Click to view the November calendar in full-size. 

November is upon us. Here are a few things for this month:
Tuition: Remember that tuition is due the first class of the month. I really hate charging late fees, so get your payment in on time. Please talk to me if you have a financial situation arise. I am more than willing to break payments down. Late fees of $10 per week are assessed after the 10^th of the month.  Please bring cash or make checks payable to Andrea Olsen.
Thanksgiving break: There are no classes Thursday, November 24^th. On Wednesday, November 23^rd, we will NOT be having technique classes. Instead we will have our Stars Show Team company classes. Class times are the same as they would be on Thursday’s, Super Stars 4 – 5:30 pm, Small Stars 5:30 – 7 pm, Star Burst 7 – 8:30 pm. A look ahead to Christmas break: NO classes from December 19^th – 30^th.
TurboKick: Many of you aren’t aware of our “adult” classes here at the studio. If dance isn’t your thing, but you want to work out, come check out our TurboKick class. It is a mix between kick boxing, Tae Bo, and aerobics. You will have a blast while getting an awesome workout! The class is Monday’s from 8:15 – 9:15 pm. Punch cards are available for $30 for a 10 punch card, and $50 for a 20 punch card! Come and try your first class free!
Fundraiser: I hope everyone is having great luck with the fundraiser. If you have any questions, you can email or call me, or give Aubri Bale a call at 801-836-6986 or email at snabale@msn.com . We can answer questions for you or help you fill out your order form. ALL folders with money and orders need to be turned in by November 18^th. If you are done selling, you are welcome to turn your orders in now. I will be emailing statements out with fundraiser totals the week after the fundraiser is over. I have more order forms and books available at the studio. Order forms are free, and if you would like more booklets, each one is $1. Don’t forget that people can order online at: https://balessmells.scentsy.us/Buy?partyId=56856276. The next fundraiser is a cookie dough fundraiser and will be in the spring. It will go towards competition fees or whatever is left. Remember that fundraisers are optional, they only help you. J
Costumes: We have finalized costumes. They are displayed on a poster in the studio as well as on our Facebook page. You are welcome to start making payments towards costumes if you would like. Just make sure you note that you want it the extra payment to go towards costumes. I sent home the price of costumes when I sent home the fundraiser information, and those prices are now on your statements. Attached to this letter is a separate information sheet that has most of the accessories that you will need for your dancer for performances/competitions. ALL costumes must be paid off by November 25^th. A 10% financing charge will be added weekly for costumes not paid in full. We will be measuring for costumes the 14^th, 15^th, and 16^th. Please make sure your dancer is there so she is measured.
Registration forms: I am still missing several registration forms. If there is a registration form attached to this letter, please fill it out and return those to me ASAP! It is crucial we need to have information on hand. Also, if your information happens to change throughout the year, please let me know.
Calendar: A November calendar is on the back of this letter. It will also be posted on the website and hung in the studio. If you ever lose your newsletter or calendar and need to read it, please check the studio board, or the website: www.divasdancestudio.com or our Facebook page.
Parent observation day: Our next parent observation day will be December 12^th, 13^th, 14^th and 15^th. We encourage you to bring a video camera and record the routine so your dancer can practice over the Christmas break. We will be finished with our jazz routines and far into our show routine, so practicing is a must!! Your music was in your fundraiser packet, so you can practice at home. I will also be videoing the dances and posting them to YouTube so you can look them up online.
Cold weather: As the weather is starting to turn cold, please make sure your dancer dresses warm to class. I will have them take layers off as we warm up, but I want to prevent injuries, and trying to dance with cold bodies is a recipe for disaster! Let’s all stay healthy this year and dress warm for class. While attendance is very important, please use good judgment when determining on whether to send a sick child to class or not. We don’t want to spread too much around!
Warm-ups, tees and bags: If you are looking for gifts for your dancer for Christmas or birthday’s, I have a bunch of VERY CUTE items for your dancer. I have warm-ups available in EVERY size. (Some sizes are still on order, but will be here for Christmas!) I have our team t-shirts available for purchase, and I also have duffle bags and hanging costume bags that are great for keeping all your dance gear together and ready for class and competition! Warm-ups are $65 for the set, tees range from $10 - $20 depending on the size (I have adult sizes and “dad” shirts too!), hanging garment bags are $35 and duffle bags are $40. We can do personalization on warm-ups and bags. Names are $5 each. I am very sneaky! I can get your items to you without your dancer knowing! Come in and check them out. It is a great way to keep warm in the winter, and to look like a team at competition and performances! If you are interested in purchasing any of these items before Christmas, please let me know and I can get it going for you. Payment for items will be due at time of order to complete your order. We usually put one name on the bags, and up to 2 names on the warm-ups. We can do one on the chest, and one on the pant leg. SUPER cute! I have also done the last name on one duffle bag if more than one dancer is going to share that bag. I have some in studio, some come check them out! I will be “sizing” all the girls who don’t already have warm-ups in case you want to order some. In order to receive them by Christmas, orders MUST be placed and paid for by December 9^th.
Hip hop classes: Registration is now open for the hip hop classes. We have hip hop for girls and boys! All our hip hop classes will compete, including the boys! These classes are an optional class with extra tuition due monthly, plus extra costume and competition fees. Classes are by age. This is a great opportunity to learn a different style of dance. Here is the time and price list:

·         Jr girls hip hop, ages 6 – 11 yrs: Friday’s 6:45 – 7:30 p.m. (Cost of class depends on other classes registered for, call/email for pricing.) Costume - $30 (will need to have tan tights and plain white tennis shoes for competition.)

·         Sr girls hip hop, ages 12 – 18 yrs: Friday’s 5:45 – 6:45 p.m. (Cost of class depends on other classes registered for, call/email for pricing.) Costume - $45 (will need to have tan tights and plain white tennis shoes for competition.)

·         Boys JR CREW, ages 7 – 11 yrs: Friday’s 5 – 5:45 p.m. $30 per month, $15 per month if you have a sibling already enrolled in regular classes. Costume - $15 - $20 (will need to have plain blue jeans and white tennis shoes for competition.)

·         Boys SR CREW, ages 12 – 18 years: Friday’s 5 – 6 p.m. $35 per month, $17.50 per month if you have a sibling already enrolled in other classes. Costume - $15 - $20 (will need to have plain blue jeans and white tennis shoes for competition.)

Family discount still applies to hip hop as well. So if you have 2 dancers in the same family doing hip hop, the first one will be regular price, the second will be half off per month, and this includes boys too! Also, you have until February 4^th to pay off hip hop costumes. This gives you extra time. (I have even had parents give the hip hop class as a Christmas present to their dancer!) Boys classes may be combined depending on number enrolled, but I would really like to keep them separate, so get your friends to enroll too! ½ off monthly tuition still applies to hip hop referrals!
Solos, duets, trios: This is a great way to get more competition and performing opportunities. If you would like more information about solos, duets or trios, please call or email me and I can discuss with you what is expected and what the cost is. If you are interested, all music, costumes, and choreography must be approved by me. I must know by November 10^th if you are interested so we can get music cut and costumes ordered.
Competitions/recitals: I am trying to look ahead and get an idea of competitions, but as on now, I do not have and firm dates. As SOON as I get information on competitions, I will let you know! Also, since our combo classes do not compete, we are going to have them perform at both of our recitals. We will have 2 recitals this year: one for our pre-show team and one for our Stars Show Team. Our combo classes will perform at both of them. Dates will be announced soon. (Plan on the end of May sometime.)

Sorry so long, but LOTS to cover! Please let me know if you have questions, or need anything. Thanks!

Andrea Olsen – 801-836-6167, dancerandylynn@gmail.com
Malerie Bourne, Nicole Taylor

Stars information: This section is more information for our Stars Show Team company members.
                * Attendance: A few of our dancers are getting close to their tardy/absence limit. I will be sending an email regarding tardies and absences this week. Remember the allowed absences are 4 per dance year and 4 tardies per dance year, which is September through May. It is NOT 4 from September – December and 4 from January – May. We have decided to modify the policy slightly. The previous policy read: “All dancers are allowed 4 absences and 4 tardies in each class September through May.  Although dancers are allowed 4 absences, we encourage perfect attendance. Dancers should only be absent if it is absolutely necessary. When the 4 absences or tardies is reached, a counseling session will be arranged between student, parents, teacher and Director. After 1 more tardy or absence, student will be excused from team without refund.” Here is the new policy regarding tardies and absences: “All dancers are allowed 4 absences and 4 tardies in each class September through May.  Although dancers are allowed 4 absences, we encourage perfect attendance. Dancers should only be absent if it is absolutely necessary. When 4 absences or tardies are reached, a counseling session will be arranged between student, parents, teacher and Director. After 1 more tardy and absence, student will not be allowed to compete at the next competition. She will still be required to attend competition, but will not be allowed to compete. If another tardy or absence occurs, dancer will then be excused from the team without refund.” This is slightly different than the previous policy, but please be aware of the changes.
                * ALL Stars Show Team will be attending the Repertory Ballet/Modern Ensemble Concert at the Ragan Theater at UVU. This is a mandatory activity for all Stars. Here is how the schedule will work that day: Super Stars will have their regular class from 4 – 5:30 pm. ALL STARS dancers must arrive at the studio by 6:15 pm. Please make sure your dancer has dinner before dropping her off. We will carpool down to UVU. The performance begins at 7:30 pm and will end around 9 pm. We will then bring the girls home and they can be picked up from the studio around 9:30 pm. We will have your dancers’ text/call when we are on our way so you know when to pick them up. The cost will be $10, and will be added to your November tuition. Please include this payment with November. If you have already paid for November, please bring in the remainder by the 10^th of the month. Sunday dress is required, as this is a theater program. We will have a quick review of theater manners before we leave. I will need 2 chaperones per class to help drive and keep track of the girls while at the performance (a total of 6 chaperones). If you are chaperoning, please leave younger children at home. Please let email me ASAP if you are interested in chaperoning. The first 2 to reply from each class will be chosen.
                * Attached is your costume accessory list. If you have any questions, please ask before you purchase to make sure you get the correct item.
                * Proper dance wear: Please remember to wear proper dance attire to class. Technique days you can wear anything, but make sure it is appropriate and they you are able to dance and move in what you are wearing. Company days, Thursday’s, you MUST wear your red top with your black shorts with zebra trim. You are welcome to wear your warm-ups while you are warming up, but you will need to take them off after, so make sure you have your correct clothing on. You are welcome to wear tights as well, but it is not required. You must also have proper footwear. Socks or tights only are NOT allowed.
                * I will be videotaping and posting the dances on YouTube. They will be marked as private. We don’t want our choreography stolen. I will be sending the links to the video by email. You can only access the video by that link. You will not be able to just look the video up. Please do not forward it or share it with others. We encourage you to open the link and let your dancers review and practice with the video. 

October Calendar

Hey everyone!  We've got a lot coming up in October.  Here's the calendar.  Click it to see it full size.

October 2011 - Newsletter

We are already a month into classes! It is going to be a great season. We have enjoyed getting to know your dancers, and they are so eager to learn and participate. We will be starting our competition and recital pieces within the next few weeks.

Tuition: Remember that tuition is due the first class of the month. I really hate charging late fees, so get your payment in on time. Please talk to me if you have a financial situation arise. I am more than willing to break payments down. Late fees of $10 per week are assessed after the 10th of the month. Please bring cash or make checks payable to Andrea

Olsen.

Fall break: There will be NO classes on October 20th for Fall Break.

Music: I will be sending cd’s home by the end of the month. You will not receive your cd until your registration fee and costume security fee is paid, though. I am sending home one per family. You are welcome to make copies or download it to your computer. If you lose your copy and need a new one, there is a replacement fee of $2 per cd. Having your

dancer’s music is an important part of her growth and improvement. When they can practice at home, their retention and memory of the routines is so much greater than those who do not practice. Even if it doesn’t look like they remember, they associate different parts of the music with movements. Please allow your dancer to practice often. The older you are, the more you need to practice!

Costumes: We are still working to finalize costumes for some classes. We will have final prices by the time we send the fundraiser packet home in a few weeks. You are welcome to start making payments towards costumes, though. If you would like to pay extra, just either write in on the memo line, or write it on a note when turning in your tuition. I will send home the price of costumes when I send home the fundraiser information. Many of the costume pictures are up on our Facebook page, and they should be posted to the website soon, as well. We will be letting you know what accessories you will need soon as well so you can start getting those together.

Fundraiser: We will be starting our first fundraiser this month. We will be doing a Scentsy fundraiser from October 17th – November 18th. (We will be doing a cookie dough fundraiser from February 1 – 25th.) You are welcome to do both fundraisers, or pick just one. We are doing the Scentsy fundraiser before Christmas so people can buy the products to give as Christmas gifts. You will receive 25% of sales from the Scentsy fundraiser and 50% from the cookie dough. I will be sending home packets the week of the 17th. You will have a family packet, not one per dancer. Please read all the information in the packet completely to understand to fundraiser. This fundraiser will help to pay for costumes, and the cookie dough fundraiser can help pay for competition fees, any tuition left for the year, or towards warm-ups, t-shirts and bags! Please watch for the fundraiser packets soon! Please remember that fundraisers are optional, but they DO help offset the cost of costumes and competition fees.

Registration forms: I am still missing several registration forms. Please return those to me asap! If you have lost yours, I will be more than happy to give you another. It is crucial to have information on hand. Also, if your information happens to change throughout the year, please let me know.

Halloween: Monday, October 31st is Halloween! We WILL have class that day, and we encourage your dancers to wear their costume if they would like to.

Statements: Statements are attached to this letter. If you ever want your statement emailed to you, please feel free to let me know by emailing me at dancerandylynn@gmail.com with your dancers name(s) and I will send it to you. You are also welcome to email me with and questions or concerns you might have. Any highlighted amounts are amounts that are due.

Calendar: An October calendar is on the back of this letter. It will also be posted on the website and hung in the studio.

If you have any questions, please let me know. Thanks!!

Andrea Olsen, 801-836-6167

Malerie Bourne, Nicole Taylor