Ashland Studio Address: 319 11th Ave East, Ashland, WI Washburn Studio Address: 325 Washington Ave, Washburn, WI Iron River Studio Address: 8265 US Hwy 2 Iron River, WI Mailing Address: 1316 Main St W, Ashland, WI
ASHLAND SCHOOL OF DANCE
Offering Ballet, Lyrical, Jazz, Tap, Poms & Funk Classes
For Dancers Ages 3 & up
DATES TO REMEMBER:
Friday, April 7 5:00-6:30 pm
IRON RIVER WINTER/SPRING DANCE SESSION
Monday, January 30 - Monday, April 10
NO CLASSES DATES
Sunday, April 9
2023 SPRING DANCE RECITAL REHEARSAL
Monday, April 17
Tuesday, April 18
2023 SPRING DANCE RECITAL PERFORMANCES
6:00 pm Thursday, April 20
6:00 pm Friday, April 21
2:00 pm Saturday, April 22
6:00 pm Saturday, April 22
SUMMER SHOE FITTING DATES
Monday, May 1 5:30 - 7:30 pm - Ashland
Wednesday, May 10 5:30 - 7:30 pm - Ashland
2023 ASHLAND SUMMER DANCE SESSION
Monday, May 15 - Monday, July 24
2023 IRON RIVER SUMMER DANCE SESSION
Monday, May 15 - Tuesday, July 25
SUMMER DANCE SESSION
Registration for our 2023 Summer Dance Session is open! Our Summer Session is scheduled to start Monday, May 15 with Ashland classes ending on Monday, July 24 and Iron River classes ending on Tuesday, July 25. Use the following link to register your dancer for a summer dance class: https://dancestudio-pro.com/online/asod. We end the Summer Session with a performance the week of July 24 - more details on the performance and shoe fitting days will follow in the coming weeks. A complete schedule for both locations is located on the Summer Schedules tab here on our website. All classes are one day a week for the 9-week session. A copy of the schedule also available for pick up at the dance studio. All class space is available on a first come first serve basis. NOTE: SEVERAL CLASSES ARE ALREADY 1/2 HALF FULL! Registration is considered complete and spots will be held when your first payment is received. Payments may be done only at the time of registration.
SPRING DANCE RECITAL TICKETS
All remaining tickets for the Spring Dance Recital are available for purchase at Home Expressions (116 Main St West, Ashland) or online by using the following link https://dancestudio-pro.com/tickets/asod or by logging in your dance account – click tickets on the home page. All recital tickets are general seating and available on a first come first serve basis. PLEASE DON’T SHOW UP TO THE PERFORMANCE 5 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE START WITH A PARTY OF 5 AND EXPECT TO SIT TOGETHER. I CAN GUARANTEE YOU WON’T GET SEATS TOGETHER. Doors open 1 hour prior to the start of each show, if you are new to the dance recital I can tell you there is normally a line of people waiting before the doors open. All parents, family members and friends that want to watch the recital need to have a ticket; the only exception is kids 3 & under are free if sitting in an adult lap. Cost is $10.00 per ticket. We ask dance families to only buy the number of tickets that you’re going to use because tickets are nonrefundable. When purchasing tickets, you do need to know which night you want a ticket for; we can only sell a certain number of tickets for each night. All rehearsals and performances will be held at the Ashland High School Auditorium here in Ashland. PLEASE NOTE: Dancers are unable to sit in the auditorium to watch the recital on the nights they perform & if you’re signed up to volunteer backstage you do not need a ticket to watch the recital for that performance. If dancers want to watch other dancers perform, they are welcome to do that at the rehearsals. Otherwise if your dancer, is only dancing at 2 performances, you are welcome to purchase a ticket if you and your dancer would like to watch one of the other performances. Lastly, tickets normally aren't available for purchase at the door; usually all sell prior to the day of the performance.
SPRING DANCE RECITAL VOLUNTEERS
Thank you to everyone that has signed up to volunteer backstage at the Spring Dance Recital! Our recital is only possible with the help of our parent volunteers! The complete list of volunteers is available at the dance studio. As a volunteer, your main responsibility is to assure that each child in your dancer’s class is safe and accounted for. Volunteers are responsible for making sure that each child in your group is in the proper costume and shoes, and is backstage at the appropriate time. When you volunteer, you do not need a recital ticket to watch the recital for that particular performance. Volunteers are able to watch their group perform from the side backstage area. You will be able to sit in the auditorium to watch for your dancer’s other performance(s) – you only need a ticket to watch the recital when you plan to sit in the auditorium. We ask that volunteers arrive 30 minutes prior to the start of each performance. At that time, volunteers will meet Stacey in the backstage hallway where you will be given your class line up lists and general instructions before you report to your dancer’s dressing room. Volunteers are asked to stay with their group until the end of the performance. Normally a performance lasts about 2 hours.
RECITAL COSTUMES
We have spent several hours steaming all the recital costumes; when your dancer brings home their costume, please be sure to keep it hung up so it’s not a wrinkled mess for pictures or the recital! Also, make sure your dancer only wears their costume for pictures and then not again until recital week, there is no replacing costumes if something happens to it before the recital. If your costume comes with a hair piece, please keep it with the costume, we’re unable to replace any missing items.
DANCING WITH MY GUY
DANCERS!! Our Dancing With My Guy dancers will have 1 hour practices for this dance on Sunday, February 26; Sunday, March 19 & Sunday, March 26. For practice, dancers should bring their dance shoes (ballet or jazz) and guys should bring a pair of clean soled tennis shoes (dirty outside shoes aren't allowed on the dance floor). This group will have their rehearsal on Monday, April 17th at 6:50 pm - attendance to rehearsal is mandatory. For the recital performances, the group will perform on Saturday, April 22. We may end up splitting the group in two if enough dancers end up performing. More information on the recital will follow as it is available.
MARCH TUITION PAYMENTS/ONLINE PAYMENTS
March tuition has been posted to your online dance account. Payments may be done on your online (https://dancestudio-pro.com/online/asod). If you want to avoid the fee of the online payments, you can still send your payment via Venmo (@asod5678) or cash/check payments can also be given to your dance instructor too! March tuition is due no later than Thursday, March 2. NOTE: Account balances must be paid in full by this date to avoid the monthly late fee.
PRODUCTION DANCE
The next practice for the Production Dance is Sunday, March 26 at the dance studio. All production dance dancers will practice together from 12:15-1:45 pm. For the Spring Dance Recital, dancers will wear matching tshirts and black spandex shorts or leggings. The dancers in the production dance will perform at all 4 of the Spring Dance Recital performances in April.
SPRING DANCE RECITAL
Mark your calendar! Our 2023 Spring Dance Recital is scheduled for Thursday, April 20; Friday, April 21; and 2 performances on Saturday, April 22 at the Ashland High School Auditorium (1900 Beaser Ave) in Ashland. Dancers in Creative Movement, PreBallet/Tiny Tap & PreJazz/Funk classes will all perform at 2 performances. The list above shows which classes will perform on Thursday @ 6 pm & Saturday @ 2 pm; while the other groups perform on Friday @ 6 pm & Saturday @ 6 pm. Dancers ages 7 & up in Level I, Level II, Level III; Beg/Int; Int/Adv, Jr Co and Sr Co will perform at all 4 performances. All dancers will also be required to attend their rehearsal practice which is held on either Monday, April 17 or Tuesday, April 18. Recital tickets are available for purchase online by using the following link https://dancestudio-pro.com/tickets/asod or by logging into your online account and clicking “Tickets” on the home page. We will keep everyone updated on the recital through our website, emails and monthly newsletters.
SPRING DANCE RECITAL REHEARSAL
Dancers performing in the Spring Dance Recital are required to attend a rehearsal with their group on Monday, April 17 & Tuesday, April 18 at the Ashland High School Auditorium (1900 Beaser Ave, Ashland). Each Ashland dance class is alotted a specific time for rehearsal on one of the two day. Dancers are only required to attend their classes specified time unless they want to watch other dancers’ practice. Attire for rehearsal includes costumes, tights, dance shoes and dancers must have their hair done. Make up is optional for the younger dancers. Once dancers have practiced their dances on stage they may leave. Attending rehearsal is mandatory. A copy of the rehearsal schedule is available for pick up at the dance studio.
NO CLASS DATES
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.
WEATHER/CANCELLED CLASSES
Please remember all families 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 to notify parents. I will also post on facebook if classes are cancelled. All 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.
DANCE SHOES
Dance shoes are mandatory when attending dance class. Please be sure to write your dancer’s name or initials in their dance shoes! Dancers are expected to have the appropriate dance shoes for their dance class. Wearing must dance shoes during class is a must! No exceptions!! Below is the list showing what each class needs for dance shoes. If your dancer’s shoes are too small, you can order new shoes through the dance studio. Please let your instructor know if your dancer needs to get fitted for new shoes.
Creative Movement – Pink Ballet shoes
Pre-Ballet/Tiny Tap – Pink Ballet & Black Tap shoes
Level I & II Ballet/Jazz classes - Pink Ballet & Black Jazz shoes
Jazz/Tap - Black Jazz & Black Tap shoes
Poms - Black Jazz shoes
Tap Classes (Level III) – Black Tap shoes
Jazz/Funk classes – Black Jazz shoes
Level III Ballet/Jazz - Nude Lyrical shoes & Black Jazz shoes
Jr & Sr Company – Nude Lyrical shoes
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.
STUDIO WAITING ROOM
*In Ashland, since our studio doesn’t have an actual waiting room for parents and siblings, we do ask that all parents and other family members stay behind the mirrors when dance classes start.
*In Washburn, we ask that parents and other family members wait in the entryway.
*In Iron River, we ask that parents wait in the room adjacent to the dance area.
We have found that dancers perform better when they aren’t being watched by everyone in the waiting room. If you have a dancer that is waiting for their class to start, we also ask them to wait to enter the dance floor until the prior class has ended. Once kids enter the dance room, we ask that kids DO NOT RUN AROUND while waiting for class to start.
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 are emailed to everyone who provided an email address on their registration form. Please email us (asod@centurytel.net) if you didn't receive a copy of the newsletter by email. Extra newsletters are always available at the studio. All of the information is also available here on our website too. (www.ashlandschoolofdance.info). You can also find ASOD on Facebook.
DANCE COMPETITIONS
For dancers who are interested: Competitions are open to all dancers who are interested in doing a solo, duet or trio at a competition. ASOD’s Sr Co dancers have attended competitions held in the Duluth and Minneapolis area; ASOD’s Jr Co dancers usually do a competition in the Duluth area. The minimum age for a dancer to compete is 6 years old. Competitions do involve extra costs that include: private lessons, additional costume, and competition fees. If you have a dancer that is interested in competing, please contact ASOD.
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 15 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).
PARKING AT THE DANCE STUDIO
Ashland City Police does enforce no parking on the east side of the street by the studio on 11th Ave East! PLEASE BE SURE YOU ONLY PARK ON THE STUDIO SIDE OF THE STREET.
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.
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: 319 11th Ave East Ashland, WI 54806 (Bohemian Hall)
Washburn Studio Address: 325 Washington Ave, Washburn, WI (Washburn Meditation Center)
Iron River Studio: 8265 US Hwy 2 Iron River, WI (VFW Hall)