.
-Mandatory Friday and Saturday rehearsals are possible
-Performance fee TBD
PARTICIPATION IN THE SUMMIT LEGACY COMPANY
-Minimum age 9 for Junior Company, 13 for Senior Company
-Must be enrolled in program level 3 or higher for Jr, 5 for Sr
-Mandatory Friday and Saturday rehearsals possible
-Company fees TBD
-Find out more here
PARTICIPATION IN THE RECITAL
-Minimum age 3
-Enrolled in at least 1 eligible class/program of any style
-Minimal absences following spring break
-Mandatory attendance at all classes after May 19 (except under extreme circumstances)
-Mandatory participation in any dress rehearsals leading up to performance day
-Last day to drop classes and avoid a fee is March 1st.
-Recital fee (determined by program level). If classes are dropped after costumes are ordered you will not be reimbursed for your costume fee.
DANCING EN POINTE
-Minimum age 12
-At least 3 years of ballet experience prior to starting pointe
-Be enrolled in and consistently attending classes in level 5 or higher
-Must pass a pre-pointe assessment
-Don’t take long breaks in training (a long break is considered longer than 3-4 weeks where the student is not specifically training in a classroom setting)
FUNDRAISERS
We will be continuing our annual holiday sale fundraiser through Sherwood Forest Farms, which includes wreaths, garland, centerpieces, and other holiday decor. All students are invited to participate! Proceeds will go towards Nutcracker production costs so that we can provide a professional and meaningful experience for our dancers and the community.
In order to continue offering community support to local charitable organizations, our recital will include a raffle and proceeds will be donated to a designated non-profit group. We will be choosing this organization--which is also what our recital theme will be based on--during the fall and announcing it after the holidays. One raffle winner will win a year of free dance!
We hope this helps you to feel more prepared as we enter a new dance season!
This document is subject to adjustments as our school grows.
