GDC Competition Team Policies

2019-2020 Season Company

Being a Company dancer is a prestigious and coveted position; it is a privilege that requires hours of hard work and most importantly dedication and commitment.

I would like to thank you parents in advance for your cooperation in working with us in our company
program. Without the commitment and dedication of the parents we would not have a successful
program. Please help our dancers follow these guidelines to a successful program.

Please note: This information is for our Competition dance team ONLY. If you are looking for any studio policies please see our STUDIO POLICIES page.

ATTENDANCE/TARDIES

* Regular participation and being on time to all required Company classes is extremely important. Being a part of competition team is a big commitment, and the team should be top priority over all other activities for other things such as sports and extra-curricular activites. We understand things come up and are understanding to each situation, if it is not done in an excessive manner. Please call or text Trish if you will be late or missing class, so I can let your teacher know.

* A good attitude is expected at all times.

* Each competition team has a required number of class hours per week (information on required classes is announced when the class schedule for the season has been released), missed classes should be made up within one month of missed class, it is the dancer’s responsibility to make up classes.

* Required Summer Intensives is MANDATORY for all company members.

* Please see the competition contract for more information.

COMPETITION

Students must arrive at competition and be READY to perform/rehearse at least 1 ½ hours prior to their first scheduled routine. If you will be doing hair and makeup at the competition, please allow yourself an appropriate amount of time to be ready 1 ½ hours prior to their first scheduled performance.

Required Company Competition warm ups should be worn during award ceremonies. If you are a new company member you can place your order with Trish. Price sheet and photos are coming soon.

Line Captains will be appointed for each competition for each dance. The line captains will be responsible for receiving the award at competition and they will be responsible for all trophies, plaques, awards to be brought to the studio to display. Line captains are to properly label the award on the bottom.

Example:
Song: “Raggedy Ann”
Place: Platinum and 1st overall high score
Year: 2017

Soloists may keep their awards. Duo and trios may share among participants.

PARTICIPATION FOR ALL COMPANY MEMBERS IS MANDATORY FOR ALL REQUIRED COMPETITIONS, CONVENTIONS, MASTER CLASSES, & RECITAL PERFORMANCES. The schedule for all such events will be in this packet, along with dates, fees and due dates. All performing groups are a team effort and we need all participants of the team to perform at EVERY dance competition on the schedule. NO EXCEPTIONS!

It is the responsibility of the student and parents to be aware of all upcoming competitions and events. All extra practices (if any) for upcoming competitions are always mandatory. Practice times/dates will always be given to you in a timely manner.

Active participation of all individual fundraisers is optional. We will have several fundraisers throughout the year to help offset the financial burden of competition. We understand the financial commitment is great and we want to help you out as much as possible. If any parent would like to help schedule and manage fundraising efforts, please let us know. Please note that ALL funds raised through our fundraising events are non-refundable and must be used for fees within the same dance season that they were raised in.

Deadlines on all forms and fees for competition must be turned in BY THE DEADLINE DATE, any fees not paid within 5 days of the due date will incur a $25 late fee, will be charged to the credit card on file. These fees are due and payable throughout the year, a schedule of due dates has been provided with this packet. You have plenty of notice to plan out for each competition, so please be advised of the deadline dates for each. A reminder email will be sent out 1 week prior to the due date with the amount needed to be paid by each student before each competition. I also have deadlines by each competition to get my paperwork in ON TIME, so your attention to this detail is imperative. THANK YOU.

We will have an appointed TEAM MOM/CAPTAIN for each competition group this year. The team mom/captain will be responsible for your group all season. You will have a list of EVERYTHING your group will need for each dance. Hair, makeup, shoes etc. all the fine tuning details. You will address the team mom/captain with any questions you may have.

FINANCIAL EXPECTATIONS AND COMMITMENTS

Choreography fees: A one-time fee per dancer, per group dance is to be paid to the choreographer of each dance. This includes all choreography, music selection, cutting the music, extra rehearsals, costume design, etc. all done by the choreographer. Choreography fees are determined by the choreographer. Actual fees will be announced before the routine is started, and fees are due the day that the routine is completed. The minimum choreography fees are as follows:
- Solos – a minimum of $400 (payable to the choreographer), studio rental fees are $10 per hour
- Duets – a minimum of $200 per dancer (payable to the choreographer), studio rental fees are $10 per hour
- Trios – a minimum of $175 per dancer (payable to the choreographer), studio rental fees are $10 per hour
- Groups –$150-350 per dancer (based on choreographer chosen for each dance – payable to GDC), studio fees are included in group choreography fees.

Tuition: Monthly class dues, company is an 11-month commitment, so tuition will be due August through June. Please see your company contract for more information. Please note that solos will NOT be entered into a competition if tuition is not paid in full.

Competition/Convention fees throughout the competition year. THIS YEAR: 5 competitions plus 1 convention.

Costumes per dance. These will be worn at every competition and at our year end recital. Our competition costume prices may vary as from $75-$300. Under all circumstances, I try and keep the cost down to the minimum possible. Sometimes this can’t be avoided and a custom costume will have to be made, but a budget will be put in to place. Costume deposits for competition costumes are billed as follows:
- 10/15 - $200 costume deposit due
- 11/26 - $200 costume deposit due
- 1/7 - costume balance due (credits will be applied if costume charges are less than $400)
Make up/Accessories/Shoes: These items may or may not have to be purchased for the competition season. A list of items that will be needed will be handed out for each dance for competition. These items will also be worn all year.

COMMUNICATION

We are here for you, our goal is to provide outstanding service to both our dancers and their families, but in an effort to maintain the highest quality support, we have set a few guidelines when it comes to studio correspondence.

All non-urgent matters should be sent via email to dancin2424@aol.com, this way we can be sure to answer everyone’s questions/concerns/requests in a timely fashion. Billing issues and questions ONLY should be sent to ldamanti@yahoo.com
Phone calls and text messages should be saved for urgent matters.
Please be mindful of the hour when calling or sending text messages, if you need assistance after hours or on Sundays, correspondence should be sent via email.
Lori should only be contact for billing issues/questions or if information was sent out that specifically says to contact her, all correspondence should be in the form of an email and sent to ldamanti@yahoo.com.

Our common goal as both parents and teachers is to nurture these young dancers and help them grow and mature into fine young adults who can and are well prepared to go out and make their mark in the world whether it be in the dance world or the professional business world. We will take pride in having helped them along the way. So, thank you for allowing us the privilege of educating your child in the field of dance.

Thank you,
Trish