Dear Parents and Students,
‘Tis the season for Christmas music in ballet class and all things Nutcracker! I hope the dancers are enjoying the change of scenery at the studio as we’ve made everything look a bit more festive. As always, please save this email for your records as it contains some important information!
December tuition is now due for those who are paying monthly. In addition, I’ve added the costume fee to all accounts that indicated they are participating in the concert. The costume fee pays for your dancer’s costume, as well as any necessary alterations and embellishments, which we do in-house. The costume fee is $55. We also charge a $50 performance fee that covers the studio’s costs for the concert (all ticket proceeds go to our youth company, Spokane Youth Ballet, which covers the bulk of our concert costs, so the studio itself does not make money on the concert). The performance fee will be due in March. If you have not yet indicated that your child will participate in the concert, or if you initially said no and have since changed your mind, let us know ASAP. Costumes are ordered in January as they can take a few months to ship.
This week (December 6-11) is another Dance Buddy Week for those who have signed up. If you haven’t signed up to be a dance buddy and would like to, check the Register for Classes link in your parent portal to see if there is a class that fits into your schedule. You do not need to attend the full class as a dance buddy – even 15 minutes gives us time to have some fun together.
Costume Week AND Parent Observation! Our last week of classes before we break for the holidays will be December 13-18. During this week, students are invited to dress up like we did for Halloween (reindeer antlers, jingle bells, angel wings, ugly sweaters, Santa hats, etc.). As always, dancers still need to be have their full range of motion in whatever they’re wearing, should still wear their hair in a bun or other secure updo, still need to wear ballet shoes, and should not wear any necklaces, scarves, capes, or other accessories that wrap or tie around the neck. December 13-18 is also our next Parent Observation Week. Once again, feel free to join us in the studio for your dancer’s class. All observers except children under 3 years old must wear masks at all times. If you are a parent of an older dancer and can’t sit through a full two hours, I suggest coming to the latter part of your child’s class, especially on Thursday (for Ballet 4) and Wednesday (for Ballet 5) as well as to Character, Jazz, and Contemporary if your child is enrolled. Students may wear their skirts/tutus during Parent Observation classes (in addition to or instead of a costume, in this case).
Next week, we will start taking dancers’ measurements to order their costumes, and all classes will begin learning choreography for the concert after Christmas. Even dancers who don’t intend to perform will learn and practice choreography, since that is an important part of dance training (if your dancer won’t be performing on stage but you would still like to purchase a costume, please let me know). As I have mentioned in previous letters, our concert this year is La Boutique Fantasque, an early 20th-century ballet about the secret lives of dolls in a Parisian toyshop. I will be sending out a cast list for the ballet possibly within the next week!
A few dancers have asked me about bringing treats for their classmates on the last day of class. This is acceptable, but all treats must be individually packaged and dancers may not eat any items in the studio or without parent approval. I do not have a comprehensive list of food allergies or dietary restrictions, so please let me know if your child has any. This information will remain confidential but I will be able to let classes know what ingredients to avoid if possible. If you want to bring something for your fellow dancers, a non-edible goody is always appreciated, such as a Christmas card or ornament. I will be passing out our annual studio Christmas ornament starting this week.
I hope you are all staying cozy and warm this winter and on behalf of the studio, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all!
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