WINTER SEMESTER ’25:
1/6-3/29
SPRING SEMESTER ’25:
3/31-6/21
BIG SHOW 2025:
Dress rehearsal Friday 6/13, Shows Saturday 6/14
SUMMER SEMESTER ’25:
6 wks 7/7-8/13
FALL SEMESTER ’25:
12 wks 9/15-12/13
(1 wk break for Thanksgiving 11/24-11/30)
BODY BARRE MEMBER HANDBOOK
WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING YOU AT OUR STUDIO!
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY THE FOLLOWING:
“FACILITY RULES & PROCEDURES”
and
“CODE OF CONDUCT”
FACILITY RULES & PROCEDURES
ATTENDANCE:
-Absences during any seasons with upcoming performances will affect and pose risk of your child falling behind on choreography and improvement in the class, and may result in ineligibility to perform in any show(s) or being removed from sections of choreography that they miss and cannot catch up on during class time without affecting other dancers quality of class.
-If your child has an absence(s) that is pending affect on their position in class, you will be notified via email first.
CLASS CANCELLATION POLICY:
-We do not automatically close due to School Closings, School Vacations, or weather.
-Please view the studio schedule/calendar on our website
-Should a class need to be cancelled, we will contact you prior to class via email.
CLASS SELECTION/PLACEMENT:
-Our classes are separated by ability and age. Ability supersedes age on all accounts. Ability is determined by the instructors/owners of the studio.
-New students will be placed within their age group, and further evaluated to be sure the class is the best fit for them.
-See our website for class descriptions and more info!
-We suggest that dancers chose a class and continue it through the duration of the school year, classes are intended to run the school year and progress as such. Switching levels/genres during the school year is not standard practice but is possible.
– Our staff is mindful in where your dancer thrives and learns best. A student moving up too soon can be detrimental to their improvement, so please allow us to help explain to your child how class placement works if they’re struggling with this as it is a common issue that arises in dance studios. We want successful and happy dancers so we will always pay attention to their needs! Please note we strongly encourage the students to challenge themselves and we may move a student to a higher level if we feel they can handle the class, you will see mixed abilities in all classes.
COMMUNICATION:
-All communication is done via email, the email you provide at registration. We send out extensive details on anything you need to know, and all emails are extremely important to read.
-If you “unsubscribe” through Dance Studio Pro or any other registration platform, we will delete your account and you will forfeit your dancer’s place in class along with any paid tuition because email is how we communicate very important information including studio closures.
CONDUCT:
-Students must clean up after themselves and we will strictly enforce this.
-All items must be kept in designated cubby areas.
-Any items left behind will not be cared for by staff.
-Any stolen/lost items are NOT the responsibility of The Body Barre.
-Please note, cell phones and smart watches are NOT permitted in studio rooms.
-No rough housing, climbing, unintended or unsupervised use of any equipment.
-No students or parents behind the desk or in office.
-No touching of the mirrors.
-No hanging on the ballet barres.
-No feet on the walls UNLESS instructed to do so.
-No tap shoes outside of the actual studio (no lobby or dressing room).
-No use of photo/video in the studios unless permission granted by the manager/owner (that means parents: you are not able to video tape classes from outside the studios- some parents do not want their children on Social Media and we also do not want our dances online before our shows! If you need a video for any reason just discuss with our staff and we will find a solution).
-No use of photo/video in the dressing room/bathrooms at ANY time due to privacy.
DISCOUNTS:
-We currently offer a 10% Sibling discount to any additional students within a household.
-We currently offer a $20 credit per dancer as our Military Discount.
-We offer discounted rate for SUNY ADK students.
-We offer free dance for staff and staff’s children/spouses.
DRESS CODE:
-Clothing MUST be tight fitting and stretchy.
-ABSOLUTELY NO STREET CLOTHES OR SHOES!!!
-BALLET classes must be tights, leotard, and coverup (skirt, shorts) if desired. Hair in bun!
-Hair must be UP and out of the face for all classes.
-No street shoes to keep our studio clean and safe.
-We do not have color/brand guidelines, but for possible performances we suggest purchasing black for everything except ballet which would be pink, and lyrical tan. Subject to change.
-We sell all shoes at studio, tights, and some basic dancewear.
-Come dressed and ready according to dress code, carry in dance shoes (do not wear outside).
-Bring a water bottle.
-Do not bring anything else unnecessary as provided cubbies are small
DROP-OFF/PICK-UP:
-Parents of children dancing can walk child to studio room door of their class and can wait at the observation window, but we do not allow parents into studio rooms due to distraction. If your child is not ready to take class without you/independently, we have parent accompanied classes to ease the transition!
-There are no staff available to watch your child between class times, do NOT arrive more than 5 minutes prior to class start time. Staff will be busy either teaching or preparing for classes up until the start of class.
-We usually take class attendance however this is solely for our records, and phone calls are NOT made home each time a child is absent from class, so please do not rely on this system to be sure your child attends class for security/safety purposes. We encourage you to email us if your child is missing class.
-While students are waiting for class to start or are in between classes, they can sit in the reception area quietly. We suggest they work on homework or have a snack at this time.
-Come dressed and ready according to dress code, carry in dance shoes (do not wear outside).
-Bring a water bottle.
-Do not bring anything else unnecessary as provided cubbies are small.
-There are no staff available to watch your child between class times, arrive to pick them up promptly AT the end of their class time.
-Students can be picked up at the studio entrance where they will come out to be greeted by you.
-We are NOT responsible for children leaving the studio and it is up to YOU to have a plan for pick up and rules for your child leaving the building.
MAKE-UPS
-Participants may make up a missed class by coming to any following appropriate level class offered the following week and with notice to the front desk for our records.
-It is YOUR responsibility to take advantage of the make-up policy.
-Any intention to make up a missed class must be emailed to thebodybarrestudio@gmail.com.
-This is not an opportunity to stop coming to class and attend randomly throughout the year. Makeups MUST happen the immediate following week.
-Makeup classes are not offered in the last 6 weeks of the spring semester due to choreography in classes for the upcoming show.
-Keep this in mind for vacations, holidays, etc. because we do NOT always close during those times (except Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas days).
OBSERVATION:
-There will be no parents regularly permitted INTO classes/studios.
-Studios 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 have observation windows to view into the studio rooms at any time.
-A parent will need to be granted permission by studio owner to observe class at any time and for an approved reason/date/time that is discussed/approved in advance.
-This policy is in place to protect the integrity of the class as parents in class are very distracting to dancers and they thrive best when they do not have the distraction of parents watching.
-ABSOLUTELY NO filming or photos inside any of the studios
PAYMENT:
-All payment is due at time of registration, online through the parent portal. Payment for the semester is due in full at time of registration.
-Any outstanding fees must be paid prior to returning to class at any time.
-There are no refunds, under any circumstances. For classes, retail, costumes, fundraisers, tickets, events, anything.
PERFORMANCE
-There will be one end of year show for ALL dancers enrolled at the studio except our parent accompanied classes and adult classes.
-There will be performance/competition/convention opportunities throughout the year for students on the BBDC, our studio’s performing team.
PRICING:
-Tuition runs per 12 week semester.
-See our website for current pricing.
-Semesters are roughly 12 weeks long running Fall, Winter, Spring, and a shorter ~6 week Summer semester (different pricing).
-There are no refunds, under any circumstances. For classes, retail, costumes, fundraisers, tickets, events, anything including dismissal of student by studio.
-Payment is made online with card (subject to processing fees) or in studio with cash only, no checks.
REFUNDS:
-There are no refunds.
-Refunds are not granted for any reason including but not limited to illness/injury, change in student’s personal schedule, dancer no longer wishing to continue, dismissal due to violation of studio policies/procedures/code of conduct.
-This strict refund policy is in place to maintain the integrity of our schedule for other dancers and instructors, for reserving a spot in a full class that might prohibit another dancer from being able to sign up, and many more reasons that surround operation of small businesses.
REGISTRATION:
-All registration is done online via https://dancestudio-pro.com/online/bodybarre
-You will create an account for yourself as parent, then fill in the information for your dancer(s).
-You will then select the season tab (fall, winter, etc) at the top of the screen, and then select the classes your dancer will be taking. Click “submit” at the bottom of the screen.
-Proceed to the payment option to “finish registration” where you will also READ completely the waivers that you will sign before you process your payment.
*your dancer is not registered for class until payment has been made in full!
-We take new students at any time up until the start of the Spring semester due to choreography/costumes for annual show.
***All adult and parent accompanied toddler classes are also found here.
SCHEDULE:
-Schedule is subject to change.
-Instructors are subject to change.
-Instructors may hire substitutes with owner/manager approval rather than cancelling class.
-A student is able to “switch” classes with instructor/owner approval.
-If your child is not a fan of the class they are in, please encourage them to try a different class. Not every genre of dance is for everyone and this way your dancer may find something they DO like while the discipline of moving past obstacles is also maintained- never give up!
-Please note, if a class does not fill to the needed amount of students it will be cancelled.
BODY BARRE CODE OF CONDUCT
…Because the success of our studio is largely due to the good environment we have created and vow to maintain at The Body Barre.
This is effective for:
-all dancers, parents, and staff
-anyone affiliated or attending the studio or studio events/performances, including anyone picking up/dropping off dancers and entering our facility at any given point.
-any studio rentals
Any violation of these terms at the sole discretion of staff is grounds for immediate dismissal without discussion, negotiation, nor refunds of any capacity.
Read carefully and understand what you are signing up for and agreeing to:
THIS APPLIES TO ANY MEMBER AND ANY PERSON COMING ONTO THE PROPERTY
-Honoring our CORE VALUES of RESPECT, INDIVIDUALITY, and WORK ETHIC
-Bashing of other local studios, dancers, instructors near and far will not be tolerated.
-Negative comments towards other students or staff of any capacity will not be tolerated.
-Inappropriate or disrespectful behavior including but not limited to body gestures, eye rolling, taunting, back talk, side chatter, and anything ill-natured toward another student or instructor will not be tolerated.
-Social media postings negatively toward the studio, instructors, or any Body Barre student(s) or against the Student Handbook policies will not be tolerated
-Posting of, or the threat of posting of, any negative business review on any medium.
-General bullying of any capacity at the discretion of the instructor and then the owners not covered above will not be tolerated.
-All members must always adhere to our procedures, including but not limited to pickup/drop-off, communications, dress code, etc. as these procedures are in place for efficiency, quality control, and safety.
Any violations by student/guardian are at the discretion and interpretation of the studio owners and will be grounds for immediate dismissal from the studios, no discussion, and forfeit of any tuition/costumes/fees paid, and may incur additional fees.
Any damages incurred by students not abiding by this will be billed to the adult that enrolled them with no negotiation/discussion.
REGISTRATION:
-All registration is done online (see top right icon “ready to take class”) with an account where you will enter student info, choose classes, and pay.
-Once you’ve paid, you’re in!
ARRIVAL:
-On the first day come 5-10 minutes early to find your studio room (we have 6!). You can ask the staff at the front desk where to go! If you plan to purchase shoes, please come 15 minutes early
-Parents can walk child to studio room door of their class and can wait at the observation window, but we do not allow parents into studio rooms due to distraction. If your child is not ready to take class without you/independently, we have parent accompanied classes to ease the transition! For the very young classes, parents might need to escort dancer into the room but we encourage you to exit as quick as you can and this seems to be the most successful in them getting integrated into class!
-Older students typically get dropped at the front door and can enter the building on their own, we do not have staff available to formally watch children enter/leave so please have plans/rules set with your child if you are dropping at the door/car.
-Please do not arrive or drop children off more than 5 minutes before class as it congests the facility with classes already in session.
PREPARING FOR CLASS:
-Send your dancer with a waterbottle
-They will wear their hair up (bun for ballet!)
-Wear tight fitting stretchy clothes (think gym clothes), we do not have a dress code beyond not allowing street clothes (jeans, dresses), hair up, and proper shoe for class (ballet is ballet slipper, acro is barefoot, hip hop is clean sneaker, musical theater and jazz are jazz shoe/bootie, lyrical is barefoot/ballet slipper/or jazz shoe/bootie, tap is tap shoe). We sell all shoes at the studio! *Ballet has dress code of hair in bun, tights, leotard, and a coverup that will come off after warm ups.