DATES TO REMEMBER:
LAST DAY OF SUMMER DANCE SESSION
Monday, July 22
SUMMER DANCE PERFORMANCE
Wednesday, July 24 @ 4:30 pm & 7:00 pm
SHOE FITTING
Monday, August 5 5:00 – 6:00 pm
COMPETITION TEAMS PRACTICE
Thursday, August 8, 15 & 22
2024-2025 DANCE SEASON CLASSES BEGIN
Week of September 8
CELEBRATION TALENT CONVENTION
Saturday, September 28
SPOOKTACULAR DANCE COMPETITION
Saturday, November 2
Offering Ballet, Lyrical, Jazz, Tap, Poms & Funk Classes
For Dancers Ages 3 & up
Studio Address: 802 Main St West, Ashland, WI Mailing Address: 1316 Main St W, Ashland, WI 54806
ASHLAND SCHOOL OF DANCE
2024-2025 SEASONBEGINS
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8!
SUMMER DANCE SESSION PERFORMANCE
All current Summer Session classes continue to be held once a week; with the last class for the session on Monday, July 22. All dancers currently enrolled in a Summer Dance Session class will perform at the Summer Performance on Wednesday, July 24 at 4:30 pm & 7:00 pm at Northland College's Alvord Theatre. Each dance class must wear matching attire for the performance. The details for the required attire for each class has been emailed to all families. All dancers with the exception of Strength & Flex class will perform one dance; all summer classes will perform in the 4:30 performance; and only dancers from the summer classes for ages 5 & up will take part in 7:00 pm performance. The attached Summer Performance List shows exactly which classes and dancers perform in each show. Tickets for the Summer Performance are available for purchase online (https://dancestudio-pro.com/tickets/asod) & in person at Home Expressions (116 Main St W, Ashland) through noon on Tuesday, July 23. Tickets are $10 person. All attendees, including parents, family, and friends, must have a ticket to watch the performance. The only exception is that children aged 3 and over can attend for free if seated on an adult's lap. Please be aware of the specific performance you wish to attend when purchasing tickets, as there is a limited number available for each show.
SUMMER PERFORMANCE ATTIRE
Each dance class must wear matching attire for the Summer performance on Wednesday, July 24. The attached document details the required attire for each class. Classes that need a black leotard can use any solid black leotard. If you already own a black leotard, there is no need to buy a new one. If a dancer does not have one, it can be purchased at the dance studio when ordering your other performance attire. Skirts, shorts, cropped shirts, and dresses for younger dancers will be ordered through the studio. I will fit all dancers for their performance attire in June. When your dancer is getting fitted for their performance attire, you can let me know at that time if you need to order a black leotard. After reviewing the attached attire requirements, please feel free to contact me with any questions.
2024-2025 DANCE SEASON
REGISTER NOW! A copy of our 2024-2025 Dance Season schedule is available the schedule tab. We've had many dancers that have already registered; several classes that are near full. If you'd like to hold a spot in a particular class for your dancer, use the following link to register your dancer! https://dancestudio-pro.com/online/asod Please remember all class space is available on a first come first serve basis and the schedule is subject to change depending on the number of dancers registered for each class. Our first shoe fitting for the 2024-2025 Dance Season is scheduled for Monday, August 5 from 5:00 – 6:00 pm. Please email (asod@centurytel.net) if you have any questions. With the exception of Competition Teams and Tuesday & Wednesday classes, all 2024-2025 Dance Season classes are scheduled to start the week of September 8. Tuesday classes will be held on August 13 & 20; while Wednesday classes will begin on Wednesday, August 21 – these classes will begin before the schedule season begins since Ally will be on maternity leave in November for a couple weeks. All classes are 1 day a week with the exception for Jr Company and Sr Company on Sunday & Wednesday. Anessa's Jr Co Jazz/Funk and Sr Co Jazz/Funk classes are held 1 day a week on Tuesdays. ALL other classes beginning the week of Sunday, September 8 with a Winter Showcase in January 2025 and a Spring Dance Recital in April 2025 at the Northwestern High School. Participating in the performances is optional. If you have any questions regarding the 2024-2025 schedule please be sure to contact us, we'll help you find the perfect class for your dancer!
AGE REQUIREMENTS FOR 2024-2025 DANCE CLASSES
The following age requirements are required for 2024-2025 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.
ADULT HIP HOP CLASS
Attention to adult dancers! We're excited to offer an Adult Hip Hop class on our 2024-2025 Dance Season schedule. We understand the demands of parenthood and the challenges of finding time for yourself. Therefore, we're offering flexibility—no need to commit to the full 8-month season. The class will begin in September and conclude in January, with the Winter Showcase performance as an optional performance opportunity for those interested. Tuition will be billed monthly from September to December. Come join us for some great exercise and a little me time!
CELEBRATION TALENT CONVENTION
On Saturday, September 28 the Celebration Talent Competition is holding a one day convention at the DECC in Duluth, MN for dancers ages 7 & up for $130. That day dancers attend 7 classes taught by Celebration Talent's staff. Registration deadline is September 1. Email Stacey if you have a dancer interested in attending the convention.
EXTRA DANCES - SOLO/DUET DANCES
All registered dancers for our 2024-2025 Dance Season are invited to do a solo/duet for our Winter Showcase Performance in January. These dances will also be used for competition too for those that are interested in competing for the upcoming 2024-2025 Dance Season. Each dancer will be allowed a maximum of 2 extra dances – one solo and/or one duet dance. (If your dancer plans to run for a title at Spring Fling – please contact Stacey for exceptions to the 2 extra dance maximum). Extra dances are in addition to their class dances. Dancers would meet with an instructor for private lessons to learn a dance. Dancers decide which instructor they want to work with; what style of dance they want to do for their solo/duet dance (ballet, lyrical, jazz, poms, etc). Private lessons are $30/hr and typically dancers meet with an instructor 2-3 times to learn a solo or duet dance. For the 2024-2025 Dance Season Ally, Anessa and Lily will be the instructors working with solo/duet dancers. Use the following link if you'd still like register your dancer for an extra dance for the Winter Showcase Performance: https://dancestudio-pro.com/online/asod. Sign up will continue through Sunday, September 1 or until all available spots have been taken. If your dancer just learned an extra dance (solo/duet) for the summer performance and plans to do an extra dance for the upcoming 2024-2025 Dance Season, they would use their summer dance for the upcoming season. SIGN UP ONLINE IS ONLY FOR THOSE DANCERS THAT HAVEN'T BEEN WORKING WITH AN INSTRUCTOR ON A DANCE THIS SUMMER. Instructors will start working with dancers on their extra dances in August. Fees for solo/duet dances will follow the same format was last year - (1) $35.00 fee - covers the cost of cutting music, studio fees and administrative fees – this fee will be posted to your dance account and paid to ASOD. (2) $30/hr fee for each 1 hr long private lesson - paid directly to your dance instructor at the end of each lesson. (3)costume fee – TBD. If you have any questions please be sure to email ASOD. Sign up is done directly online through your dance account – select register on the home page. ONLY SR CO DANCERS WILL PERFORM A SOLO OR DUET IN THE SPRING DANCE RECITAL. ALL OTHER DANCERS WILL PERFORM THEIR EXTRA DANCES IN THE WINTER SHOWCASE IN JANUARY & AT COMPETITIONS OF THEIR CHOICE.
2024 – 2025 COMPETITION TEAMS
Tryouts for the 2024 -2025 Competition Teams is set for Wednesday, May 8 at the dance studio. Tryouts are required for this team. Competition teams are open to dancers age 4 through Jr Company level (we are adding on to our competition teams this year). If you have a dancer interested in trying out for the Competition Teams, please sign them up for tryouts online, through your dance account. Being on this team does require you to take at least one other dance class on our fall dance schedule. This group will attend 3-4 competitions as a team in the Superior/Duluth area and possibly one competition in the Minneapolis area. The teams will attend one competition in October/November with the rest of the competitions held in the spring (February - May). These teams will also perform at our local performances. Being on a competition team does involve additional time, commitment and costs which include but aren't limited to - cost of another costume, travel costs & the fees associated with registering for a competition. The approximate fees for a team to compete is $60-$80 per dance per competition. Registration costs vary with each competition as each competition sets their own registration fees. These fees would be in addition to your regular monthly class fees. This team may have extra practices scheduled prior to competition weekends. If you have a dancer interested in signing up to try out for the competition team, please log in to your dance account to sign up for try outs. Competition team dancers will have opportunities to participate in extra fundraiser opportunities too. See the attachment for all the competition team information.
2024-2025 DANCE SEASON - DANCE SHOES
All dancers are expected to have the appropriate pair(s) of dance shoes for their 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 at anytime. Please let your instructor know if your dancer needs to get fitted for new shoes. For the 2024-2025 Dance Season classes, dancers will need the following types of shoes:
Creative Movement – ballet shoes
PreBallet/Tiny Tap – ballet & tap shoes
Jazz/funk – jazz shoes
Poms – jazz shoes
Pom/Jazz – jazz shoes
Lyrical/Jazz (Level 1 & 2) – lyrical & jazz shoes
Tap – tap shoes
Jr Co & Sr Co – lyrical shoes
Jr Co Jazz/Funk & Sr Co Jazz/Funk – tennis shoes
Adult Hip Hop – tennis shoes
CLASS ADVANCEMENT
Emails will be sent prior to fall registration to notify dancers who are advancing 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 or PreJazz/Funk classes. Dancers must be 7 years old by September 1 to advance to Level I. 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 and attitude in class, listening skills, maturity levels, respect for others (dancers & instructors), how well they work together as a team, their attendance... and many other things determine if they are ready to move up to the next level.
STUDIO WAITING ROOM
If you plan to wait at the dance studio while your dancer has class, we do ask that all parents and other family members stay in the waiting room when dance classes start. 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 stay in the waiting room 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.
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.
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.
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: 802 Main St West Ashland, WI 54806 (next to The Alley)