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This year we have implemented a $60.00 registration fee. The fee includes streaming access to your dancer’s year end performances.
It has been our experience (40+ years) that you will have greater success with your children during their first week back at dance if you properly prepare them.
This means:
- Please arrive a few minutes early so you can find out where they go before their lesson begins.
- Make sure they have used the washroom so they don’t have to leave the class.
- Make sure they have the appropriate dance wear for the particular class.
- Make sure they have the proper shoes for the class.
- Make sure their hair is off their face either a ponytail or bun (for ballet).
- Make sure they have a water bottle labelled with their name.
- Age 6 & under – they need a small sticker book to take to class as at the end of every lesson they receive stickers.
Proper Attire – Girls
Ballet – any colour bodysuit, pink tights, pink ballet shoes, skirt optional, hair in a bun
Tap – dance wear tight fitting, black tap shoes, hair in a ponytail. Age 8 & up oxford style tap shoes.
Jazz – dance wear tight fitting, black jazz shoes, hair in a ponytail.
Acro – body suit, shorts, hair in a ponytail, barefeet
Musical Theatre – dance wear, black jazz shoes, hair in a ponytail.
Hip Hop – sweatpants or shorts, t-shirt, hair in a ponytail, clean, dry running shoes.
Silks – bodysuit, leggings, hair in a ponytail, bare feet.
Ballroom – dance wear tight fitting, ballroom shoes, hair in a ponytail.
Lyrical – dance wear, 1/2 sole shoes or foot undies, hair in a ponytail.
Boys – for all classes
– black shorts or sweat pants
– white t-shirt
All shoes black – ballet, tap, jazz & ballroom
Hip Hop – clean dry running shoes
Bare feet – acro & silks
Lyrical – foot undies
Thanks!
We have a per-dancer discount this year. Each dancer’s second class per month is 20% off and each dancer’s fifth class per month is 45% off.
From many years of experience we know that we need to place costume orders before the end of November so that we are guaranteed that they arrive on time for the year end shows in June. Usually by November 1st we have already placed many of the orders, and after November 1st we will very quickly be placing the rest of the orders.
Returns of costumes after we have placed the order is not possible – even if the particular manufacturer accepts returns, the shipping and customs fees are never refundable. This is why after November 1st we can’t provide refunds.
Although you can pay for the costumes ahead of the November 1st deadline using our customer portal at http://portal.danceexpress.ca we will automatically process the fees to the card/acct on file on November 1st.
The costume fees are currently
$82 for a class with the majority of children <9 years old.
$97 for a class with the majority of children 9+ years old.
$105 for competition costumes.
For competition we generally order slightly higher quality costumes so that the children are wearing the same quality costumes as the children they are competing against from other studios.
Younger children’s sizes and types of costumes are generally less expensive than the older children’s costumes – that difference happens around the sizes that an average 9 year old would wear so we made that the determining factor for the class costume fee.
The number one factor that determines costume prices is that we import them from the USA.
Unfortunately there is no Canadian costume manufacturer that can provide costumes for us – believe us when we say we have tried. If there was a viable Canadian alternative we would love to use it.
There are some Canadian distributors but ordering the costumes from them would result in the same or higher cost than ordering from the US.
So included in the cost of the costume fee that you pay is:
- The costume price.
- The USD/CAD currency differential.
- International shipping.
- Insurance.
- Customs brokerage fee.
- Canadian taxes/duties.
Credit card is our preferred payment method. We accept Visa and Mastercard as automatic payment methods. (You can add them yourself in our secure parent portal if you like.)
We also accept PAD (pre-authorized chequing account debit) if you can provide a voided cheque and sign one of our PAD agreement forms available at the front desk.
Despite the fees for businesses accepting credit cards, our automatic billing system drastically reduces administrative costs and allows us to keep prices under control for everyone. After September we will no longer accept payments at the front desk for any classes. What we CAN do at the front desk is help you add a credit card to your account, or take a void cheque and signed PAD agreement form to add to our system.
We prefer credit cards over PAD agreements simply because refunds and approvals are immediate with credit card and take several days with PAD. However PAD is fine for people seeking an alternative to using a credit card.
We fix billing issues quickly – if you notice any charges that appear incorrect contact us and we will investigate it and make it right!
Some people prefer to pay for the entire year in September – for annual payments, Interac or cheque as well as credit card are acceptable.
46 years! Dance Express started in a small home studio in 1978.
Yes.
When you visit our customer portal here: http://portal.danceexpress.ca you are logging in directly to our “Cloud” database at Jackrabbit Technologies. Their site hosts the data of many studios across North America and complies with an industry standard for the credit card payment industry known as PCI. All data you enter there is as safe as it can be – they follow the same standard that banks follow to keep your electronic data safe. Here is a link to their compliance certificate:
On some parts of our own website we process payments using Stripe – the DVD order form for example. In those cases, Stripe receives and processes your credit card info through our website.  We do not retain credit card payment information on our site, but Stripe does in order to process your payment. For more information visit their website here:
We do not keep your credit card number stored on any of our computers at Dance Express Inc. It is only stored in the cloud on their secure servers.
In addition, ALL information you submit through this website is encrypted using SSL. Our green COMODO trust logo appears at the bottom of every page (in the footer) and verifies that our encryption certificate is valid.
We sure do:
Bottom line: We don’t sell your information and we do our best to keep it safe.
This is one of the most common questions we get as other studios frequently have their schedule posted online. There are three main reasons but most relate to the size of our studio.
- Because we have such a large studio we have multiple classes for each age group and type of dance. We find the children do their best and enjoy themselves the most when we are able to match the skill levels of the students. Beginners feel less anxiety and advanced students feel more challenged. This is also why we ask for “years of exerience” on the registration form.
- Year end shows depend on which days the child dances. When we schedule your child, we put effort into minimizing the number of year end shows they will need to dance in and also minimizing the number of days per week they come to dance classes.
- After your child has been dancing for at least a year we have probably gotten to know them. We have been in business for 40 years and have extensive experience knowing which class would be the best fit for your child. The directors make these decisions with the best interest of your child in mind in consultation with their teachers.
Remember, our number one goal is to make sure your child enjoys dancing. We have every interest in making sure that happens each and every year. Everything we do INCLUDING scheduling is targeted to that goal.