COMPETITION WELCOME LETTER

23-Aug-2011

Dear Dancers and Parents,

               We are very excited for the start of our 2011-2012 competition season.  We have so many talented dancers on the teams this year and we are looking forward to working with you all and seeing you grow as dancers and as people.  This is going to be a very eventful year with lots of new experiences for everyone.  We would like to take this opportunity to go over a few rules that will help this year run smoothly.  These rules will also help all dancers gain as much as they can out of this upcoming year.

• Always arrive early to class.  Being properly warmed up and prepared is very important.  Arriving to class late is a distraction and it also hinders the warm-up process and can lead to injuries.  For competition rehearsals dancers are expected to be warm and ready to dance when the rehearsal begins. 

Please adhere to the dress code at all times.  Appropriate shoes, clothing, and hair are required at all times.  Coming to class with a clean look allows the dancers to focus on their technique.

• Be respectful to teachers, peers, and office staff at all times.
• Please do not practice competition choreography in other classes. 
• Come to class ready to learn.  Class is not a time for discussion between dancers, so talking must be kept at a minimum.
• No food, gum, or drinks are allowed in the studio.  Water bottles are okay.
• Keep track of your belongings and don’t leave dance clothes, shoes, etc. in the studio.
• Clean up after yourselves.  We are very fortunate to have such a large beautiful facility to dance in.  Please treat it with respect and don’t leave trash, water bottles, etc. in the studio.  If you see trash and it isn’t yours, please pick it up anyways.
• Be sure to alert your teachers of any injuries.  It is very important that we know if a child is injured. 
• Please promise to do your best to be an outstanding person as well as an outstanding dancer. 
• Juniors, Teens, and Seniors MUST learn how to do their own hair, makeup, costumes and accessories for competition.
• Parents will not be allowed backstage at the competitions.  It is very important for dancers to focus on their instructor and their teammates. 
• Parents of the minis who need to help their dancers with their hair and makeup may come backstage for costume changes.  Dancers should arrive at the competition in their first costume (with their warm-ups on top) with their hair and makeup done.
• If a dancer misses a competition rehearsal they will be required to set up a private lesson with the instructor to catch up on any material that they missed.
• Please remember that the final rehearsal before each competition is mandatory.

As a final note to everyone, we would like to remind all of you that competition is not about winning.  It is about the dancers pushing themselves to do their personal best.  Competition allows dancers to gain performance experience, develop team building skills, watch and learn from other dancers, and learn discipline.  This experience builds a lot of character and allows our dancers to advance their skills.  It is fun to win trophies, but at the end of the day that is not the reason that we compete.     

                                                                                                        
Sincerely,
                                                                                                 
Ms. Francine, Ms. Katie, Ms. Gabi, Mr. Mike

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