Academy of Ballet - Rules & Regulations
Dress Code:
Female Students
Beginners ages 6 -7: Pink head to toe! Leotard, tights, ballet slippers, short chiffon skirt is optional. No tutus, please.
Beginners ages 8-12 and Year Two: Pink or black leotard, pink tights and shoes, short chiffon skirt to match leotard is optional.
Year Three and Beyond: Black leotard, pink tights and shoes, short black skirt is optional. Please choose solid black leotards (i.e., avoid cutouts, illusion prints, patterns, lace, mesh, asymmetrical design, fully bare backs).
Rehearsals and Summer Classes: A solid colored leotard, pink tights, and shoes. A solid colored skirt is optional. Dance shorts are allowed (i.e., streetwear shorts, drawstring shorts are NOT allowed).
Male Students
White t-shirt, black tights, black or white ballet shoes.
Adults
Form-fitting dancewear in solid colors, black or pink tights, and black or pink shoes. Please wear athletic clothing to allow movement and avoid baggy clothes to allow visible lines.
All Students
Please refrain from wearing jewelry (stud earrings are acceptable).
Hair is to be away from the face and neck with long hair secured in a bun.
Students are expected to be neat, clean, and modest in attire.
Warm-up clothing is not to be worn during class.
Shopping for Dancewear
Beginning dancers may find leotards, tights, and shoes at local stores. Specialty dancewear is available from online retailers such as Discount Dance. This site has excellent prices and vast inventory. Please select styles that meet our dress code. To see a sample of approved styles, go to the Students —> Find my Teacher —> Studio code 46775 —> Select class list from the menu. Please use studio code 46775 when making purchases.
Studio Policies:
Arrival & Pickup Procedures
The studio opens 15 minutes prior to the first class of the day and closes 15 minutes after the last class ends. Parents are responsible for their dancers before and after class. For safety reasons, please ask dancers to wait in the Grand lobby area until they see their ride after class.
3rd floor dressing room area – Adults are not consistently present on the 3rd floor to supervise children before and after class time. Please send your dancers ready for class when possible. The dressing rooms are available for changing into dancewear if needed (e.g., dancers arriving directly from school). Dancers may bring a dance bag and change shoes in the dressing rooms. No food or drinks are allowed in the dressing rooms. Single restrooms are available on both the 3rdfloor and the 4th floor studio.
Water bottles are allowed; water bottles must be sealed and kept in/near dance bags.
Visitor Policy
Visitors are not permitted in the studio without prior permission. Visitors are invited specifically during Observation Week and the All Class Presentation in May. Rehearsals are closed to visitors. Dancers, however, are allowed to observe any rehearsal.
Attendance & Make-up Policy
Dancers who attend class consistently are more likely to improve and enjoy ballet class. We recognize there are valid reasons for absence from class including: illness, family vacations, participation in required school activities, inclement weather, and family emergencies. A dancer who is absent for one of these reasons is encouraged to make up class. As a general rule, dancers are asked to make up in the class level immediately below their current level (e.g., Year 3 dancers make up in Year 2 class). First year dancers may choose to observe another class as a make up.
Dancers are asked to make up a missed class within 1 month or in advance of a planned conflict. Students should notify Marina or Megan in advance (in person the same week, via phone message, via email) that they plan to make-up at a given day and time.
A dancer who is injured or experiencing a mild, non-contagious illness may observe class instead of being absent. Please provide a note from a doctor or parent. When observing, Intermediate and Advanced dancers are asked to sit and write out the class steps, and this observation does NOT count as an absence.
Eligibility to Perform
For the safety of our dancers and the success of our DCYB and Heartland Ballet productions, we expect all dancers to be in active training. This includes dancing on pointe if a dancer will perform on pointe.
A dancer with 5 or more missed classes is considered chronically absent and may not advance to the next level. Dancers with 5 or more outstanding absences are NOT eligible to perform in the DCYB production, the Heartland Ballet production, or the All Class Presentation in May. A missed class that is made up is NOT considered an outstanding absence. All dancers are responsible for monitoring their own attendance to ensure eligibility.