No Limits Dance Studio

TWO Convenient
Locations:

Avondale / Ortega
Phone (904) 388-8952

Argyle / Oakleaf
Phone (904) 317-8952

Company Member Guestbook

Student Calendar

Mandatory Schedule of Events/Performances

Summer Training Requirements

Attendance

Company Roster

Company Team Contract

Nationals Info.

Minutes from Company Parents Meetings

June 2008 Minutes

Team

A group organized to work together to achieve the same goals.

Our Mission:

Our mission is to offer additional dance training in all disciplines of dance. Students will be exposed to opportunities that will enhance their dance knowledge and training. There will be plenty of opportunities for students to perform dance as an art form. The faculty at No Limits Dance Studio will nurture dancers in a positive structured environment.

No Limits Dance Studio Company Goals and Purpose:
The main goal of the No Limits Dance “Company” is to give dancers who want to take dance to the next level to receive adequate technical training and opportunities to perform their art. We will achieve these goals by requiring each student train in a wide range of dance classes, participate in many different performance venues, attend workshops and maintain a sincere love and passion for dance in all of its forms.

No Limits Faculty Mission and Purpose:
The faculty at No Limits Dance Studio understands that each student is unique. Students have different learning styles and progress on different timelines. Our faculty is committed to understanding these differences and helping each student regardless of learning style. Additionally, some students are born with certain physical or anatomical body characteristics, such as turn-out, hyper mobility in joints, musicality, etc. that make their dance progression quicker than other dancers. While these characteristics are certainly a bonus, they do not automatically make one dancer better than another. Our wish for all of our students is for them to be able to affect an audience emotionally through their dancing. As teachers we are here to pass on our love for dance to your children and your family. All we require from our students is a genuine love for dance and a commitment to the Company. All that we require of the parents is to trust in our abilities as teachers and support our vision for your children.

What is a Convention?
Dance Conventions are weekend events where master teachers from across the nation hold classes. Conventions are wonderful for dancers of all ages. Not only do they get to meet dancers from other studios, they also get to see great professional dancers, at the top of their field, perform and teach. These master teachers inspire dancers as well as give them great role models. Dancers will have classes in ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, acrobatics, lyrical, musical theatre as well as an opportunity to audition for various scholarships. Conventions can also include a competition where the master teachers comprise the panel of judges.

Company Fee:
We have geared our tuition rates to make it possible for most students to be a part of the No Limits Dance “Company”. However, in addition to the monthly dance tuition there is a company charge of $35 per month. It was necessary to increase the company fee as facility rental costs have unexpectedly increased, to help cover utility and maintenance costs the days the studio is used by company members (Friday – Sunday), and for office supplies used for the company.

Class Requirements for Company Members

Please see below for sample class requirements.

Sample Class Requirements for Students New to Company: Approximate ages 5-7 years old:

· 1 – Pre-Ballet/Acro or Ballet I or II – 45 minutes
· 1 – Pre-Tap or Tap I or II – 45 minutes
· 1 – Mini rehearsal – 45 minutes
· Monthly Tuition – depends on class load
· Monthly Company Fee - $25

Sample Class requirements for all other dancers:

· Ballet – 1 class per week
· Extra Ballet – 1 class per week (to be held Saturday morning)
· Turn and Leap Class – 1 class per week
· Jazz – 1 class per week
· Tap – 1 class per week
· Lyrical – 1 class per week
· Acrobatics – 1 class per week
· Average Rehearsal Time– 45 minutes per week per dance
· Monthly Tuition – $130
· Monthly Company Fee - $35
· Monthly Fee Total - $165

Code of Conduct, Parents

Support all dancers, even those not related to you.
Negative comments to or about any dancer or parent shall not be tolerated. Gossip travels fast in a dance studio and even faster on My Space. Comments taken out of context can snowball into ridiculous, petty, damaging and hurtful arguments between parents, dancers and faculty.
Negative comments about other dance organizations or studios shall not be tolerated.
Enjoy watching your children grow and learn as dancers! Keep in mind that while every parent wants their children to be the best they can be, we all know that along with the successes there will be failures. This is a natural part of growing up - and we hope the students will learn from these experiences and be better equipped for adulthood.
Be sure to only give positive feedback to dancers after they perform. Let them be proud of their performance and enjoy the moment with them.
Notify the office immediately of unavoidable conflicts with the company schedule. This is extremely important.
The faculty at No Limits depends on the parent to make sure their child has ALL the supplies needed to come to class prepared. This includes proper attire, shoes, hair supplies, hair spray, etc. Dress code will be strictly enforced this coming year.
Payments for workshops and competition must be paid on time.
Understand that performing on a dance team is a year round commitment. Scheduling conflicts, dancer and parent burnout can be avoided by understanding that being a member of the Company is a major commitment that is more than enough to satisfy any child’s extracurricular desires.

Code of Conduct, Dancers

First of all… Have Fun!!
Show respect for all team members and instructors.
Company members should refrain from talking during company rehearsals and in regular dance classes. You are role models at the studio; therefore, you set the precedence for ALL other dancers.
Dress code will be strictly enforced.
Gossiping and negative comments to or about anyone will not be tolerated. This can result in expulsion from the company.
Company member must always come to classes and rehearsals prepared. This is called “work ethic”.
Company member shall always give 100% effort. This is called “heart”.
Sitting down in class or rehearsal is not permitted. If you are not dancing during a particular part, you should be practicing in the back of the class.
If you are ill or have an injury, inform your instructor before rehearsal.
Success requires teamwork: support each other with positive feedback. Remember, not everyone will be in every dance but everyone will have his or her turn to shine.
Negative comments about any other studio or dancer from another studio shall not be condoned.
Company members must maintain a “C” average or better in school. Please provide a copy of your progress report and/or report card. Dancers should be not only disciplined in dance but also in their school work.

No Limits Dance Studio Expectation of Parents:

Parents must agree to TRUST the faculty at No Limits to do what is best for their child and for the Company. There are an unbelievable number of decisions that must be made to achieve an acceptable performance. Parental involvement in these decisions is not tolerated because it simply doesn’t work. It is literally impossible for twenty or thirty people to agree on anything. Parents, please do not second guess the faculty decisions on:

1. Costumes
2. Music
3. Teachers
4. Choreography
5. Competitions
6. Conventions
7. Schedules
8. Placement

Choice of music, dancers and costumes for routines is solely up to the director and other staff. Not every dancer will be in every dance. Dancers will be placed according to their ability and where they can succeed .

Manditory Schedule of Events and Performances 2007-2008

(Tentative until October 2007). Please note that we are just gathering information and then will decide which ones to attend. The faculty and staff at No Limits wnated you to be aware of the dates we considering.

Friday, June 1, 2007 – Company dancers must be registered for summer and fall classes.
NEW… Friday, June 15, 2007 – Company Placement Auditions for 2008. No Limits Dance Studio – Avondale/Ortega Location at 6:00 p.m. Students need to come to audition dressed neatly in a black leotard, pink tights, hair secured in a bun (with hair net).
Monday, June 25, 2007 – Dances showing placement of dancers will be emailed.
Weekly Summer Rehearsals – See Summer Training Requirements
Monday, August 6, 2007 – Fall Classes Start at No Limits Dance Studio
September 8, 2007 – Orders due for company apparel.
November 2007 – Dance Masters Dance Convention & Competition -TBA
Friday, December 14, 2007 – No Limits Dance Studio Annual Christmas Showcase
February 22, 2007 – No Limits Dance Studio Showcase (Tentative)
Saturday/Sunday, March 1-2, 2008 – Jekyll Island, GA, PDTA
Saturday/Sunday, April 5-6, 2008 – Encore Talent Competition, Jacksonville, FL – UNF
April 19-20, 2008 – Dance Troupe Regional Competition, Savannah, GA
April 2008 – Applause Competition, Jacksonville, FL - TBA (last weekend in April 2007)
June 2008/July 2008 – National Competition – TBA (last weekend in June/first part of July 2008 or middle July 2008)
Sunday, June 22, 2008 – No Limits Dance Studio Recital, Florida Theatre

General Costs for Conventions and Competitions:

The Company usually attends one workshop, three competitions and one national throughout the year. We hope to have new company members who are 5-6 years attend a minimum of two competitions.

Conventions - $100 - $140 (Depending on age group) plus competition fees.
Observers Passes for Parents or Guardians - $25 per person (You are not required to chaperone your child at Company events. Teachers are present to watch over all dancers. You may want to attend the first event to see what conventions are all about.)
Competition - $75 solo (depending on competition); $40 per dancer in a duet/trio (depending on competition); $25 - $30 per dancer per group dance (depending on competition).

No Limits Dance Studio Performing Company Placement Audition:

This year dancers must audition for a space on the No Limits Performing Company. It has become very apparent this year to the faculty that there are different levels of dancers, especially with the 7-12 year olds. It is the consensus of the faculty that this be addressed not only with that age group but the entire company. The audition includes a ballet barre, jazz combination, acro combination, and a tap combination. All dancers are scored on technique and performance ability. After the audition a cast list for each dance number will be posted. All dancers will be evaluated and grouped according to ability of the dancer and artistic vision of the director/choreographer. All decisions are final. This is a “Placement” audition – No dancers are eliminated. This audition is for group placement purposes only.

Dancers are placed in the quantity of dances that the directors believe they can handle. All dancers are cast in at least 2 group numbers. New members who are 5-7 years old are placed in only one dance. Decisions regarding placement are also up to the artistic discretion of the director and choreographer. Parents must inform the faculty prior to the audition process if they wish their child to only be in a certain number of dances.

Summer Training Requirements

Dance is a year-round activity that requires training in the summer months in order to maintain technique and encourage growth.

This year there will be two weeks of summer camp for ages 6-12 that run from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Students must register for one of these two weeks. However, a faculty member may recommend that a student who is not yet 13 years of age take the upper level class for better placement.

For company members ages 13 and up, your summer camp will run from July 16, 2007 – July 20, 2007, Monday – Friday from 3:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Students must register for this week. .

Company Rehearsal to set new dances will be from July 9, 2007 – July 13, 2007 from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm and from July 23, 2007 – July 27, 2007. Specific days and times for each group will be announced after the audition.

Costumes:

Costumes may run from $85-$125 each depending on the dance and costume company. We make every effort to keep these costs down or to reuse recital costumes without compromising the artistic quality of the dance. All dancers will be measured and costumes ordered during the summer.

Shoes:

Shoe requirements for Performing Company dances will be determined at the time we design the costumes. Parents do not need to rush out and buy a different style shoe until the child has outgrown the shoe. The following shoes are required for classes:

Tan Super Jazz Shoes
Black Bloch Oxford Tap Shoes
Split Sole Pink Ballet Shoes
Pointe Shoes (only dancers on pointe)

Company Warm-ups :

All dancers must have No Limits Company Warm-ups for the 2007-08 season. We will be ordering on September 8th , 2007. The cost for Warm-ups is approximately $125 - $150 for personalized/embroidered jacket and pants. This pertains only to those dancers who do not presently have a warm up.

Attendance

Attendance Policy :

A team member may not miss more than four classes in any one month. Any member that misses more than four will be placed on probation for the following month and will not be able to perform in any events during the probation month. If the dancer‘s attendance improves they will return to normal standing in the Company. Dance takes dedication and hard work. You have to be there to improve. Students are not able to maintain the level of technique needed when there are excessive absences. Dances can’t be rehearsed fully when students are absent. While the faculty does not anticipate a problem with attendance, they felt it was important to address the situation in the event it did occur.

Performance Attendance :

If for any reason you see a conflict with any of the dates mentioned above please tell us immediately. All of the dates are mandatory. If one member is not present it lets the entire team down.

Company Commitment :

The true definition of a “Company” or “Team” of any kind is a group of people who share the same interests and are all working together to achieve the same goals. There is a level of commitment by each individual to the “Company” as a group in order for the “Company” to achieve its goals. The level of commitment needs to be equal by each member of the group. We give each parent and child this document in order to equip you with adequate information regarding expense, time commitment and mandatory dates as we know them at this time. We expect that you can take that information and make a well-informed decision as to your involvement in our Performing Company.