August newsletter

DanceStation News: August 2019

Welcome back dancers! Great job on the June recitals! Truly, these kids amaze me more every year.

Registration/Open House. A $25 Registration Fee per family is due upon registration by AUGUST 16th. AFTER August 16, the registration fee increases to $35.
As the studio is growing, it has become very important for me to stay on top of class numbers, and the only way to do that is by making sure all of my returning families are included in our rosters as soon as possible. Please register early if you can or stop in on the 16th to avoid the extra $10. If you have multiple class options for a certain age, and your child can only come on one of those days, I suggest not waiting until August 16th to register. We had one class fill up in a half hour at Open House last year. Open House is Friday, August 16th from 6-8pm for returning students and 4-6:30pm for new students. We will have summer office hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30-6:30pm until classes begin. You may mail in your registration form and fee any time before Open House or join us on the 16th.
Even if you register by mail you may want to come to Open House to pick up your recital pictures, DVD’s, and picture CD’s.
Please send your check and the registration form and class choice to:
DanceStation, 220 West State St, O’Fallon, IL 62269

Classes begin this year on Monday, September 9th – (the first full week of September after Labor Day). We are offering a Boys Hip Hop class on Tuesday afternoons from 4-5pm. Boys ages 7 and up can participate. We offer 20% off the 2nd family member’s tuition, and 50% off the third family member. So hopefully some of you can take advantage of our discounts for any brothers looking for a fun class! We are also offering Adult Tap on Mondays from 7:15-8:15pm, Adult Ballet on Monday nights from 8:15-9:15pm, and new this year Adult Fitness (Jazz/Plilates/cardio/toning/fusion) on Wednesdays from 7:30-8:30. Experienced and beginner adults welcome! It’s a lot of fun!!

Tuition: Tuition for the 2019-20 year remains the same at $45 for the first class ($225 for the semester) and $30 for each additional class. Exceptions being the longer ballet/tap/jazz combo classes that are $55 and upper level Cecchetti classes. Tuition is due with the first class of every month. If you are unable to make your payment that first class, please speak to me (or email me) and we will work something out. Remember that tuition is charged by the semester and then broken down into 5 equal payments for your convenience. So, you are not paying for weeks in the month; each payment is actually an installment towards the semester. You can pay with cash, or check, or set up automatic payments through your bank. I’m still weighing the extra costs of credit/debit online fees that I have to then pass on to families. One year we may switch to credit/online payments, but not yet. Jennifer Fischer will be helping as Office/Tuition Manager this year again.

LATE FEE: There is an automatic charge of $10 for tuition payed after the 15th of the month. Your tuition installment is due the first class of every month, but we will give you until the 15th of every month before the late fee is charged. I promise I do not actually want your $10. This studio is artistically and emotionally very important to me, but it is still a business… and tracking down tuition payments takes time and energy. I have teachers, insurance, rent, and bills to pay just like anyone else. For our part, we will send home an invoice in Sept, so that everyone is clear on what exactly the tuition amount is (it can be confusing with multiple children).

**Nutcracker Performances December 13th and 14th **
Some of you may know that I was brought on as adjunct faculty and dance minor director at McKendree University a few years ago. I have been asked again by the Hett, through McKendree University, to co-present a weekend of Nutcracker performances. We have full advertising in their playbill (we made the cover!) and website, and tickets are available to the general public through the box office at the Hettenhausen Center for the Arts. All children involved in preschool, kindergarten, combination ballet/jazz/tap, and Ballet 2 and up will be involved. You can opt out, but most of the kids (and parents!) will be thrilled to be part of something so fun and professional. I will go into much further detail in the September newsletter once classes begin and you will know which performance your child will be in at that time.

Desk/Phone help: This year Natalie Kunsemiller, Aynsley Gittner, Claire Rineberg, and Emma Blomberg will answer phones and help out at the front desk. They will hold office hours Monday through Thursday 3:30-5:30pm in the fall. I will do my best to answer the phone whenever possible. If there is no answer, I am probably teaching. However, the machine is always on, and I check the messages nightly. Phone calls for student absences are greatly appreciated, and I will try to return all questions and messages promptly. You can also email me at edancestation@yahoo.com. During busy times, like before ballet exams and recital, email is the best way to reach me.

Teachers. We are so blessed to have all of our teachers returning this year. Lisbeth Brown (upper Cecchetti levels), Jennifer Fischer (Pre/K, Cecchetti, ballet, jazz and tap), Jennifer Battenberg (modern, jazz, and Pre/K), Sonya Doerr (tap all levels), and also this year Ben Mielke is teaching adult ballet and modern 2. I will continue to teach all levels of ballet, Cecchetti, pointe, jazz, broadway, etc. All of my teachers here at DanceStation are adults with degrees in dance, Cecchetti certification, and many years of teaching experience.

Monthy newsletters: Please keep and read your newsletters. I know they seem long sometimes, but I spend a large amount time on them to make sure that everyone gets dates and information well in advance. The September newsletter will contain a calendar for the entire year and all of our DanceStation policies for you to review. It will be also available online in September at www.dancestation.biz.

WEBSITE and FACEBOOK Page: Did you know DanceStation has a Facebook page? If you “like” us on Facebook, you will immediately be notified of any posts about weather-related class cancellations, reminders about tight orders, or news and pictures posted throughout the year. It has been a huge help getting info to parents very quickly.

Dress Code. Girls: any color solid leotard (skirt attached for ages 3-7 is fine) pink tights, pink ballet shoes, black tap shoes. Black dance shorts (with tights underneath!), leggings, or capris way be worn with black jazz shoes for students in Jazz 2 and up. All dancers need their hair in a pony and back from their face…girls in Ballet 2 and up need buns for all ballet and pointe classes. Boys: black pants, shorts, or capris with a white shirt, black ballet shoes, and black tap shoes. Hip Hop guys can wear sports attire shorts/shirts/sweats to class with sneakers or socks. I am endorsing two ballet shoes for all students in Ballet 2 and up. The So Danca style SD16 is a beautiful split sole canvas shoe that looks good on everyone’s feet. Also, the Bloch Performa is a very similar shoe and shows off the dancer’s arch. Both are highly recommended. All students in Ballet 2 and up need a black camisole leotard for exams and recital.

Lastly, the dress rehearsal dates for next year are June 3-5, and June 6th is recital day. Please, please try and take your vacations after the recital. It seems like a lot to ask, but missing class in the weeks before the recital is very hard on your child – and also for the other children in class who are trying dance around an empty space. There are several mandatory rehearsals the week before the show, so plan your trips accordingly. Thanks!!

Contact Info: If you need to talk to me personally – my home phone is 618-667-1912.
We only use the line as an answering service, so just leave me a message and I will call you back as soon as I can. Even better, you can email me at:
edancestation@yahoo.com
Recital pictures and DVD’s will be available at Open House. Can’t wait to see you all!

Thanks, Elizabeth Conway, owner/director of DanceStation