Studio Policies
Learn the ins and outs of being a community member at DAU.
Here’s how our studio operates...
Monthly Tuition.
Dance Academy USA runs on an 11-month program from August to June. The monthly tuition rates listed for 2024-2025 reflect the total number of classes attended per week by all members of a single family (family friendly pricing) averaged over the eleven-month period. Monthly tuition is ALWAYS the same (from August through June) regardless of the number of classes in the month. A student will be charged monthly tuition on the 1st of the month. No refunds are available for August 2024 tuition.* For the period of September-2024 through June-2025, there are no refunds for the current month’s tuition after the 1st of each month.
Annual June Recital.
We have a recital at the end of every dance year. All dancers and classes will participate in a minimum of one recital. Recital participation is optional. However, 99% of our dancers do participate and love this opportunity to perform with their classmates on stage! Costumes are ordered in December and will be delivered to the studio in the spring. Parents will receive a lot of information and details regarding recital.
Submitting Payment.
Dance Academy USA accepts online payments through a secure ACH network only. We do not accept cash or checks. You may set up your account/payment through your DAU online account or with one of our friendly Customer Service Representatives. Please be sure to have your checking account information handy when looking to submit payment. Tuition is always due on the 1st day of each month.
Class Observations.
To provide your children with the highest quality of instruction, we need parents to work with us when observing your child’s class. Observers and parents may watch at any time through our viewing windows, as long as it does not disrupt the students or the teacher. Only teachers and students are allowed in the classroom—no parents or visitors please. We ask that there is NO videotaping of our classes. Children, both yours or the other students, can be easily distracted or feel self-conscious with parents recording. In addition, they can become upset or excitable of the phone recording and cause injury to themselves and/or others.
Class Sizes and Attendance.
Class sizes are limited and spots are filled on a first-come basis. All classes begin at the half of every hour. Please plan to arrive to class early with a few minutes to spare. Any students that arrive more than 15 minutes late will have their participation evaluated at the sole discretion of the teacher. This is strictly a safety issue as a student could suffer serious injury if they have not properly stretched.
Dancer Preparedness.
Dancers need to arrive to class dressed properly—hair tied back, shoes, leotard etc. See the DAU dress code for more information. Don’t wear baggy clothes that will prevent the instructor from seeing the body alignment (with the exception of hip hop). It is also mentally important for the dancers to be dressed properly for dance. Just as you would not arrive to swimming class in school clothes, you should not arrive to dance in play clothes. Make sure you bring the proper shoes. Dancers arriving to class in inappropriate or revealing clothing will not be permitted to dance that day.
Dropping a Class.
All requests to drop must be submitted via email to the office BEFORE the 1st of the month. Please note that if a drop notice is not received within the DAU office by the end of the month, you will be billed and responsible for the following month’s non-refundable and non-tranferable tuition on the 1st. Please send a drop notification to officeteam@danceacademyusa.com.
Food.
No food, drinks (besides water), or gum are allowed in the dance studios. Water is always allowed. Every dancer should have a water bottle with them at all times.
Make Up and Missed Classes.
Due to limited classroom space, there are no make-ups, credits, or refunds for missed classes.
Leveling.
Leveling is DAU’s systematic way of ensuring that each dancer receives the best possible dance education. Each year at the end of February, all of our directors and teachers will assess each student in their classes. This assessment determines the levels of classes dancers can take for any given style of dance.
In our leveling system, students begin at Level 1 as beginners and work their way up to more advanced levels. Our system is NOT like grade school where students automatically move up each year. Students move up based on their application & execution of curriculum, performance, and technique in class. We want to ensure each dancer has mastered the skills required in that particular level before moving to the next level. Our kids all spend anywhere from 2 - 3 years in one level before moving up.
Many of our students remain at a particular level for several years receiving the best education and training to help them gain confidence in skills and learn in a safe and progressive path. Directors and teachers thoroughly consider each student’s progress when dancers are placed in levels. There is no re-leveling based on the opinions of parents or students.
Here are general guidelines to follow about leveling if you are new to the studio and selecting a class:
Level 1 - No experience up to two years' experience.
Level 1B - Has had one to two years' experience in a particular discipline of dance and knows basic terminology.
Level 1C - Two to four years' experience in a particular discipline, knows terminology, and is working on mastering basic technique.
Level 2 - Three to five years' experience in a particular discipline, has mastered basic techniques, and is working towards more advanced skills.
Level 3 - Five to six years' experience in a particular discipline, has mastered basic techniques, and has a solid base of advanced skills to continue to more difficult skills.
Level 4 - Six or more years' experience in a particular discipline, has mastered a high-level of basic and advanced skills to take their dancing to a top-notch level.
Privacy Policy.
Dance Academy USA receives and stores personal information (stored in a secure operating system) which we use in an effort to provide you the best possible customer service and to keep you fully informed about the DAU community. It is very important that you provide us with an email address that you check frequently. We also may use your e-mail address and/or other methods to send you newsletters, as well as messages about DAU special offers, promotions, emergency procedures, announcements, consumer surveys, and other correspondences. Dance Academy USA is committed to ensuring the security of your personal information and will not sell or transfer such information.