Fall 2025 Registration is now open!
Fall 2025 Registration is now open!
WE ARE EXCITED TO HAVE YOU WITH US AND ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO AN EXCITING YEAR OF DANCE.
For parents, dancers are permitted a total of two unexcused absences for rehearsals and three for classes each session. Unexcused absences include travel, birthday parties, or other sports team commitments, while excused absences include illness, religious events, family emergencies, etc. Additional absences may result in withdrawal from performing, including events tied to the competition program or pre-professional program.
For your absence to be excused, please email [email protected] with Alicia cced when you can. In the event of an unexcused absence, please still email us, especially if you do have advanced notice.
If families go over these allotted absences, they have a couple of options:
• For rehearsal absences, you will have to schedule a private lesson with the teacher whose rehearsal your student has missed (privates are $75).
• For missed technique classes, students can make up in a similar class (for example, if they miss a ballet class, they can make up in a level below or take a Jazz 2 class, which is a similar level).
Dovetail runs three sessions per year; fall ( August-December), winter ( January-June), summer (July-August). At Dovetail, we think about our classes over a year long period, divided into two main sessions, preparing for our annual performance in June. Summer classes are shorter to accommodate vacations and camps.
Tiny Tots class is for kids ages 3-4 years old, Pre-Ballet is for kids ages 5-6. Pre-Hip Hop starts at age 5. Our Youth classes start at age 7. Youth classes include hip hop, ballet, tumbling, contemporary jazz, modern, musical theatre, and tap. Students are placed in classes based on age, experience and teacher recommendation.
If there are questions about what classes to enroll in, please reach out.
By the time your child turns 7 years old, they are developmentally ready to increase the number of dance classes taken in a week. For children older than 7, it becomes even more necessary to participate more than once a week.
In any physical activity, repetition is key for developing a skill more quickly. Muscle and cognitive memory improve the more an individual practices a skill. In dance, where so many small muscles are used, dancers progress efficiently and quickly the more classes they take. A dancer not only has to learn proper coordination and placement, but they are also learning musicality and memorizing patterns; it’s a lot of work! Enrolling in at least two dance classes a week will help a dancer with these skills, plus build self confidence and enjoyment for dance, as they see how much better they become.
We encourage all dancers at Dovetail who are at least 7-8 yrs and older to take more than one dance class per week. If your child is interested in ballet, then it is even more important to take two ballet classes per week.
