SAFER STUDIO GUIDELINES
The health of our staff, students, and families has always been our highest priority. Expressions Dance & Preschool follows the Safer Studio guidelines, which prioritize a hierarchy of safety and wellness measures. They include, but are not limited to, wellness checks, amplified and frequent hand hygiene, enhanced environmental services, minimizing mixing and mingling via physical distancing practices, curricular and facility adjustments, and continuous parent communication. As we are going into regular cold and flu season, it is important that we continue our combined efforts to follow these guidelines. Please continue to monitor your children and do not send them to class if they have a fever, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, runny nose, etc. Sending a child with symptoms to class in a mask is not an acceptable solution. Please keep children home when they are sick. Thank you so much for everyone’s enhanced awareness and efforts in keeping our students and faculty healthy.
What should I do if my child gets an exposure notice at school or another activity?
If your child is notified of a close contact exposure, please send them in a mask to class until
- You get a negative covid test result 7 days after last date of exposure
- 10 days has passed from last date of exposure.
CLASS REMINDERS
- Potty before class, especially preschoolers!
- No underwear under your leotard. Tights are dancer’s underwear!
- LATE! We have had a lot of latecomers and late pick-ups. It is very disruptive to our classes when you walk in late, not to mention unsafe for dancers to miss warming up. Late pick-ups are preventing our next classes from starting on time. Thanks for your attention to this manner!
IT’S NEW STYLE NOVEMBER
This month we are opening up our trial program to our currently enrolled students to offer you the option to try another style of class with us. Have you been thinking about trying Hip Hop or Tumbling? We would love to see you in the class! CLICK HERE to join us for a complimentary class in a different style this month!
NOV 8-12: FUN BUN WEEK
We have even more fun bun stuff this month….Come to class with a fun bun or crazy hair (boys)!!! Turn that bun into a masterpiece… Maybe it’s a spider or a one-eyed monster!! We can’t wait to see your creations!
BUN DRAWING
Starting in November, students will earn a ticket for having their hair in a proper bun for class. Tickets will be entered into a raffle where we will announce 3 winners per studio each month for a special prize! We’ll draw new winners each month through June! To earn a ticket your dancer must:
- Have her hair in a secure ballet bun (not a doorknob bun)
- With a secure hairnet
- Using boppy pins to hold and secure
WHY DOES MY SCHOOL AGE DANCER NEED TO WEAR A BUN?
- MUSCLE MEMORY: Does your child have bangs or pieces of hair falling down in the face? How about little frizzies tickling their shoulders? In the middle of a combination or rehearsal, they may reach up and brush their hair out of their way. When a dancer does this all the time, after a specific step, or in a rehearsal, it becomes muscle memory, and they will continue to “brush their hair away” onstage, even if it is slicked back and pinned up!
- TURNING TROUBLE: It’s a problem for turns. For ponytails, dancers tend to wince or close their eyes when they spot, or whip their head around. You cannot turn without spotting your head, and you definitely can’t turn with your eyes closed. This is legitimately a safety hazard.
- BALANCE AND ALIGNMENT: The ballet bun helps to center your balance. Having your neck visible allows the teacher to correct your alignment by making sure your neck, shoulder and back are placed correctly.
- HELPS THE TEACHER: If everyone in the room matches perfectly, it is easier to pick out exactly where corrections are needed and who needs them. A shoulder or elbow in the wrong place, the head placement not being correct, or even trying to figure out who is turning the wrong direction can be disorienting if everyone’s hair, clothing, and accessories are different. This is important because it helps implement proper technique.
- BECAUSE THE TEACHER SAID SO: Even if there was no other good reason, your teacher has a rule in her class that needs to be followed. If you respect your child’s teacher, your child will see that respect, and it will transfer to them. The overall atmosphere in our program will remain learning friendly, professional, and respectful.
WATCH THIS TUTORIAL ON HOW TO DO A BALLET BUN!
CHRISTMAS PAJAMAS AND BOOKS CHARITY PROJECT
Although we are not going to be performing in our annual Dance for Life Benefit Concert, we are still going to be collecting PJ’s to donate to those in need of a comfy new pair of jammies this holiday. Get your dancer involved by watching for PJ’s at a good price. All the proceeds and PJ/books collected will be donated right here in Utah. More information to come!
Start bringing in your donations this month! Look for the donation box in our front lobbies. Help us beat last year’s total of 1701 pajamas and 1479 books!
Dec 6-10: PARENT PROGRAMS
Dance classes have begun learning their Holiday dance to show off at our in-class parent program! We’re looking forward to showing off what we’ve been working on in classes so far this year. Dance classes will demonstrate certain milestone skills and a dance. Tumbling classes will demonstrate skills, strength and flexibility! Each dancer can have 1 OR 2 spectators join them for the last 15 minutes of class time. Please mark your calendars and join your child for this extra special end-of-class presentation!
FOR PARENTS OF SCHOOL AGED TUMBLING STUDENTS| Wall Sit – Back/Bridge
We want you to join us in our monthly strength and stretch challenge! Each month we have a new challenge we are working on. You can print it out and track your progress at home. In the last week of the month, we will “test” our students in class and see if they can meet the goals for their age!
CLICK HERE for this Month’s Challenge
FOR PARENTS OF PRESCHOOL DANCERS
We are excited to have a new section each month just for preschool dancers! This month our theme is “E I E I O“. We will be singing and dancing to fun barn animal songs while working on our routine for the holiday show. We encourage you to get involved and have them practice their skills at home! This month we are focusing on marching and port de bra arms!
HIP HOP CLASSES- SHOE POLICY
With winter weather approaching, we need to remind you that we CANNOT have wet, salty, muddy shoes stepping onto our dance floor. Please carry your hip hop shoes into the studio and change into them before you enter the classroom. You will be asked to dance with no shoes if you don’t have a dry pair! Thank you!
THE CONCERT: WHAT IS IT AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
You’ve heard us talking about it. You’ve seen it mentioned on our website and in our emails. You know there’s a lot of excitement around it… but what exactly IS the recital? Find out more HERE.
JUNE CONCERT – JUNE 18, 2022: A big part of dance training includes learning through performance! Our June Recital offers our students a professionally directed performance that allows them to present to their families and friends the results of a year’s hard work, dedication, and progress. The Parent Guide includes all performance details.
All families need to submit the consent forms on the first of year WAIVER to participate in recital. If you already submitted the waiver and need to consent to concert, you can fill out the consent HERE. All concert consents are due by Dec 15th.
ONLINE CALENDAR!
We have a calendar on the website! Please refer to it for Holiday closures and studio events. If you use Google Calendar you can copy studio events directly into your calendar by clicking on the “add google calendar” in the bottom right corner of the calendar. https://studio56dance.com/portal/
TEXT REMINDERS
Stay up to date on current events! Reminder texts are sent out for closures and special events. Please make sure the primary phone number listed on your account is one that can receive texts.
ONLINE PARENT PORTAL
The account you created online can be updated at any time. Log in on the website to update contact and billing information, register for new classes, and make payments. You can also reset your password at any time. https://studio56dance.com/portal/
BALLET WEST NUTCRACKER: It is a studio tradition to go to Ballet West’s Nutcracker at Capitol Theater every year! We have a dancer casted as a buffoon in the production this year! Our studio Nutcracker Night Out will be December 17 at 7pm. Tickets can be purchased HERE ages 6+. Can’t make the show that night, Sophia will be performing Dec 17-21 if another showtime works better.
