Studio Address: 511 1/2 Main St West, Ashland, WI Mailing Address: 1316 Main St W, Ashland, WI 54806
ASHLAND SCHOOL OF DANCE
Offering Ballet, Lyrical, Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop & Poms Classes
For Dancers Ages 3 & up
DATES TO REMEMBER:
NO CLASS DATES
Saturday, October 18 – Sunday, October 19
Friday, October 31
Saturday, November 8
Sunday, November 23 – Friday, November 28
Sunday, December 21 – Thursday, January 1
ASOD ONLINE APPAREL STORE
Sunday, October 19 - Sunday, November 9
COSTUME WEEK
Friday, October 24 – Thursday, October 30
SPOOKTACULAR DANCE COMPETITION
Saturday, November 8
PRODUCTION PRACTICE
Sunday, November 16 11:30 - 12:15 pm
PARENT WEEK
Sunday, November 16 – Saturday, November 22
PICTURE DAY
Saturday, November 22
ASHLAND’S CHRISTMAS PARADE
Saturday, December 6 4:30 pm
2026 WINTER SHOWCASE PERFORMANCE
Saturday, January 10
2026 SPRING DANCE RECITAL
Saturday, April 18
ASHLAND SCHOOL OF DANCE APPAREL
ASOD merch (tshirts, sweatshirts, tanks & joggers) are now available to order online by using the following link: https://ashlandschoolofdance2025.itemorder.com/ All merchandise needs to be preordered. (WE WILL NOT ORDER EXTRA SIZES). Orders will be available for pick up at the dance studio mid-December.
DANCING WITH MY GIRL
Dancers, here’s your chance to have your mom, grandma, or aunt join you on stage at our Winter Showcase performance on Saturday, January 10! All dancers participating in the Winter Showcase performance are welcome to join in on the fun. We will have 45-minute practices one Sunday a month (November 9; December 7 & January 4) from 11:30 am – 12:15. This is a great opportunity for quality time together on stage. To participate, please sign up by logging into your online account, select "Register – Dancing with My Girl." The cost to participate is $25.00, which covers all three practices. Dancers and their girl (mom, grandma or aunt) will need to practice at home between classes. We will provide a video to assist with your practice.
COSTUME WEEK
Dancers are invited to wear their Halloween costumes to dance classes Friday, October 24 through Thursday, October 30! Reminder: There are no dance classes on Friday, October 31.
HUGOS PIZZA FUNDRAISER
The certificates will be ready for pickup at your dancer’s class in November. Dancers will earn about 20% of their total sales.
NO CLASS DATES
Mark Your Calendars! There will be no dance classes on Saturday, Oct 18; Sunday, Oct 19; and Friday, Oct 31. All of our instructors and assistants will be attending a dance convention in Stevens Point the weekend of Oct 18-19. A complete list of "no class dates" may be found on the schedule tab. Please note: ASOD doesn't follow the school schedule; sometimes we have class when there is no school and vice versa.
PARENT WEEK
Parents are invited to join their dancer during their dance class the week of Sunday, November 16 through Saturday, November 22! Parents - you'll need to wear comfortable clothing, bring clean soled tennis shoes and a water bottle.
PICTURE DAY
Our first Dance Picture Day is set for Saturday, November 22. Dancers in the classes listed on the attached schedule will have their individual and group pictures taken during their scheduled class times. You can find a copy of the attached schedule available for pickup at the studio. Please be sure to email asod@centurytel.net if your dancer is unable to attend their scheduled picture time. If your dancer's class isn't included on the Saturday, November 22 schedule, it will be listed on a future Picture Day schedule. We’re working on finalizing additional picture dates.
DANCE SHOES
If your dancer ordered dance shoes during our fitting days, they will be available for pickup at their first dance class. If you still need to order shoes, please contact Stacey by text (715-413-1074) or email (asod@centurytel.net) so we can arrange a fitting before classes begin. Shoe fittings must be completed before the first class. Please note that payment for shoes is required at the time of order. If you intend to pay online, please log in now to complete your payment. Dance shoes are mandatory for class, and we highly recommend labeling them with your dancer’s name or initials, as many dancers have the same style.
PRODUCTION DANCE
Dancers aged 5 and up are invited to participate in the Production Dance for the 2025-2026 Dance Season. A Production is a dance learned by a specific group of dancers of all ages from our studio. This group will learn a dance to perform in our Spring Dance Recital. Class for the production dance will take place 1-2 times per month on Sundays from 11:00 – 12:15 pm starting September 21. The first few class dates will be held on: Sept 21; Oct 12 & Nov 16. The participation fee is a one-time charge of $45 per dancer (this fee covers all the classes from September-April). Additional there will be a cost for the recital costume (exact cost to be determined). To sign up, log into your dance account, click 'Register' and select '2025-2026 Production Dance.'
WINTER SHOWCASE PERFORMANCE
Plans for our 2026 Winter Showcase Performance on Saturday, January 10, are in full swing! Instructors have selected music, begun choreography, and finalized costumes. Tickets will go on sale in November. Dancers will wear their costumes, tights, and dance shoes for the performance. The Winter Dance Performance will include the following dancers –all Competition Teams, Ballet-Saturday Class, Hip Hop-Saturday Class, Lyrical-Sunday Class, Adult Hip Hop, Level II Lyrical/Jazz, Level II Hip Hop, Poms (8 & up), Contemporary, Int Tap, Level III Lyrical/Jazz, Level III Hip Hop, Jr Co Hip Hop, Jr Company, Adv Tap, Sr Co Hip Hop & Sr Company classes. I will be fitting the Winter Showcase dancers for their costumes over the next couple of weeks. The Winter Showcase Performance will take place at the Northwestern High School auditorium on Saturday, January 10. There will be one performance that evening which will include the groups listed above and all solo/duet dances (except Sr co dancers will perform their solo/duet dances at the Spring Dance Recital). Exact showtimes will be announced soon. Please check our website, your email, and monthly newsletters for updates on the Winter Showcase Performance. If your dancer’s class isn’t listed above, they will perform in our Spring Dance Recital on Sat, April 18.
SPRING DANCE RECITAL
We are also gearing up for the 2026 Spring Dance Recital, scheduled for Saturday, April 18, at the Northwestern High School Auditorium. This recital will feature all dancers enrolled in our 2025-2026 Dance Season. We will provide updates about the recital through our website, emails, and monthly newsletter.
RECITAL COSTUME DEPOSITS
For the Winter Showcase Performance in January and Spring Dance Recital in April dancers wear costumes for both performances. All costumes are ordered in October to ensure they arrive prior to the performances. Fees for the costumes are in addition to your monthly tuition payments and can range from $65-$85 per costume. Costumes are chosen in September and must be paid in full prior by Friday, October 10. Costume fees will be posted once all class costumes are finalized. If your dancer doesn’t participate in the Benoit Cheese fundraiser, a costume deposit of $35.00 will be due by Friday, September 26. If your dancer is in more than one class, a $35.00 costume deposit is due for each class. The remaining costume balance must be paid in full no later than Friday, October 10. Each class has one costume except for Ally’s Jr Co and Sr Co classes – (these two classes each have two costumes with a costume deposit of $70.00 due by Friday, September 26).
SOLO/DUET/TRIO DANCERS
If your dancer is signed up for a for an extra dance, please make sure you are in contact with their instructor to set up private lessons. It's important that dancers practice their dance at home weekly! Please make regular practice a habit! Dancers will have the opportunity to run their dance once a week at the studio in between classes with their instructor that worked on the choreography for them. ALL other practice must be completed outside of regular class time. If your dancer would like to use the studio to practice, please reach out to Stacey to set up a time (an adult has to be present when dancers use the studio outside of class time). These dancers will perform their dance at our Winter Showcase on Saturday, January 10 at Northwestern High School. Additionally, dancers have the opportunity to register for competitions if they are interested. Participation in competitions is optional, all details regarding competition dates, payments & deadlines has been emailed to all dance families. If you have any questions about solo/duets/trios, please be sure to contact ASOD.
DANCE COMPETITIONS
All competition teams, including Petite, Junior, Teen, as well as Adv Tap, Jr Company and Sr Company classes, are set to participate in competitions for the upcoming year. If your dancer is unable to attend their group's competition, please let us know as soon as possible. Additionally, competitions are open to all dancers registered for a solo, duet, or trio for the 2025-2026 Dance Season. Dancers are allowed to do one solo and one duet at each competition. You can register your solo/duet dancer for competitions by logging into your dance account online. Details for all competition dates, locations, deadlines, and the classes participating in each competition has been emailed to all dance families.
STUDIO WAITING ROOM
If you plan to stay at the dance studio while your dancer is in class, please remain in the waiting room once classes begin. Dancers perform better when they’re not being watched by everyone in the waiting area. For those dancers waiting for their class to start, we also request that they stay in the waiting room until the previous class has ended. Once dancers enter the dance room, we ask that they avoid running around while waiting for their class to begin.
AGE REQUIREMENTS FOR 2025-2026 DANCE CLASSES
The following age requirements are required for 2025-2026 dance classes:
Creative Movement dancers must be 3 years old by Sept. 1
Pre-Ballet/Tiny Tap & Pre-Jazz/Funk dancers must be 5 by Sept 1
Level I dancers must be 7 by Sept 1
Dancers in Level 2 and up are all moved up by instructor recommendations. Please contact us if you have any questions on which class(es) your dancer may sign up for this fall.
DANCE SHOES
If your dancer needs to order dance shoes at any point throughout the dance season, please be sure to let your dance instructor know! Dancers can be fitted for shoes before or after their dance class. Dance shoes are mandatory when attending dance class. And please be sure to write your dancer's name or initials in their dance shoes!! The complete list of shoes required for each class is available above by selecting the 'SHOE LIST BY CLASS' button.
EMAILS, NEWSLETTERS & WEBSITE
Throughout the dance season, please be sure to check your emails regularly and read the monthly newsletters. Our main form of communication is email. The monthly newsletters always have lots of important information. All newsletters will be emailed to everyone who provided an email address at registration. Please email us (asod@centurytel.net) if you didn't receive a copy of this newsletter by email. All of the information is also available here on our website. (site.ashlandschoolofdance.info). You can also find ASOD on Facebook.
PRE-BALLET/TINY TAP & LEVEL I DANCERS
When dancers for the Pre-Ballet/Tiny Tap and Level 1 classes come to class, please make sure that both sets of their shoes have their names in them and please make sure their shoes are in a bag when they come to class each week. This will help lessen the confusion of whose shoes are whose since most dancers have the same shoes.
DANCE STUDIO PRO
We'll continue using the online program called Dance Studio Pro for our registrations, tuition payments, ticket sales and volunteer sign ups. DSP also offers an app which is also very convenient. This link: https://dancestudio-pro.com/online/asod can be used to log in your account. If you ever have any issues logging in, please be sure to let me know. Monthly payments can be done right online, otherwise payments can also be given to your dance instructor or sent via Venmo (@asod5678) if you want to avoid the fees from paying online. Please note, dance instructors DO NOT know how much each family owes on their account; you are responsible for logging into your account to get your balance due. Monthly newsletters and various reminders are also posted on bulletin board of DSP. Once our schedule is finalized after registration the calendar page on DSP will show the no class dates.
WEATHER/CANCELLED CLASSES
Please remember to check your email on a regular basis. A few of our dance instructors come from out of town to teach their dance classes; if we cancel dance class for any reason, I will send an email OR text to notify parents. I will also post on facebook if classes are cancelled. ASOD only cancels classes when the instructor is unable to attend class. We DO NOT ALWAYS cancel dance classes if the Ashland Public Schools cancel classes or dismiss school early because of inclement weather! One class cancellation is allowed per class per year at the discretion of the instructor without rescheduling. All other cancelled classes will be made up at a later date; all make up class details will be emailed to parents once dates and times are set.
CLASS ATTENDANCE
If your dancer is unable to attend their dance class, please be sure to email asod@centurytel.net or send us a message to let us know they won't be at class. If your dancer isn't feeling well, please be sure to NOT send them to dance class!! We want to stress the importance of attendance to dance class. In our policy handout it states: "Any student who misses 8 or more classes during the regular season (Sept-April) will not be allowed to participate in the spring dance recital performance." Dancers only progress if they attend class on a regular basis. If your dancer is going to miss 2 or more weeks in a row due to other commitments, you can expect that while they're missing class the rest of the class is learning parts to their recital dance so your dancer may be excluded from a portion of the recital dance. It is not fair to the instructors or the other dancers in the class, if instructors can't move forward each week with teaching their recital dances.
WATER BOTTLES
Remember to send a water bottle with your dancer to each and every class!!
CLASS ADVANCEMENT
Over the dance season, the instructors evaluate the dancers in their classes to decide who is ready to advance to the next level. All Creative Movement and PreBallet/Tiny Tap dancers advance to the next level depending on their age. Dancers must be 5 by September 1 to advance to the PreBallet/Tiny Tap class. Dancers must be 7 years old by September 1 to advance to Level I Ballet/Jazz; Level I Jazz/Tap and/or Level I Jazz/Funk. After dancers reach Level I they are moved up to the next level by the instructors. Instructors evaluate dancer’s skill & ability levels, their behavior in class, listening skills, maturity levels, respect for others (dancers & instructors), how well they work together as a team, their attendance...many things are taken into consideration when determining if dancers are ready to move up to the next level. As parents it’s natural to think that our dancer is ready to advance to the next level but we have to remember we aren’t the ones in the class each and every week. . . . . so we’ll leave this up to our instructors.
DROPPING OFF AND PICKING UP YOUR DANCERS
If you have a Creative Movement, PreBallet, Level I or Level II dancer please stay at the studio with your dancer until class starts. Dancers shouldn’t be arriving more than 10 minutes prior to class starting. And please remind your dancers there should be no running around and yelling or using loud voices while waiting for class to start. Also, when your dancer’s class ends each week we would like parents to come into the building to pick up their dancer (this is required for all dancers through Level 2).
LOST & FOUND
When you pick up your dancer after class each week, please be sure to make sure they have all their shoes.
CLEAN STUDIO
For those of you that bring a snack to the studio, please take a moment to clean up any mess before you leave. Please help up keep the studio area clean.
FACEBOOK
Like Ashland School of Dance on Facebook to keep up on all the dance updates and reminders.
QUESTIONS, COMMENTS OR CONCERNS
Please contact us by phone or email.
Telephone: 715-413-1074
Email: asod@centurytel.net
Mailing Address: 1316 Main St West Ashland, WI 54806
Ashland Studio Address: 511 1/2 Main St West Ashland, WI 54806 (3rd floor)