Summit School of Music and Dance - Dance FAQ's - NW and SE Calgary Dance Classes

Dance FAQ

If you have questions or concerns not answered by this FAQ section please feel free to call the office at 403. 240.9315. We will return your call as soon as possible.

Q	Can I withdraw my child from classes after they begin?
A	30 days written notice from the first of the month is required to discontinue any classes. Please email us to request a withdrawal form. Withdrawal will not be official until we receive this form back. No withdrawals will be accepted during the summer months(July or August) or after February 1. To withdraw from classes a parent or adult student must: Request that the Withdrawal Form URL be emailed to them. Complete and submit the withdrawl form. No refunds will be given for dance lessons. Summit School of Dance and Music Inc. reserves the right to terminate lessons to any student without notice. In such a case a refund for unused lessons will be given. Collections: Although we do not expect ever needing this, if we have to take collection or legal actions to recover any payment, we retain all remedies at law or in equity, and you agree to pay all costs and disbursements of these actions on a solicitor client scale. We also retain the right to refuse tuition to the Student immediately upon late or non-payment of the tuition fees.

Q	Can I watch my child during class time?
A	Parents you will not be able to come into the room to watch your children. In each of our locations you will be able to view your child's class from our closed circuit television system which is located in our lobby area. Please note for Preschool parents - you will be allowed to come into the room until your child feels comfortable with us and the other students. After that we ask that you wait outside until class is done. Thank you for your understanding in advance.

Q	Are tuition fees for the month or for the whole year?
A	All of our tuition fees are shown and charged per month.

Q	Are exams or competitions mandatory?
A	All students in Primary - Teen levels will be invited to participate in an examination with there class (excluding modern/lyrical, musical theater and hip hop). This is a wonderful opportunity for each to receive feedback from a professional examiner. All exam material is taught in class and each student will be well prepared for this wonderful experience. Upon completion of the examination each student will receive an individual adjudication sheet as well as a certificate of completion or a medal depending on the grade being studied. This is such a worthwhile experience and we are so pleased to offer this to you. The examination will cost $35 per exam and will be charged along with your costume fees in November. Examinations traditionally take place sometime in February. You can opt out of the examination process by emailing us by November 1st and letting us know.

Q	Will there be a year-end recital?
A	Our recitals are the perfect venue for you or your child to show family and friends the results of months of learning and practice. Our recitals are organized and designed to eliminate “stage fright” and help performers build self esteem. At our dance recitals, students get exposed to a variety of new styles that they may have never realized existed. The recitals help students stay motivated, encouraged and interested by seeing the progress of their peers. Our dance recitals are an entertaining event for parents, grandparents, neighbors and the other dancers waiting to perform backstage. The dancers waiting backstage get to enjoy the recital too by watching the action on stage live as it happens via a large screen TV. Tickets for the recital are $18 and you are conveniently able to purchase tickets online eliminating the hassle of having to line up at the studio on specifically assigned days. The website that we use for the purchase of tickets has a service charge of $3.00 per ticket which will be added to the total when you pay for them. There will be ABSOLUTELY NO RECORDING DEVICES allowed into the theater for the recital. This will include video cameras, digital cameras, regular cameras, phone cameras or any other mechanical recording devices. The recital is being professionally video taped and can be purchased for the very reasonable price of $25.00. None of the funds raised through DVD sales come back to Summit School of Dance all moneys collected are solely given to our professional videographer and this service is provided to showcase our dancers in a professional manner. Please remember that you are viewing your child in COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL. The other reason we insist that there are no recording devices is that they interfere with our technical equipment to run the show and lastly they are a distraction to the dancers as well as the people sitting around you. Thank you in advance for your understanding. Although we insist on no recording devices we can assure you that there will be plenty of opportunities for taking pictures on this special day. As well we have set up a photographer who takes amazing still photos of your children while they are in action. Photo's will be available to purchase right at the recital as well as online afterword. All students will participate with their class in a recital number. This opportunity is given to all students so they can show off their progress over the past months. Each recital dance will have a costume for their number. This makes each of the students feel very special along with giving them something to work towards. THE RECITAL IS NOT MANDATORY AND YOU CAN OPT OUT OF PARTICIPATING IN IT. Please email us by November 1st letting us know that you are choosing not to participate. Please understand that if we receive this notice we will not charge you for your recital costume but we will also not be able to get you a costume if you change your mind in the future. The following is a list of what your child’s year end recital costume will be costing. Your child will be measured during class time in November and then their costume will be ordered arriving ready to wear (No sewing!) sometime in May. Your credit card/bank account will be charged on November 15 for the following totals dependent on how many classes your child is in. There will be a binder at the front desk starting on November 1 where you will be able to view your child’s costume. We hope that by streamlining this process that it will be more convenient to you. Preschool costumes - $60.00 All primary levels - $70.00 Jr Levels - $75.00 Inter Levels - $75.00 Teen levels - $85.00

Q	Wow $18.00 seems like a lot for a ticket, why so much?
A	In a recent survey of dance and music studios in the area ticket prices range from $18 - $30 per ticket and DVD's range from $25 - $57. As you can see we are on the low end of these figures and will keep our prices as low as possible for as long as we can. Funds collected from ticket sales go to many, many things. Here are a few examples of what ticket revenues pay for: 1. We pay a premium just for the use of the space, even though we are in a church we are still charged high rental rates 2. We pay for each technician that is there to make sure our show runs smoothly (stage manager, lighting technician, sound technician, janitorial staff) 3. We pay each of Summit's staff for their time 4. Food for all of these people 5. Printing and design of our programs 6. Ticketing website and additional credit card processing charges...we could go on but we hope that you understand that putting on a show of this magnitude takes hours of work and significant investment. Considering these factors, plus the quality of the show and DVD, and what other studios in the city are charging we feel our prices are more than reasonable.

Q	Do you require us to volunteer during the year?
A	The only time that you will be asked to volunteer is during our Recital. We do need help back stage to supervise your child's class. You can choose not to volunteer but we do have a 3 person minimum for all of our preschool classes and 2 person minimum for the remainder of our classes. You will not have to purchase a ticket for the recital for yourself as you will get to watch your child backstage with us. Please understand that we do need your help we can not do this on our own. Due to us wanting to ensure that your children have enough supervision if we do not get adequate volunteers for classes they will unfortunately not be able to participate in the show.

How do I pay for my child's classes?

Info Regarding Fees: Fees will be taken by automatic withdrawals from visa/mc on the 25th of each month. When you register you will be required to pay your Registration fee and first month's tuition by visa/mc. Your registration will not be complete and therefore your confirmation in the class will not be confirmed until we have your credit card on file. Declined method of payments include expired credit cards, returned payments and NSF ALL OF THESE REASONS WILL BE CHARGED AN EXTRA $30.00 DECLINED PAYMENT FEE.

Tax Receipts: You will receive a monthly receipt from us outlining the payment that has been processed for the corresponding month. Please keep these receipts for your child tax credit. If you require a duplicate copy of your receipts you will be charged an extra $5.00. We do not hand write receipts, all receipts will be emailed to the address we have on file.

Q	What does my child need to wear when attending classes?
A	Each class has different dress code. This information is available in the course info section of the website.

Why do I have to pay the full month’s tuition when my child only gets two classes in December? That doesn’t seem fair!

If monthly payments for tuition were based on a certain number of classes in a month, it wouldn’t be fair! But you have to remember that the monthly payment is not related to the number of classes in the month. When you enroll a child with me, you are enrolling him/her for an entire season of classes - i.e., September through June. We guarantee that 32 classes will be offered during the school year. Tuition is a fee based on the number of hours per week that your child dances with me. The annual fee is divided into 10 equal payments - one each month your child comes to classes - in order to make your payments reasonable!

The number of classes that occur in any given month depends on the calendar and any holidays that may take place during that month. Each month is different, depending on the day of the week that your child comes to class. Some months will have 3 classes some months will have 4 or even 5. But no matter what day your child comes, by the end of the year, he/she will have come to at least 32 classes. As you can see, everything balances out over the year!