Edge Performing Arts’ goal is for at least 30% of our student base to receive a scholarship to our program. Scholarships are available annually, and are at the discretion of EPA directors, faculty and advisors. Any dancer who attends Edge Performing Arts on a Scholarship basis (partial, half or full scholarship) must commit to attending regularly for the entire season, as well as participating in the year end performance. Any dancer on scholarship who does not fulfill these requirements will be responsible for paying the full published tuition rate for their classes attended, with a three month minimum fee due. For additional scholarship info, or questions about how to apply for a scholarship, please email NCedgeperformingarts@gmail.com.

EPA will offer half hour “Private” instruction with many of our staff members, and some guest artists for an additional fee per half hour. Private instruction may be scheduled on a regular schedule (weekly or bi-weekly), or may be scheduled – as available – on an “as needed” basis. All Private instruction must be scheduled through EPA at NCedgeperformingarts@gmail.com. EPA students and the parent/guardian may not contact an EPA instructor directly to schedule Private instruction, and may not schedule Private instruction with one of our staff members, instructors, teachers, or guest artists away from the EPA facility.

If class needs to be canceled due to inclement weather, EPA will post it on our website, as well as the local WXII television station. You can even go to the WXII website and sign up for email or text alerts anytime we notify them of an EPA closing or delay. Please note that classes are not necessarily canceled when area public schools are closed. EPA is not responsible for classes canceled as a result of extreme weather conditions or other circumstances outside the school’s control.

There are no make-up classes offered if a student has to miss a scheduled class.

Edge Performing Arts has cameras in the classrooms and television monitors in the lobby. These will be turned on the first week of each month. Just as you may not realize how much taller your child has grown (until they’ve grown out of all of their new clothes!) because you see them every day, you may not realize how much progress your dancer is making if you were to watch them every week. For this reason, the cameras are only turned on once a month.

In an effort to minimize distraction for our students and allow our faculty to do the best job possible in the training of your child, we do not allow parents inside the classrooms to observe. Please refrain from observing class through doorways. Our goal is to keep your child focused so that they can maximize their class experience and continue to progress effectively through the required syllabus.

We sincerely appreciate your interest in your child’s dance classes. We hope to demonstrate to you the progress your child is making with the guidance of his/her instructor. Thank you for helping us to make this an enjoyable and informative experience for all the students, teachers and parents.

When you do have an opportunity to observe class, please be encouraging to your dancer and praise their hard work, commitment and progress.

It is both appropriate and often necessary for dance students to remain in the same class level for multiple years before continuing to the next level. Unlike academic studies where a student progresses a grade level each year, in dance training it is quite normal to spend several years in one level in order to properly assimilate all the necessary material.

The training of a dancer is based on the consistent repetition of movements. Every dancer develops at his/her own pace. As such some dancers will demonstrate a stronger understanding of the material sooner than others. Especially in younger children, understanding of both vocabulary and the movement can only be accomplished when the physical body has gained more coordination and has grown strong enough to handle more complicated movement. Ballet requires a lot of repetitive movement to properly train the mind and body.

Edge Performing Arts is conservative about the age at which a female student may begin training on pointe. Many students are strong enough physically and advanced enough technically to begin pointe work at age eleven. Most of our dancers will take a pre-pointe class prior to beginning pointe work in order to build strength and technique. It can be dangerous to start a student on pointe too early in the process of training. The student must have a thorough understanding of proper body alignment, as well as ankle, foot, leg and abdominal strength to prevent injury or the development of chronic conditions, such as tendonitis. A student who begins pointe work too early may also develop bad habits in an effort to stand on pointe when they are not strong enough to do so properly. There is no urgency to begin pointe work at an early age, as a well-trained dancer easily acclimates to pointe shoes. Students who start pointe work too early are often discouraged by the difficulty of proper execution which they did not anticipate. It is much wiser to wait until the appropriate time when the student is physically ready and can achieve the anticipated results. For these reasons, EPA errs on the side of caution when deciding the appropriate time to place a student on pointe. Please respect these decisions as what we feel is best for the overall health, safety, and training of our dancers.

We hope this information will enable parents and students to better understand the actual “time line” of development in a dancer’s training and that there is nothing unusual about the gradual advancement from level to level.

Student enrolled at EPA will receive a progress report in December and an end-of-year written evaluation at the end of the dance year which will be based on input from all of their instructors.

Parents are welcome to schedule a conference with the Program Director if questions or the need arises. Questions or appointment requests should be communicated via email (NCedgeperformingarts@gmail.com). Please understand that prior to teaching class our faculty members are focused on the class ahead and after class they are often on their way to their next class. Thank you for your consideration of their time.

Students are expected to act in a respectful manor while at EPA or any related activity. Students responsible for disorderly conduct, violating any school policy, insubordination, disruption of class, or violating any of the classroom teacher’s rules, will be subject to the following consequences:

1st offense: The student will receive a verbal warning.

2nd offense: The student will be asked to sit out of class, and a written warning may be sent to the parent/guardian.

3rd offense: The student may be moved to a different level within the program or dismissed from the program entirely, depending on the severity of the offenses.

Depending on the severity of the offense, Edge Performing Arts Staff reserves the right to dismiss a student from the program at any time during the dance year.

EPA is an advanced ballet and performing arts program for dancers who are driven to excel. In order to achieve the skill level desired, students should understand the necessary level of focus and concentration that will be required of them prior to attending class. Students will be encouraged to learn dance technique primarily through observation and execution. Unnecessary talking during class is discouraged. Students who are disruptive to the class will be asked to observe class so that others may continue their work. If disruption continues, the EPA staff will contact the parent/guardian to address the issues.

Students are expected to do the following:

– Line up in the hallway when it is time for class. When given permission, the students should enter the studio quickly and quietly.

– If a student must enter late, she/he must wait in the doorway until acknowledged by the teacher, at which time the dancer should ask for permission to enter the studio.

– Treat everyone with the utmost respect at all times.

– Only one student at a time will be allowed to the leave the studio to use the restroom.

– If a student needs to sit down during class for any reason (not feeling well, injury), they will not be permitted to rejoin the class until the following week. For example, if a dancer must sit down during ballet class due to illness, they will have to watch the remainder of that class and will only be permitted to observe their other classes. Dancers who are observing due to injury will be required to take notes during their classes which they will turn in to their instructor.

– Keep a dance journal—a notebook in which to write corrections, combinations and goals. This is a great learning tool! We recommend time before class is spent reviewing these journals, not playing on phones!

– Thank the teacher at the end of class.

We recommend that all students purchase Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet. It is a wonderful resource and is available on Amazon.com for $5.95. (https://www.amazon.com/Technical-Manual-Dictionary-ClassicalBallet/dp/0486218430/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1503067625&sr=8-1&keywords=ballet+dictionary)

Students at EPA are required to wear appropriate attire for all classes. The dress code is as follows:

Ladies: Black leotard, convertible pink tights, pink ballet slippers (leather preferred) or pointe shoes. A black or pink ballet skirt may be worn for pointe. Dancers may wear jazz shoes or foot thongs for any non-ballet class. Dancers may wear black shorts for any non-ballet classes.

Gentleman: A white or black t-shirt, black tights or black shorts (cut above the knee), a dance belt, black socks and black ballet slippers (leather preferred). Dancers may wear jazz shoes or foot thongs for any non-ballet class.

Hair must be secured out of the face at all times in a neat bun or similar style. Floppy/messy buns are not acceptable. Small, non-dangling earrings may be worn. No other jewelry is allowed (including long earrings, bracelets, necklaces and watches) as they can be dangerous. Dancers should never wear dance shoes outside of the studio, as this tracks dirt into the studio and is detrimental to the marley floors, as well as dangerous for the students. All dress code requirements are mandatory in every class and rehearsal for level at EPA. Parents are responsible for making sure their dancer meets proper dress code when dropping them off for class.

EPA Staff will communicate with dancers and parents primarily through email, the Members Page, our website (www.edgeperformingarts.net) and the bulletin board located in the main lobby. We ask that parents check these regularly to stay well-informed. Be sure to list your email address clearly on your registration form so that we can keep you informed about all that goes on during the year. Parents and dancers are not allowed to contact instructors via personal means (phone, email, text, etc.) unless the instructor contacts them first. Parents may contact the school or program director at any time with questions or concerns.

Consistent attendance is vital in maintaining a student’s mastery of dance technique – especially when new skills are involved. Consistent weekly training is necessary to establish strength and muscle memory. Classical ballet training is a highly specialized technique that requires excellent instruction by a knowledgeable teacher and committed attendance by the student in order to achieve the desired results.

Students are asked to attend all classes and rehearsals to which they are assigned. To minimize absences, parents are urged to take into consideration classes and rehearsals when scheduling their children for appointments and when planning family vacations and events. Any absence due to a dance related event (workshop, convention, competition, performance, or audition) will be an excused absence.

If a student must miss a class, the director of EPA must be notified prior to the absence via email (NCEdgePerformingArts@gmail.com) or by calling the front desk at 336-245-0450.

If a student has excessive absences the student/parent will be notified in writing of the concern. After the written warning, dancers may be moved down a level if necessary. If absences continue, the dancer may be asked to leave the program.

Classes begin the week after Labor Day, and conclude with an end-of–year performance. An allowance for scheduled holiday breaks as noted on our Calendar is built into our schedule, as well as one cancellation due to outside or unforeseen circumstances (snow, etc.). If classes are cancelled beyond that, EPA will schedule make-up classes. Acceptance into the EPA program, as well as level placement, is made at the discretion of EPA director and faculty in keeping with what is in the best interest of the program.

As with any physical activity, there are certain inherent risks associated with dancing. Edge Performing Arts and its employees, representatives, instructors, subcontractors, guest artists, or affiliates are not responsible for loss, accident, or injury of any kind.

Dancers who enter the Edge Performing Arts program commit to the program for the entire dance year (September through May). There is an annual enrollment fee of $20 for each student. Parents have two options for tuition payments.

#1 – Set up nine equal monthly automatic payments with a Visa, MasterCard, or checking account.

• Payment will be charged/drafted automatically between the first and tenth of each month, September through May.

• A fee of $25 will apply to any automatic Visa/MasterCard payment that is declined or check that is returned. Please contact EPA immediately if your credit card number or expiration changes. In the event this happens, a student will not be allowed to participate in classes until the payment issue has been resolved.

• No portion of tuition will be refunded in the event of absence, injury, relocation, decision to withdraw, or dismissal from the school. Future monthly payments may only be cancelled upon 30-day written notice of withdrawal from the school with extenuating circumstances (example: moving out of state, a prolonged injury with a doctor’s note). Discontinuation exceptions and cancellations are approved at the discretion of EPA Directors.

#2 – Pay the total annual tuition up front (this option receives a discount on the annual tuition).

• Tuition for the dance year paid in full within ten days of registration/acceptance.

• No portion of annual tuition will be refunded in the event of absence, injury, relocation, decision to withdraw, or dismissal from the School.

There is a $25 fee on any returned check or declined Visa/MasterCard monthly transaction. Students will not be allowed to participate in classes if tuition has not been paid. Our teachers will aid in enforcing this policy.

A sibling discount of 5% applies to the monthly tuition rate for siblings who live in the same house, registering at the same time.

Tuition paid to the school is non-refundable. There are no tuition credits. EPA is designed as a full seasonal program for dancers to get the maximum benefit.

Dancers who have graduated from high school and who have been with the program for two consecutive years may take classes at the highest level offered free of charge for one year after high school graduation (not including Master Classes with a separate fee). EPA offers this unique opportunity to our dancers so that they may pursue their dance ambitions and in order for them to prepare themselves for auditions for professional work or college programs. This allows our dancers to continue their dance training while choosing the right path for their future.

Students are expected to arrive at the school on time for the start of their classes. In the interest of injury prevention, students who arrive ten or more minutes late for class will be asked to observe class that day. Please show respect to your teachers and fellow students by arriving on time for your classes.