EXTREME BALLROOM COMPANY
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
Mission Statement
We will strive to create an atmosphere where each student can excel in all areas of Ballroom Dance at all levels. Our main focus is to improve technical skill by teaching proper ballroom technique, and expecting our students and teachers to work hard and be disciplined. The goal for each dance team is to create team unity, learn proper sportsmanship, courtesy and responsibility and reach for our highest level of dancing as a formation group. Each student is important to us and will be treated with respect and love. We strive for excellence!
I. FEES
A. Class Fees: We base our fees off of 4 classes in each month. Some months have five classes, others four and in December most of the students will attend between two and three classes. We go an extra week in May, which we do not charge for. This week, and the months that have five weeks, cancel out the one or two weeks in December that we take off for Christmas.
Each Class differs in price, and is listed on the Monthly Class Fee Sheet. Costs are subject to change from year to year. The same class fees apply to everyone on the team or in the class regardless of spot in a routine.
1. Monthly Fees: These are due by the 10th of each month. An automatic late fee of $10 will now be assessed for fees not turned in on time.
2. Absences: Once your child is registered in a class, he/she is responsible to attend that class. If he/she cannot be at class certain days of the month, regardless of circumstance, he/she is still required to pay the monthly fee. (If there is an injury or extended illness that causes a student to miss extensively, he/she will be taken out of the class and no longer required to pay, and a replacement will hopefully be found).
3. Cancelled Classes: If a class has to be cancelled due to a teacher emergency, etc., we will either hold a make-up class, or give you a credit on your account for that time missed. This however does not apply to Medley teams, as they are given much extra instruction that is not charged to them. They continue their flat rate each month regardless of a cancellation.
B. Multiple Classes or Teams: The Medley Team fee will apply first, and show team would be the 2nd team. This falls under the additional team fee category of $30 per month, plus costume fee for that team. Technique classes are included in the team fee, and are not to be paid for separately, unless your child is enrolled in additional tech. classes, i.e., On Jr. Medley w/the tech class included, plus the competition class. Each additional tech. class for team members is $30 per month.
C. Costume Rental and Maintenance Fees: Costume Rental and Maintenance Fees are listed on a separate sheet, and are subject to change from year to year. Each team member pays the designated costume fee for that year regardless of spot in the routine/routines.
Fees are based on teams, not individuals. Trade will not be allowed on costume fees unless your mother is a designated trade seamstress. Then your fee is waived.
D. Choreography Fees, Workshop Fees: These can vary each year depending on the amount of routines being done and the fees of the choreographer. Choreography fees generally apply to our older Medley Teams, but could also apply to show. The flat fees that will be instigated each year beginning in 2007-08 are listed below. Again, these can change at any time depending on Choreographer fees and new routines. Trade will not be allowed on choreography fees.
1. Yth. Gold Team: $50
2. Yth. Blue Team: $50
These will all be due by the second monthly payment of the year, which falls on October 10. Failure to pay on time results in a $10 late charge to your account.
E. Paul Winkelman Workshop fee: Required once a year at the beginning of January. It is $20 per student and will be paid at the door the day of the workshop. This is required for all teams except Pee-Wee’s and Mini’s.
E. Competition Fees: These will vary depending on the competition but generally run between $10-$15. All Pre-Teen through Jr. aged students on teams and in tech. classes will be required to attend up to 3 comps. in a year. The pee-wee’s are only required to attend one, and Mini’s at this time are not required to compete. If we choose to have them compete, it would not exceed one competition.
F. Nationals Fees: These are for Medley Teams only and generally run about $250. It applies once a year and is due in February. Parents will be notified ahead of time for payment due dates.
II. NECESSARY ITEMS
A. Necessity or “Must Haves” List: The items required are listed on a separate sheet that will be passed out each year at the parent meeting or will be available to download from the internet.
B. Ballroom Dance Shoes: Each team member will be required to have the appropriate shoe for his/her team. They may purchase them from Extreme Ballroom Company, or elsewhere. If they are purchased elsewhere, you must check through Staci first to be sure they are the same style and look of the rest of the team.
C. Syllabus Attire: Black Latin Pants for boys, and a white button up shirt with a Black Tie or Bow Tie. Black straight skirt w/out a ruffle for girls, and a solid white shirt w/out lace, shiny buttons, etc. This is listed on the necessity list.
D. Additional Items: There may be from time to time some other items required that are not on the list. These will be minimal, if any.
III. DRESS CODE
A. Pant Wear/Skirt Wear: All students must wear warm-up type pants or long shorts and/or skirts to class. Skirts must be to at least the top of the knee to wear without leggings. Shorter skirts can be worn if there are leggings underneath. There are absolutely NO LEVI’S allowed! Students who continue to break this rule or any other clothing rule will be held accountable and a consequence will be given at the teacher’s discretion.
B. Shirt Wear for Girls: Girl students can wear leotards as long as they are not tank or spaghetti strap in style. They also may not wear any shirts/leos that show their stomach or lower back. Shirts should be fitted and not loose and baggy. of the year.
C. Shirt Wear for Boys: It is preferred for boys to wear warm-up style shirts such as fitted running shirts, or dance style shirts. T-Shirts will be allowed as long as they are tucked in and more fitted. Loose and baggy clothing is not allowed. Boys are not allowed to wear tanks or shirts that will show their stomachs or shirts that are cut clear down to their waists from their armpits.
D. Shoes: All students are required to WEAR their dance shoes or dance sneakers to EVERY rehearsal! This has become a problem and needs to be taken seriously. Continued infraction of this rule will result in fines to their account. Students are strongly encouraged to write their name on the bottom of their shoes where the heel and sole meet.
E. Swimsuits: Girls and boys must wear modest swim attire at each Extreme Ballroom function that has swimming involved. NO BIKINI’S whatsoever are allowed. Tankini’s will only be allowed if they cover the stomach entirely. If a tank top must be worn over a tankini, it may not be white in color. All girls’ swimsuits must also cover their chest area, and not allow for excess cleavage. Boys are not allowed to wear speedos.
F. Costumes: We follow the BYU Provo guidelines for costumes that are listed on the competition sheet. We will not allow the students to wear any costumes that we deem to be immodest.
IV. COSTUME CARE AND MAINTENANCE
A. Costume Bags & Tubs/Fines: Each pre-teen through youth student will have his own bag to keep his/her costume in. All students will be responsible for hanging up costumes properly in their bags after each performance. All accessories will go in the costume tubs, not in the bags unless otherwise specified. Those who are not responsible for putting their costumes back in their bags properly and taking them to the trailer, or speaking to their coach before leaving if the trailer is not available, will be fined $10. Students must be responsible for their own belongings.
B. Costume Squads: Each team will be assigned two costume squad leaders per year who will oversee costume care. They will not be in charge of hanging up others costumes however; they will be in charge of checking off those who have done it and assessing fines to those who have not.
C. End of year check-in: Costumes will have a final check-in at picture day, which is held the Wednesday after Concert unless otherwise specified. Those who are missing costumes or items will be fined depending on the costume or item.
V. CONDUCT
A. Illegal Activities: All Extreme Ballroom Team or Tech. students are expected to hold to a higher standard. Extreme Ballroom Company. Students who are a part of our company will not be allowed at any time during the course of the physical year to be involved with ANYTHING illegal. Drugs, Alcohol, Cigarettes, and Shoplifting are some examples. If they are caught doing or have been doing any of these activities during the course of the year, they will be excused from our company.
B. Studio Rules:
1. Leave the studio clean at the end of each rehearsal.
2. No food or drink on the studio floor, unless given special permission by the teacher.
3. No Street shoes allowed on studio floor. Change shoes in lobby area.
4. Students must treat each other with respect.
5. Out-of-Hand taunting will not be tolerated.
6. When someone asks you to stop doing something that is affecting them, STOP!
7. Students must treat teachers with respect and not talk while the teacher is instructing.
8. No Profanity whatsoever is allowed.
9. Cell Phones turned off during class.
More rules can be established at the beginning of the year by teachers and students if necessary.
*Studio rules that are not followed, will follow with a consequence given at the teachers discretion.
C. Conduct while on trips:
1.Students are expected to be on their best behavior, kind and courteous to other teams, and gracious in manner. They are expected to dress modestly and appropriately and absolutely no profanity is allowed.
2. There are to be no girls in boys rooms or boys in Girls rooms during any Extreme Ballroom Trip unless an adult chaperone is present or has approved it. This would only be approved in case of emergency. If the situation is serious, the coach will have the right to send the student home if necessary.
3. There is no sexual conduct allowed at any time during trips or other activities that the kids are involved in together.
VI. MANAGEMENT OF TEAMS and DUAL TEAMS
A. Placement in Routines: Each student will be placed in the routines that the coaches feel will be the best for the team. Placement in routines will be based on how well the student dances in that style and how hard he/she is willing to work to earn their spot. Some students will share spots simply because we have extra kids on each team, not because they are not trying or are not a good team member. Final decision of all placement will be determined by the coach and ultimately by the director of the company if necessary.
Students who are new to a particular team ( for instance someone moves up from Jr. Medley to Yth.Medley) will generally have a shared spot in a routine if necessary. Someone who is new to the program may also be sharing a spot, versus someone who has been in the program for a year or two but is new to a team. All those who have been on the team for at least a year will be considered first for their own spot.
Ultimately, the Coach and Directors will make the final decision of how to place their students. We base our decisions on attitude, skill, and responsibility to their teammates and coach. If all of those things are in place, and we still have to figure out who will dance at a certain event such as Nationals, etc., we will have a coach come and observe the team dancing and choose the person he/she feels will do the best job for the team skill-wise.
B. Shared Spots: Those who will be sharing spots will be required to be up and dancing just as much as the others. It is the teachers responsibility to move the students in and out as much as possible to give everyone time and experience in the spot. It will be up to the teacher’s discretion as to who is in when. For Medley teams, as we near National’s, the coach will leave in the designated dancer as much as possible. Students will take turns performing. Generally we rotate back and forth, however for competitions and major performances such Eastern Idaho concert and ours, the teacher will make the final decision.
C. Tardies and absences: When students enter class they will either be required to participate in a warm-up, or be asked to gather by their teacher for roll-call. Those who are continually tardy or absent, without reason, will have an appropriate consequence, which may include removal from a routine.
D. Quitting a Tech. Class or Team: If a student chooses to quit a technique class, he/she needs to contact the manager right away so that the monthly fee can be altered. Once a student is registered however, he/she will need to finish out payment for the month, regardless of it he attended only once, twice or three times in that month. If a team member quits by choice, he/she will also be held to the same rules above. In addition, their costume fee will not be refunded unless a new team member can be found to assume that cost, even if he/she has never used the costume.
E. Dual Teams: Students who are on an Extreme Team, may not be on any other private ballroom team. In addition, Youth Extreme Team members and Jr. Medley team members may not be on any other school ballroom teams. They may however, participate in a school ballroom class that does not compete, such as a social dance class. Any other Jr. Team member, or pre-teen however, may be allowed to be on their school team as well. The reasons for this are mainly due to the NDCA rules held by BYU and simply because they become too busy to be at every rehearsal and performance. One team generally suffers.
VII. PERFORMANCES, COMPETITIONS, REHEARSALS
A. Requirements: Students are required to be at all performances, competitions, and classes. If there is an emergency, please call the teacher immediately or another team member if you can’t reach the teacher. If you do not call, you may be replaced in the routine. Calling ½ before class or a performance is not acceptable unless it was a true emergency. Let the teachers know well in advance if possible.
B. Syllabus partners: Students will be assigned syllabus partners in class and will be expected to be at the competition to fulfill their responsibility to that partner. If they do not show up, do not call, and it was not an emergency, they will most likely be taken out of a routine, or another consequence will follow.
VIII. YOUTH TOUR
A. The youth are required to go on tour each year. The years will alternate between big and small tours. There will be fundraisers available to your students to help them earn money for these tours. If you choose not to do the fundraisers, then it will be up to you and your child to fund the tour.
IX. COMMUNICATIONS
A. E-mail is our mode of communication. It is far too difficult to call a group this size. If you do not have e-mail, I strongly suggest you get it. If you absolutely can’t, then you will need to find someone who does and keep in contact with them. You or your student will be responsible to check your e-mail EACH DAY especially the days they have class or a performance.
Staci Huston reserves the right to make final decisions regarding policies and procedures that may or may not be listed here.
Please sign stating that you have read and agree to abide by the following policies and procedures. ______________________________ Date_________
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Policies and Procedures
