Happy Friday, PSD Families!

This Friday FYI email is our primary method of communication to studio families - please save it for a time when you can read through it thoroughly and bookmark it for reference!

New & Urgent this week:

• Our Holiday Showcase webpage is now LIVE! Please see below to learn about this special performance opportunity for our Dance & Discover, Beginning, and Chance to Dance Dancers! Registration for this performance closes TODAY Friday, October 25th.

• Costume Week is wrapping up tomorrow! Dancer's wear their Halloween costumes to class and we reveal our Recital music and costumes!

• Save the Date for Trunk or Treat at The Pointe School of Dance - TOMORROW Saturday, October 26th!

• Nutcracker Registration is now CLOSED. Please see below for new and important updates as we prepare to hit the stage!

• The studio will not be holding regular classes or office hours from October 28-November 1 for our Fall Inter-sessional Break. See details below.

• We have new studio gear available online at theturningpointeboutique.com

• We are bringing Wiggle Wednesdays back to The Pointe! Learn more about this monthly Story time and Dance Demo for littles below!

• Stay tuned to these regular email updates - this is your primary source for all studio news!

Find all of the important dates for the year here: www.thepointeschool.com/policies - we list upcoming dates within the next few weeks in the Friday FYI as well for your convenience!

• October 21-26 - Costume Week

• October 25 - November Tuition and Costume Payment Processed

• October 25 - Holiday Showcase Registration Closes

• October 26 - Trunk or Treat @ The Pointe! (12:00-1:30 PM)

• October 28-November 1 - Fall Inter-sessional Break; CLOSED

• October 29-30 - Nutcracker Act 1 & Act 2 In-Studio Rehearsals (exact times listed below)

• November 25 - December Tuition and Costume Payment Processed

• November 25-December 1st - Thanksgiving Break; CLOSED

• December 7 - Holiday Showcase (1:00 & 2:30 @ The Pointe School of Dance)

• December 8 - The Nutcracker Dress Rehearsal (@ Linn-Mar High School Auditorium)

• December 15 - The Nutcracker Performances (1:00 & 3:00 @ Linn-Mar High School Auditorium)

• December 16-January 4 - Winter Break; CLOSED

• December 25 - January Tuition and Costume Payment Processed

It is time to start preparing for our Holiday Showcase! Though the school year has just begun, we are ready to share with you our plans to dance into the Holiday Season with joy and cheer! This performance will be different than in years past, so please read all details thoroughly. Here is a short synopsis of what you need to know:

• This will be a informal, in-studio performance opportunity for dancers in Dance & Discover, Beginning, and Chance to Dance classes. It is designed to go alongside The Nutcracker so dancers of all ages get the opportunity for a holiday performance!

• The performance will be on Saturday, December 7th at the studio in Studio A with performances at 1 PM & 2:30 PM. We will divide classes between show times after registration closes to accommodate capacity needs.

• This performance is 100% optional, but encouraged! The dancers will learn and practice their routines in class starting in October.

• The registration fee for this performance is $25. We are asking that dancers wear all black dance wear as the base of their costume, and we will provide costume accessories to elevate their look and compliment their routine.

• Admission to this performance is free! We ask that you keep your party to 5 guests per dancer so we can make accommodations for capacity.

Registration for this performance is due Friday, October 25th! You can find the registration form and the performance handbook on our Holiday Showcase webpage: www.thepointeschool.com/holiday-2024 Save this page for future reference, we will post all updates there as well in your Friday FYI emails.

Costume Week is wrapping up on Saturday! We invite dancers to wear their Halloween costumes (non-scary, must be able to dance in them) or an old dance costume to class this week!  Parents are invited to join us for the last 5 minutes of class this week to see the costume and music for our June recital!

• Also - be sure you're following us on Facebook and Instagram to see the costumes first thing in the morning, guess which costume belongs to which class, and see all of the costumes for the day revealed at the end of the night! This is SO FUN - you don't want to miss it!

• One note - with over 80 classes per week and fewer reliable costume companies than ever, we may have costumes that multiple classes use in the same year.  We have made sure costumes won't be shared by the same dancer(s) or costume repeats in the same show. :) While it's certainly more stable than the last few years, the shipping and supply chain issues we're all experiencing are an issue with dance costume companies, too - and we're working hard to ensure that our students aren't affected by these issues.  Having a few costumes shared between different shows is a small price to pay for the confidence we have for using the few manufacturers we can count on :)

Save the Date! Bring your family & friends to The Pointe on Saturday, October 26th from 12:00-1:30 PM for Trunk or Treat! Your PSD Teachers are so excited to decorate and celebrate the spooky season with you all with tricks AND treats!

It's time to start preparing for our second production of The Nutcracker! Our Nutcracker webpage is now LIVE! You will find everything you need to prepare you and your dancer for a successful Recital season. Check out thepointeschool.com/nutcracker regularly for updates.

Here are new updates to the website this week:

• Additional Large Group Rehearsals: Students will primarily focus on learning their group choreography in class. However, there are a couple sections that include several classes. We want to run through both Acts of the show all together BEFORE dress rehearsal. That way we can get an idea for how a section will operate and to give the dancers a better idea of their placement on stage. These rehearsals will take place during our Fall Inter-sessional Break, and will replace the dancers regular classes. Please plan on attending the following rehearsals based on your dancer’s routine assignment.

  Tuesday, October 29th in Studio A - ACT 1

  • The Party Scene (Includes Party Kids, Party Adults, Clara, Dolls, & Drosselmeyer) - 5:00-6:30

  • The Dream & Battle Scene (Includes Big Mice, Small Mice, Soldiers, Mouse Queen, Nutcracker, Clara, & Drosselmeyer) - 6:30-7:30

  • Depart to Pine Forest & Waltz of the Snowflakes (Includes Small Snowflakes, Big Snowflakes, Snow Queen, Nutcracker, & Clara) - 7:30-8:15

  Wednesday, October 30th in Studio A - ACT 2

  • The Land of the Sweets (Includes Russian Candy Canes, Arabian Coffee, Chinese Tea, Spanish Chocolate, Marzipan & Marzipan Soloist, Gingerbreads & Mother Ginger, Flowers & Dew Drop, Sugar Plum Fairy, Nutcracker & Clara) - 5:30-8:00

  • For this section, the dances are not as incorporated, but have quick transitions in between them. We want to rehearse each routine and practice the transitions in between each dance. Please plan on your dancer being there for the whole time frame, but we may dismiss certain sections early if we can.

• Rehearsal Music and Practice Video Links: Now that choreography is well underway, we have added easy to find links to our practice videos and music folders right on the Nutcracker webpage. Please make sure your dancer is using these tools to review at home!

• Dress Rehearsal Schedule: The Nutcracker Dress Rehearsal is on Sunday, December 8th at the Linn-Mar High School Auditorium. We have the full schedule for that date listed in the handbook now. Please visit the Nutcracker webpage and place those times in your calendar! thepointeschool.com/nutcracker

• Performance Ticket Sales: We will have online ticket orders available for purchase starting November 13th at 11:00 AM. Your performance package includes 4 tickets to the performance of your choosing. You will receive a unique code via email that will give you access to the 4 included tickets before ticket sales begin. Additional tickets to The Nutcracker are $13 plus a small fee from the ticketing company. If tickets remain available, they will be sold at the door for $16.

  • You will receive your ticket codes in your inbox early Tuesday morning to get access to your included tickets.

  • If you are looking to purchase additional tickets or need a general link to send to extended friends and families to purchase tickets, you can find that here.

  • Graduating Seniors and our dancers who are playing Clara will receive Premier Ticket Access on November 12th at 11:00 AM. You will receive your codes early Monday morning to get access to your included tickets.

There will be no regular classes, front desk, or boutique hours on October 28-November 1st for Halloween and our Fall Inter-sessional Break. All operations will resume as scheduled on Saturday, November 2nd. To learn more about why we incorporate Inter-sessional Breaks into our schedule, please read the following blog post: https://www.thepointeschool.com/post/intersessional-breaks 

**For the classes participating in The Nutcracker - we will still be holding our Act 1 & Act 2 Staging Rehearsals at the studio on Tuesday, October 29 and Wednesday, October 30. See schedule below.

Tuesday, October 29th in Studio A - ACT 1

• The Party Scene (Includes Party Kids, Party Adults, Clara, Dolls, & Drosselmeyer) - 5:00-6:30

• The Dream & Battle Scene (Includes Big Mice, Small Mice, Soldiers, Mouse Queen, Nutcracker, Clara, & Drosselmeyer) - 6:30-7:30

• Depart to Pine Forest & Waltz of the Snowflakes (Includes Small Snowflakes, Big Snowflakes, Snow Queen, Nutcracker, & Clara) - 7:30-8:15

Wednesday, October 30th in Studio A - ACT 2

• The Land of the Sweets (Includes Russian Candy Canes, Arabian Coffee, Chinese Tea, Spanish Chocolate, Marzipan & Marzipan Soloist, Gingerbreads & Mother Ginger, Flowers & Dew Drop, Sugar Plum Fairy, Nutcracker & Clara) - 5:30-8:00

• For this section, the dances are not as incorporated, but have quick transitions in between them. We want to rehearse each routine and practice the transitions in between each dance. Please plan on your dancer being there for the whole time frame, but we may dismiss certain sections early if we can.

New Studio Gear Alert! Visit theturningpointeboutique.com to check out our new specialty logo pieces. All Holiday orders with a guaranteed delivery before winter break are due by November 24th.

Join us for Wiggle Wednesdays at The Pointe School of Dance on the third Wednesday of every month! Little ones ages 1-5 are welcome to come into the studio for a short story, dance activities, and movement games. Wiggle Wednesdays are active, creative FUN for your little one! Parents are invited to come into the studio room to participate with their child, or wait in our comfortable lobby.

Spaces are limited and registration is required - sign up today at thepointeschool.com/wiggle

Please use this Facebook event to share with your friends!

Did you know that we offer free trial classes for new-to-The-Pointe families - and we have a sweet deal for you if you refer a friend to our program? Families can schedule a trial class easily - just have them send us an email and we'll take care of it!

When a family you've referred signs up, please have them list your name in the "Where did you hear about us?" form in online registration. We will send them a $20 gift card to our boutique to help them get the gear their dancer needs for class - and as a thank you, we'll send one to you, too! Trial classes are easy to schedule online, and are FREE for a limited time!

• Click the links on your phone to download the BAND app and join these groups :) 

• Please join the Studio-wide BAND here: https://band.us/n/a7aa9b43OcwbP

• If your dancer is in COMPANY, please join the Company BAND here: https://band.us/n/a1ae9741O1XbO (dancers can and should join, too!)

• If your dancer is in COMMUNITY TEAM, please join the CT BAND here: https://band.us/n/a7ab9544OeY4B (dancers can and should join, too!) 

• Families have received an email with a unique link to join the BAND group for each class - if you've joined us after that message went out, please find your dancer's instructor after class to get access or shoot us an email ([email protected]) and we'll get you added!

We've added another easy method of communication to get relevant information directly to families - right on your phone!

Studio Lobby & Lounge
We ask that families limit lobby visitors to one parent per child if you'll be waiting in the lobby during class.  We also ask that families ONLY have food in the lounge, and to pick up after eating. We have wipes, paper towels, and a small broom/dustpan in the lounge so the space can stay nice and neat for the next group to use the space.

How to get connected at The Pointe!
We love our studio community and truly work with the best families in Cedar Rapids.  We know that it takes a village to raise up awesome kids, and our studio community can be a part of your village.  We have a private Facebook group just for studio families - click here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1921735994748769 Please also join our studio-wide BAND app: https://band.us/n/a7aa9b43OcwbP (dancers, too!) 

Absences
Attendance in class is crucial for dancers to learn and grow.  We can only teach students who are in class :)  However, we know that things happen and kids may need to miss occasionally.  To report an absence so your instructor knows what's going on with your dancer, follow the steps in this 40-second video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nstwEOf7e58&list=PLZkeFgMt7mR63GMRqwjdoIM8-U1mxAx-3&index=2 

Boutique & Front Desk Hours
We're happy to help ! We catch up on studio voicemails, emails, and are available at the front desk from 4:30-7:00 Monday through Thursday during the summer. In the school year, we are also open 9:00 AM - Noon on Saturday mornings.

Dress Code
Students who are dressed for dance perform and progress better in class!  Find out what your dancer needs for their classes and easily order online here: www.theturningpointeboutique.com 

Studio Policies & Full Calendar
Our Policies & Studio Calendar is online! Here you will find all the dates needed to plan a successful season, as well as all policies that help keep our studio running smoothly. You can find the Policies and Calendar on our website here: www.thepointeschool.com/policies

Have a wonderful weekend!
- Miss Vanessa & your PSD Staff