Youth Program Handbook
Our handbook is a helpful guide for all of the information you should need as a parent or youth student
at DCS. We also outline our policies for tuition, attendance and attire. If you have any questions that are
not answered, please reach out to us via email.
Our Philosophy - DANCE CONSERVATORY Seattle is a center for dance in Seattle offering classical dance technical training in an open minded and all-inclusive space. We embrace all bodies, identities, and cultures. We are committed to nurturing current and future generations of dancers, artists, and choreographers within a supportive and respectful environment.
Registration – Each Fall, registration is open to all new and returning students. The school year season typically starts in September and culminates with a final performance at the end of the school year in June. New Students are welcome to join anytime and class rates will be prorated based on the time you sign up. Once enrolled, most of our classes are set up on a recurring enrollment, which means enrollment is for the entire school year season. (We do have some classes that are set up on a session basis, such as Toddler/Parent classes). Students are automatically re-enrolled in the same classes for each Session throughout the school season, upon the session start dates or payment due dates. If you have chosen a credit card for your payment option, you will be on autopay for your tuition and your card on file will be charged for the next payment on each of the payment dates listed in your class registration information. If you wish to set up payment arrangements, please use the payment plan option in the registration section. You will be given additional information to continue with payment plan arrangements upon each payment due date. If you choose to withdraw your child from a class, or transfer to a different class, you must provide written notice (email is preferred) 2 weeks before ~the next payment due date~ to avoid being re-enrolled. Payment options are credit card online or exact cash or check. You can sign up online or over the phone. There is a $20 registration fee per school season for each youth student. This non-refundable fee is due at the time of registration. For families registering multiple students, please see our sibling discounts of 5%, 7%, 9% off for 1, 2 or 3 siblings. Summer Session is entirely separate & you can register when it is open. Summer session does not require a registration fee.
Financial Assistance - If you are in need of financial assistance, we offer tuition assistance to qualifying families through our Raymond C. Montoya Sponsor A Student Program. Please reach out to us at info.dancecs@gmail.com for more information on applying.
Tuition - Tuition is calculated by the number of classes each dancer is registered for at a rate of $15.00 per 50 minute & hour long class and $20.00 for a 1.5 hour long class for the days of the school season for when classes are held. Holidays and dates when classes are not held are already taken into consideration and you are not paying for those dates. Administrative fees cover the costs of merchant service processing. Families who wish to pay in full for the school year may do so and a pre-pay discount may apply. Please email for information on prepayment. Auto-pay tuition accounts will be automatically charged tuition on the payment due date listed in your class information. Students will be auto-enrolled in their current classes for the next session throughout the school year. If you wish to change your student's enrollment, you must notify us in writing 2 weeks prior to your next payment due date to avoid being charged for classes you wish to transfer or drop. Any cash or check payments made at the studio must be in an envelope with the student’s name and specific details about what the payment is for. Any communications surrounding tuition and payment should be made by email or text and not in person, before or after class time, as this interferes with the Instructor’s ability to start class on time.
Please direct all communications regarding tuition to the Managing Director.
Credits/Refunds – All tuition is non-refundable, except in the specific cases. Under certain circumstances, tuition may be transferred to a credit on the family’s account for future use.
Minimum Enrollment - Youth classes are subject to minimum enrollment. In the event that your class does not meet the minimum enrollment, we will attempt to find a suitable class for you. If your schedule does not allow for a change, you will be refunded for the remaining classes you have already paid for.
Attendance/Make-up Classes – If a class is missed, you may make up the class in a similar class, with a valid reason for the missed class. (Example: illness, injury, out of town, emergency situation.) To request a make-up class, you will need prior approval. Please contact the Managing Director via email info.dancecs@gmail.com or by text 206-970-9510 to arrange ahead of time. We only allow classes to be made up with prior approval by the Instructor & Managing Director. If your child must miss class, we ask that you contact us as soon as you are aware of the date to be missed. Based on the reason for the absence, we will determine if the absence will be considered excused or unexcused. If you do not contact us prior to the absence, it will automatically be considered “unexcused”. We will track attendance throughout the season and multiple (4) unexcused absences will result in dismissal from any performance opportunities or, in the worst case scenario, dismissal from the class or the program. Absences have a negative impact on the class as a whole and on any rehearsal processes for a performance. Please text the studio number 206-970-9510 for any tardy situations for your child prior to the start of class.
Students and Performances: Attendance Requirements – Our attendance policy for performances asks that dancers miss no more than four (4) classes or rehearsals in order to be eligible for any DCS Performance. If more than four classes or rehearsals are missed, the dancer will be removed from the performance choreography and no refund will be given. Dress/Tech rehearsal is also mandatory in order to perform. This policy ensures the safety of our dancers and that pieces are properly rehearsed in time for the performance. You will be provided with a separate performance agreement with more details & specific information on performance & costume fees.
Appropriate Class or Level Placement – If you have any questions about which class your child should attend, please reach out to the Managing Director. Students are placed in each class according to age, ability level, attention span, and effort. If a student attends class and the Instructor feels a different class may be a more suitable level or style, you will be contacted and provided with additional information and options. Placement consideration is done carefully by Instructors and is overseen by the Artistic Directors who wish each student to be supported and challenged in their level and classes.
Photos/Videos – DCS maintains the right to take photos and/or videos of its dancers or guests. The photographs and videos are intended for marketing and promoting us on our website and social media. To request that no public photos be used of your dancer, please log in to your account by visiting www.hisawyer.com and select: I choose not to have my/my child's photo used. In order to participate in our performances, you will need to provide authorization for DCS to use photos and videos of your child during the rehearsals and performances, as it is too difficult to exclude single dancers. There will be a separate performance agreement for participation in performances. Photographs and videos of classes by parents, family or friends are STRICTLY PROHIBITED and only allowed with Instructor’s approval and all parent’s approval of the students in class.
Parent Watch Day/Observing Class – Parents, friends, and family are invited into the studio (studio #1 or #2) to watch class on designated “Parent Watch Days”. Your instructor will let you know when these will happen. At all other times, we kindly request that you respect all student’s learning environment and not disrupt any classes by entering the studio spaces, unless you need to use the restroom. There are exceptions to this rule, as Toddler/Parent class requires adult participation. Guests are allowed to observe class in studio #1 through the observation room in the lobby as long as it is not disruptive to the class.
Children Leaving the Classroom/Restroom Breaks – For dancers in our Toddler/Parent, Creative Movement & Pre-Ballet, we ask that you take them to the bathroom and wash hands before class begins to avoid interruption of dance time. If the dancer needs to use the bathroom during class, please have your child always ask the teacher & the teacher will provide permission at the appropriate time. All students enrolled in Creative Movement and Pre-Ballet must be able to use the bathroom on their own. Toddler/Parent class is set up so the parent can take their child to the restroom. The bathroom area is located in close proximity to the studio area and Instructors will monitor the return of students to the classroom. We do not allow young students to leave the classroom area unattended to return to the lobby, so please have them bring their water bottles and any warm up clothes or items they will need during class with them to the class.
Drop-off/Pick-up/Parking – We have ample parking in our lot, however there are times when the lot may be full. There is residential street parking in our neighborhood if our lot is full. Please drive cautiously in our parking lot and be considerate of small children and dogs in the parking lot. There are three reserved parking slots on the NE corner of our parking lot marked “reserved”. Please leave these spots available for Instructors & DCS Directors & staff so they can be on time for classes & meetings. Parents and guardians are responsible for dropping off and picking up students on time and students who are minors must be accompanied by an adult when leaving their class or rehearsal. Please notify your child’s Instructor, by text or email: info.dancecs@gmail.com if a different adult will be picking them up. Please be on time to pick up your child. You will be charged $10.00 for each 15 minutes after class for additional child care if your child is not picked up at the end time of their class to compensate the instructor for their time. Please text the studio number if you will be late to pick up your child. 206-970-9510. Thank you.
Closures – DCS follows the Seattle Public Schools schedule. Please see our website for our full school year schedule with holidays and closure dates. If Seattle Public Schools are closed for inclement weather or emergency, then DCS may be closed the same day. For a late start day and non-school days (Saturday), we will assess the safety of opening the studio and post our decision to social media and you may also receive an email or text for your specific class with closure information. If you ever have a question about if your child’s class is happening, please text the studio. 206-970-9510
Communication – DCS uses email to communicate most information as our primary way to communicate with you. We can text for urgent situations and we encourage you to text us if you need to communicate immediately. Some announcements may also be made on Social Media (Facebook and Instagram) and our Website. If you are not receiving communications via email, please contact us so that we may update your information. We may be able to take a phone call, depending on the time of day and we can schedule a telephone call to discuss any information that you have questions about.
General Rules – Refrain from any chewing of gum or eating food during class. Please do not touch the mirrors. Please do not wear street shoes on the marley floors. Water bottles are allowed in the dance studios. Refrain from using your cell phone or technology during class time, unless in case of emergency. Please have all devices silenced during class time. Children’s shoes and bags should remain in the dressing room areas in the shelves provided. Teens may bring dance bags and valuables into the studio during class time, as long as they are stored away from the dance floor.
Code of Conduct – Our entire community at DCS plays a role in maintaining a supportive learning environment. Students, families, and Instructors at DCS are expected to conduct themselves with kindness, respect, and integrity. It is imperative that instructors and students maintain respect at all times with each other and fellow students for a positive learning environment. Violence of any kind is not tolerated and DCS is a weapon-free environment. Verbal abuse, offensive racial or demeaning speech or obscene gestures or clothing will not be tolerated. All students and families are expected to show good will toward fellow students, staff, faculty, and DCS community members both in person and on social media. Negative references—direct or indirect—on social media to DCS students, staff, faculty, studio, or brand will be viewed as a violation of this Code of Conduct. Violations of this Code of Conduct could result in a student’s loss of privileges or removal from the class or program.
Student Removal from Studio Activities – DCS reserves the right to discontinue a student’s participation in class if the student’s behavior becomes a distraction for the instructor and/or other students. In this instance, we will make every effort to work with the student, in cooperation with the parents to resolve any behavioral issues. DCS also reserves the right to discontinue a student’s participation in class or any other related studio activities if we determine that the student’s parent or guardian has treated staff, instructors, other students, or other parents in a rude, threatening, demeaning way or in any other manner it deems unacceptable in light of our Code of Conduct for our community. In both cases, the family would be refunded for the remaining number of classes on a prorated basis, less the non-refundable registration fee.
Dress Code
For Creative Movement and Toddler/Parent Classes- students are expected to wear close-fitting, comfortable, and stretchy clothing that they can move in safely. Socks, ballet shoes or barefoot are acceptable. Please limit clothes with large buttons or zippers, as we may be rolling around on the floor. Large accessories are discouraged as they can be dangerous. Long hair should be secured back in a ponytail or bun and off the dancer's face in hair clips.
For Pre-Ballet- students are expected to wear a solid color leotard, pink or skin tone tights and either canvas or leather ballet shoes. Large accessories are discouraged as they can be dangerous. Long hair should be secured back in a ponytail or bun and off the dancer's face in hair clips. Dancers in this level can wear a leotard with an attached skirt. Warmups such as a sweater, light jacket or sweatshirt are permitted in cooler temperatures.
For Jazz classes - students are expected to wear close-fitting, comfortable, and stretchy clothing that they can move in safely, such as jazz or yoga pants, sweats or dance shorts and t-shirts or tank tops. Dangling jewelry and accessories are discouraged as they can be dangerous. Attire should be respectful, please no jeans or crop tops. Large accessories are discouraged as they can be dangerous. Long hair should be secured back in a ponytail or bun and off the dancer's face in hair clips. Black or tan jazz shoes are expected for this class.
For Modern/Contemporary classes - students are expected to wear close-fitting, comfortable, and stretchy clothing that they can move in safely, such as jazz or yoga pants, sweats or dance shorts and t-shirts or tank tops. Dangling jewelry and accessories are discouraged as they can be dangerous. Attire should be respectful, please no jeans or crop tops. Long hair should be secured back in a ponytail and off the dancer's face in hair clips. Bare feet, contemporary shoes or jazz shoes are expected for this class.
For Ballet classes-students are expected to wear appropriate ballet attire. For our trans and nonbinary dancers, please choose the uniform or combination of uniforms that you feel is the best fit for you. Female identifying dancers are expected to wear a solid color leotard, pink or skin tone tights that match as closely to the student's natural skin tone as possible. Male identifying dancers are expected to wear a close fitting, solid colored shirt with black or navy tights/leggings, a dance belt (older males). Long hair should be secured back from the face for all dancers. For females with long hair, a bun or French twist is expected. Shoes for female dancers: pink or skin tone ballet shoes and/or pointe shoes to match as closely to the student's natural skin tone as possible. Shoes for male identifying dancers: Black ballet shoes.
For Pointe/ Variations: Dancers may wear a coordinating ballet skirt for pointe or variations class.
For first time dancers, here are some resources for dance attire and shoes:
Locally:
Dancewear Center in Renton
www.dancewearcenter.net
On Pointe in Bellevue
www.onpointebellevue.com
Online:
www.discountdance.com Use Teacher code 28161 for Pre-Ballet attire recommendations
www.dancewearsolutions.com