For the second half of the Regular Season, our studio enters the Choreography Phase in most of our group classes. In order for all students to be ink the same page as the instructors with what to expect for this part of the year, please read the following statements carefully.
What to Expect of Choreography Phase
There are two major components to the Choreography Phase of the season:
Choreography Creation
This is the first component, and involves the part where the teacher creates choreography and gives it to the students each week. Classes will start with a short warm-up and a little bit of review from last week’s class. Then the rest of the class will consist of giving new choreography and adding onto the piece. This component will continue until the piece is complete, hopefully a month or two before performance.
Choreography Cleaning
This is the second component, and occurs after the choreography is completed. Once the piece is finished, the teacher has to go back through the entire dance and clarify details, drill repetition for strength and togetherness, and fine tune the style and emotion of the piece. This is different than reviewing. Students should not expect to wait until cleaning to learn parts of the dance they missed. The piece will be cleaned and rehearsed until it is ready to be performed.
Our Expectations of Students
Attendance
Students are expected to maintain regular attendance through the entire choreography period, until the end of the final show. Teachers understand that there are unavoidable circumstances that will affect students’ attendance, and we are sympathetic to that. However, if the teacher notices a continued pattern of absence that is concerning them, they will start a conversation with the student about how we can support more consistent attendance.
Communicating Absences
If students are going to miss class, or be late to class, they are expected to communicate by posting a message in the relevant Band group or groups. Do not send a text or email to DAS, do not send a direct message through Band to the teacher or assistant or to Caelia. Any of these messages are hard to trace in the moment and can be easily missed. A post in the Band group is easily seen by the whole group. Students do not need to disclose why they are missing or late.
Keeping Up with Classwork
Students are expected to put in enough work as to remember the choreography given in class and/or any clarifications or changes that occur during cleaning, and to come prepared with the knowledge for each following class. Class videos are posted each week to help students review the work on their own or with others.
Reviewing Missed Classwork
While absences will occur, students are expected to put in the effort to review what they missed without the teacher’s help before the next class. This can be done on their own by reviewing the choreography videos posted in Band, or with other classmates by arranging a time to get together, either with a studio rental, or shortly before class.
Appropriate Dance Attire
Students are expected to train for choreography in the appropriate attire decided on for each class. This may include, but is not limited to: footwear, tights/bodysuit, and hair styles. The attire worn by a dancer can affect their movement and it is important for the teacher to see how choreography will look and feel with the appropriate attire.
Extra Practice & Rehearsals
Sometimes extra rehearsals are needed to adequately prepare students in time for a performance. Students are expected to be willing to schedule their own extra practices by themselves or with class mates by booking studio time if they find they need extra time to work on the choreography. Students are also expected to be willing and available to attend extra rehearsals scheduled by the teacher if they deem it necessary. Studio rental is charged at $22.50/hour for Grey Area or $30.00/hour for the Green Room, and may be split amongst students. Extra rehearsals called by the teacher will be charged at $25/person for one hour of rehearsal.
Respecting Teachers & Fellow Students
The creation of a group piece is a vulnerable process for student and teacher alike. Students are expected to show respect to both their fellow classmates and to teachers throughout all sessions. This can include, but is not limited to, respecting the following: choreographical choices and style, spacing and positions of students, costume choices, teacher pauses or re-dos, other students’ learning processes. Challenging choreographical choices and correcting other students during class time in any part of the year is not appropriate. If students have any concerns, they are expected to bring it up privately to the teacher after class, or send a message via Band to the teacher in question, or send an email directly to caelia@dancealivestudios.com, tyneal@dancealivestudios.com, or kersten@dancealivestudios.com. For more details, please refer to our DAS Class Code of Conduct.
Our Boundaries with Students
While this is a passion for every teacher at Dance Alive Studios, please keep in mind that we are all just human beings with our own full lives including full time jobs outside of the studio. Teachers are doing their best right now to come prepared and ready for class each week, as we extend the same courtesy and respect to our students, knowing they have lives outside of dance. As such, we have the following specific items outlined to help us keep work at work:
Review During Class Time
Teachers are expecting to spend approximately 10 minutes of class reviewing what occurred the previous week. If there is substantially more time in class taken up reviewing, then the timeline for choreography completion is delayed. See Our Expectations of Students above for how to keep up with classwork from week to week.
Filming Choreography & Extra Resources
Teachers plan to film any new choreography given at the end of each class, and may film pieces as they are cleaned as well. Any extra filming of specific parts for specific students will be filmed at the discretion of the teacher during class time. If students request any extra resources from the teacher outside of what is taught and filmed during class, then teachers will charge the private session rate of $75/hour for their time.
Scheduling Extra Sessions
Unless specifically requested and organized by the teacher, students wishing to book extra practice for themselves or private sessions with a teacher are not the responsibility of the teacher. Students must give teachers ample time to respond to messages (up to one week, depending on the time of year) and be prepared to work around the teacher’s complicated schedules. This is why it is best practice to try and attend group class as consistently as possible.
Contacting Teachers
We encourage students to reach out with any questions or concerns they have at the studio! However, please only contact teachers through the Band app direct message, or send an email to caelia@dancealivestudios.com, tyneal@dancealivestudios.com, or kersten@dancealivestudios.com. You may also text or call the Caelia through the studio number at 306-914-5565, but it is preferable to communicate with the teacher you have directly.
Resolving Conflict
Naturally, even though we are all well-intentioned and doing our best, there are inevitable issues that arise. In anticipation of this, we have developed the following process to help facilitate a safe and supportive resolution for all involved:
- If there is an issue in class that the teacher does not have time to address in person on the evening in question, a written message will be sent to the student from the teacher via email, opening up a conversation about the event. This conversation can continue via email, Band chat, or at a scheduled time over the phone, Zoom, or in-person.
- If the incident occurs again or a resolution cannot be found after the first message, then a second message will be sent, requiring a conversation between the teacher and student over Zoom or in-person.
- If the issue still is not resolved, then a third message will be sent with a requirement to include Caelia in the conversation. At this point, if a satisfying resolution cannot be met, the student may be asked to leave the class.
It is our sincerest wish that all issues that arise in the studio can be handled with respect, compassion, and understanding on both sides. In order to keep the space safe for all users, this process must be in place and will be followed as needed with the deepest intent to find a mututally beneficial resolution. A few more notes about conflict in the studio:
Conflicts Between Students
Any conflicts between students in class will remain private between the students. However, if the teacher sees any issues arise that are affecting the class, or if the student brings something to the teacher’s attention about another student’s behaviour, then the conflict will be addressed with the 3 steps outlined above.
Verbal, Emotional, Physical Abuse
Any form of abuse to the teacher or other students will not be tolerated in our studio. Any person performing abusive behaviour will be asked to leave the premises immediately.
Thank you for taking the time to read our Group Choreography Policies. We know that having everyone on the same page will allow us to move forward as a team in the most efficient and enjoyable way possible!