Welcome to dance at CAC! Our dance program offers classes for children 2 years and up in ballet, jazz, modern, hip hop, lyrical, tap and more. While registration for classes is done on a semester basis, our dance program is built to be year-long, ending with a recital in our Hammonds Lane Theatre in May. During the fall, students will spend time learning the basics and building on their skills and technique. Winter/Spring is a continuation of Fall as students prepare to show off their skills in the annual recital! While it is not mandatory to register for both semesters, we believe students will get the most out of the program by immersing themselves in a specific class from September - May.

Below you will find information regarding attire, observation policies, behavior policies and more. If you have any questions or concerns about these policies, please feel free to contact me at lauren@chesapeakearts.org.

Sincerely,

Lauren Lowell, Performing Arts Chair


Dance Attire

Ballet Buddies and all other Ballet Classes

For girls:

  • Solid color leotard

  • Pink tights

  • Pink ballet shoes made out of canvas, leather, or faux leather are all appropriate. Please do not purchase satin shoes that look like house slippers or ballet shoes with extra ribbons.

For boys - or - gender neutral option:

  • Solid color fitted pants in an appropriate length.

  • Fitted t-shirt

  • Black ballet shoes made out of canvas, leather, or faux leather.

Jazz and Tap classes

For girls:

  • Leotard -or- fitted shirt

  • Nude (skin tone) tights -or- fitted bike shorts, leggings, yoga pants, or joggers

For boys - or - gender neutral option:

  • Fitted shirt

  • Joggers or athletic pants

For everyone...

  • Sweatpants are acceptable as long as they are not overly long.

  • Sweatshirts or sweaters can be worn during warm ups.

  • Black jazz shoes (please do not purchase jazz sneakers)

  • Black tap shoes

Modern and Lyrical classes

For girls:

  • Leotard

  • If wearing a leotard with tights to Modern, tights must be footless or convertible style

  • Leggings, yoga pants, bike shorts, or joggers in appropriate length

For boys - or - gender neutral option:

  • Fitted t-shirt or tank top

  • Joggers or athletic pants in appropriate length

For everyone:

  • Students will dance barefoot in both Modern and Lyrical

Acro classes

For girls:

  • Leotard, Bike-unitard, or bike shorts with fitted tank top or t-shirt

For boys - or - gender neutral option:

  • Athletic pants in appropriate length, bike shorts, or fitted athletic shorts with a fitted top

For everyone:

  • Oversize or baggy clothing may not be worn for Acro classes for safety reasons

  • Sweatshirts or sweaters can be worn during warm ups only and must be removed before working on acro skills

Hip Hop classes

For everyone:

  • Comfortable dance or athletic attire such t-shirts, tank tops, sweats, and leggings

  • Clean sneakers that are not worn outside

Donations: Please consider donating the following new or used items to our Dance Department: leotards (black or pink), ballet slippers, ballet tights (footed), tan tights (footless), jazz shoes (girls and boys), jazz pants (girls and boys) and ballet skirts. All sizes are needed for students ages 2-18 years old. Please place all items in a secure bag and bring to our main office during usual office hours (M-F 10-6, Sat 10-12:30).

Thank you in advance for your contributions

Class Observation, Safety, & Behavior Policy

Class Observations

During the first week of dance class our class observation policy tends to be more relaxed. We understand that students may be anxious about a new experience or nervous to leave their adult. After this initial introduction week, the dance studios will be closed to family members during classes.

Our students need to focus on their dance instruction. If parents are in the room or hovering in an open doorway, that focus is lost. The dance studio needs to be a safe place for our students to learn, make mistakes, and have fun growing in their dance skills. It's hard to relax and try new things when strangers are observing you.

On occasion an instructor will invite parents in during the last few minutes of class to see what the dancers have worked on. This is an allowed observation because it involves all the families and is not for the full class time. This observation is at the discretion of the individual instructor and it is not a guarantee for all classes.

The Safety of our students

All of our dance instructors are background checked before they are brought on to work with the students here. We hope this policy gives our dance families a sense of security and trust in our organization when signing a child up for our classes.

A parent or guardian must accompany all dancers when arriving to the building for class. The doors to the Chesapeake Arts Center must remain locked for the security of all of our students.

If your dancer is under the age of 5, a parent or guardian must stay in the hallway outside of the dance studio for the entirety of class in the case of a bathroom break for the student. At the end of class, dancers need to stay inside the building until their adult comes in to pick them up.

Behavior Policy

In order to provide students, visitors and staff with a supportive environment, CAC will not tolerate any behavior that is disruptive to its programs.

Students are not to engage in any behavior that: Threatens the safety or comfort of any student, employee, faculty member or visitor, is a danger to themselves or any other student, employee, faculty member or visitor, or interferes with CAC’s ability to conduct classes, workshops, open studios, special events, or other programs. CAC has the sole right to determine whether the behavior is in violation of its Code of Conduct. Some examples of unacceptable behavior are: being present on the premises or in class under the influence of drugs or alcohol, sexual harassment, inappropriate touching, verbal abuse, physical violence or threat of physical violence, disruptive behavior in class which compromises the instructor’s authority, or interferes with other students’ ability to participate effectively, and damaging or destroying the property of CAC, other students, staff, members or visitors.

If a child hasn’t been behaving appropriately in class, the way we address this issue is by sending the student out of class for a few minutes to a family member or a CAC staff member. The student should use the time out of class to regain focus and remember their dance class etiquette before returning to the classroom. Parents cannot be invited into the dance studio during class time when there are behavior issues. If you need to speak with an instructor about a child's behavior, the instructor will make time for this after class is dismissed.

Important Dance Dates!

  • Fall Semester: 9/9-12/9/23 (Fall break 11/20-11/26)

  • Winter/Spring Semester: TBD

  • Costumes Ordered: early February 2023

  • Spring Recital: Saturday, May 4, 2024