The Pointe’s Friday FYI – 3/1/24

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:

• Sign up to participate in the Family Dance at Recital! All registrations for this opportunity are due in TWO WEEKS on March 15th!
• Skills Testing is happening at the studio next week! See more details below.
• Starting next week we are running a Spring Dress Code Challenge! See details below.
• Our Company Dancers are competing in their second competition of the year! See live stream information below to support them from home!
• The studio and boutique will be CLOSED for Spring Break from March 11-17th.
• Summer Dance Class Registration is now OPEN! Sign up today to save your spot before they fill up!
• The Recital 2024 webpage is LIVE! Find new information regarding costume alterations and finale line ups there this week!
• Recital Costumes will continue to go home this week! Please read below for details on how to best take care of your costumes until the June Recital.
• Our Classical Ballet Variation Clinics continue! – see details 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!

• March 4-9 – Skills Testing
• March 11-17 – Spring Break; Closed
• March 25 – April Tuition & Costume Payment Processed
• March 29 – Spring Evaluations Sent Home
• March 29-April 4 – Easter Break; Closed
• April 1 – 2024-2025 Rollover & Automatic Registration Begins
• April 2 – Pipe Burst Makeup Day – Studio is OPEN!
• April 20 – Last Day to Opt-Out of 2024-2025 School Year Registration
• April 25 – May Tuition & Costume Payment Processed
• April 25 – 2024-2025 Membership Payments Processed

Create memories you and your dancer will cherish for a lifetime – dance with them in their Recital!

We are SO excited to be bringing back a special tradition to Recital 2024 – the Family Dance! (formerly known as the Father Daughter Dance). We had so much fun putting this together last year, and we are pumped to watch this experience continue to grow.

The Family Dance is a special Recital performance created for a dancer and ONE adult family member. Dads, Moms, Aunts, Uncles, Family Friends or any significant caregiver are welcome to perform with their dancer. This structure gives more of our studio families the option to get involved in this performance opportunity – and the more the merrier! The dancer and their chosen adult will learn and perform the routine as a pair.

Listed below are the requirements and details to participate in the Family Dance:

– Your dancer must be enrolled in classes Level 1 and Up (age 6+)

– The dancer and adult must be able to attend THREE out of the four rehearsal dates to learn the Family Dance. These dates and times are:

Sunday, March 24th from 5:30-6:30 PM

Sunday, April 14th from 5:30-6:30 PM

Saturday, May 11th from 1:00-2:00 PM

Sunday, June 2nd – 12:00 Show Rehearsal: 9:45-10:30 AM, 3:00 Show Rehearsal. 10:30-11:15 AM, 6:00 Show Rehearsal 11:15 AM -12:00 PM (Final Show placements will be determined after registration is complete.)

– The dancer and adult must be available to dance in one of the three Recital Performances on June 9th, 2024. Performance times are 12:00 PM, 3:00 PM, and 6:00 PM. There is an option on the registration form to request your preferred show time to perform in. We will do our best to accommodate these requests based on your dancers current Recital placement, but final placements will be determined after registration is complete.

– The dancer and adult must also be able to participate in the Dress Rehearsal for their corresponding assigned show time. Dress Rehearsals will be in the evening on Tuesday, June 4th for the 12:00 PM Show, Wednesday, June 5th for the 3:00 PM Show, and Thursday June 6th for the 6:00 PM Show (exact rehearsal times can be found on the Dress Rehearsal Schedule on the Recital webpage – thepointeschool.com/recital-2024.)

– Cost to participate in the Family Dance is $59 + sales tax per Family pair. This fee covers rehearsals and T-Shirts for the dancer and adult to wear onstage during their performance. If a family has more than one dancer the adult would like to dance with, or a dancer would like to dance with more than one adult – an additional dancer or adult can be added on for $24 + sales tax. These additions will be considered as separate pairs and participate in different shows from one another.

– To register for the Family Dance, please fill out the form on the Recital webpage (thepointeschool.com/recital-2024) by Friday, March 15th.

If you have any questions, you can reach Miss Laura by email at [email protected]

Skills Testing Week is NEXT WEEK in Graded Technique Classes! Dancers just need to come to class as always, in dress code, and know that the majority of class time will be spent demonstrating the key skills for their level so their teachers can prepare for evaluations and next season’s recommendations. Recommendations and evaluations are a huge undertaking for our instructors, and this week focused on key skills (a little break from learning recital choreography!) helps instructors get started on that big project.

Dancers will receive personalized, detailed evaluations (emailed home to the email address we have on file) on March 29th.

Skills Testing is only for Graded Technique classes – this does not apply to Dance & Discover, Beginning, or Adult programs.

Let’s start the Spring off with great dress code in all of our classes! From March 4 – May 4, every class with perfect dress code (clothes, shoes, & hair) gets one entry for a CLASS ICE CREAM PARTY – and other surprises – in May! Winners will be drawn during Picture Week (May 5-9) You can find our dress code details online here: www.thepointeschool.com/attire

Our Company dancers will be representing The Pointe this weekend at their second competition of the season in Madison, WI! We have dances performing in all sessions throughout the weekend, and we can’t wait to see these dancers ROCK the stage!

This competition will be live streaming the event all weekend. You can follow this link and click on the Madison live stream and watch the competition and cheer on our dancers from home! This livestream is password protected – please use code BTSMADISON5 to access the livestream.We’ve included the performance numbers for our group routines to follow along, but we also have several Solos. Duets, and Trios competing all weekend!

• #78 – Welcome to Care-A-Lot (Mini Company)
• #92 – The Dance That You Do
• #95 – Shelter
• #102 – Up Up & Away
• #103 – Safari Party
• #111 – Crusin’ for a Brusin’
• #112 – All Those Pretty Lights
• #117 – Be Quiet
• #162 – Looped
• #172 – Reputation
• #199 – Despicable Me – Production

The studio and boutique will be CLOSED for Spring Break from March 11-17th.

Our staff works primarily nights and weekend, so we want to take this time to really allow them to spend time with their friends and family during Spring Break. If you need to get in contact with us during this time, please do so via email at [email protected]. We may not respond back at our normal speed, but we will be checking for messages infrequently throughout break.

Regular class registration for Summer 2024 is OPEN for current families! Visit thepointeschool.com/summerdance for access to all of the class schedules and to get your dancer signed up before spots fill up!

A few important things to know:

• Priority class registration for current PSD students is open now! Class registration will open to the community on February 19th.  See below for more information on class selection.
• Over the summer, we fit classes into just 4 days per week as opposed to 7 days a week during the school year – so we have some combined-level classes.  These allow us to offer more schedule options for families.  A Level 3/4 class, for example, is suitable for dancers recommended for either Level 3 or Level 4.  These are not new levels (Level 3/4 is not “in between Level 3 and Level 4” – it is a mix of dancers in both levels). 
• We are still offering packages for classes (this is the best way for your dancer to get the most out of their time at the studio – and the best value for tuition).  To keep things simpler and cleaner on the administrative end, register for all of the classes in the package you want – then our team will adjust your tuition right before tuition is added to your accounts so you get the package pricing. 
• At registration, there is a $20 deposit due per dancer.  This holds your spot in classes and will be credited back to you when tuition is processed before summer classes begin. 
• Questions about summer registration?  We can help you by email, over the phone, or at the front desk.

Class Selection:

• If your dancer is 1 or 2, register for My First Dance Class
• If your dancer is currently in Mini Movers or My First Dance Class and will be 3 by July 1, enroll in Dance & Discover 1/2 and/or Hippity Hop.
• If your dancer is currently in Dance & Discover 1, enroll in Dance & Discover 1/2 OR Dance & Discover 2/3 and/or Hippity Hop.
• If your dancer is currently in Dance & Discover 2, enroll in Dance & Discover 1/2 OR Dance & Discover 2/3 and/or Hippity Hop.
• If your dancer is currently in Dance & Discover 3, enroll in Level 1 classes (we recommend the Level 1 Core Class Package + any specialty classes)

If your dancer is in a Graded Technique class, they may want to wait to register until class recommendations and evaluations come out April 1.  Here’s a tip – if they are in a level now, they could register for that level (ex: a dancer in Ballet/Tap/Jazz 1 this year should register for Ballet/Tap/Jazz 1/2 – they will either be in Level 1 or 2). 

SUMMER CAMPS

Summer Dance Camps are active and creative fun for kids – and we are thrilled to have several brand new camp themes for this year!

Bluey, Barbie, Swifties, Skill Sessions, Intensives, and more – registration is open NOW and you secure your spot in camp and save by registering early!

Don’t miss out on the camps your dancer will want to be a part of this summer – register today.
Check out all things Summer Dance & Camps and register by visiting www.thepointeschool.com/summerdance

Looking forward to an awesome summer – we can’t wait to see your dancer in camps and classes!

It’s time to start preparing for Recital 2024! Our Recital 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/recital-2024 regularly for updates.

Here are new updates to the website this week:

• Costume Alteration Dates Added – Although rare, minor alterations are sometimes needed to make a costume fit just right. Costume alterations will be the responsibility of the family, but we are offering some free Alteration Days in the spring to help you make those adjustments! Our alteration days are scheduled for Saturday, April 13th and Saturday, April 20th from 9:00 AM-12:00 PM. Please use this sign up form to secure an alteration spot prior to the alteration date. This helps our volunteers to be better prepared and equipped for all of your costuming needs. Please bring in your dancer and their costume that needs adjustments, and our parent volunteers will help you get their costume Recital Ready!
• Recital Finale Line Ups Added – All dancers in the Recital will participate in the finale. You will see a mandatory rehearsal scheduled during Dress Rehearsal to practice the finale with all of our dancers. Our line up plans are now posted on the website so you can see our plans for this special moment. Our instructors will also practice this process with the dancers in class closer to Recital 🙂

Recital costumes will begin to go home this week and throughout the next few months as they arrive. Families will be notified by email when costumes for their class(es) are in and ready to go home. We do a quick costume try-on in class, then dancers take their costumes home that day. We have a handy guide to keep your costumes recital-ready & some information about the timeline for recital costumes below.

Experience the magic of some of the most world-renowned classical ballets! We are offering a unique opportunity for your dancers to immerse themselves into the story, technique, and choreography just like a professional ballet dancer! We have clinic options appropriate for every dancer in Level 1 and up spread out throughout the year!

Clinic Dates:

• Friday, May 17th — Don Quixote

Click here to get registered today!

Clinic Schedule (these times and prices will remain consistent throughout all dates)

• Storytime: 4:45-5:15 PM (This portion is FREE, and available to all dancers age 6+ to learn the story behind each of these famous ballets)
• Ballet 1/2: 5:15-5:45 PM ($12)
• Ballet 3/4: 5:45-6:30 PM ($15)
• Ballet 5+ (pointe shoes optional for Intermediate Pointe and up): 6:30-7:30 PM ($18)

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!

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