FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions

1) Q. How many children are there in a class? Answer

2) Q. Do you follow school terms or are the classes arranged differently? Answer

3) Q. How many classes are there in one term? Answer

4) Q. Is it alright to start in the middle of the term, or should I wait until after the end of next holiday to register? Answer

5) Q. Do you go on holding classes during the school holidays? Answer

6) Q. What sort of dance wear should we bring for the first class? Answer

7) Q. Do you give private tuition? Answer

8) Q. Why do you refuse to take pupils if they are already at other schools and simply want to augment the work? Answer

1) A. The Classical Dance Studios takes twelve children in one class. The reason for
this is that we consider it important for each child to be able to relate to the
teacher and for the teacher to be able to build a thorough working relationship
with the youngsters in the group. The only time we allow any greater number
than twelve is when a child in the class wants a friend to join. We do allow this
to happen, but only four times in any one group. Then we split the class into two
with eight children in each. This policy is in place in order to enable both the
original child and the friend to settle more easily, because the social encounters
are just as important to these children as the actual dancing.

2) A. We aim to follow the same school terms as the dates within the school systems.
There are likely to be some changes soon, however, as the schools within some
authorities are changing to a six term year in September, 2004. The best advice
we can offer at the moment is to suggest that you "watch this space"!

3) A. At the moment, we have twelve classes, one per week, spread over thirteen weeks
with a half-term break coinciding with the education authorities' dates.

4) A. Our advice would be to "strike while the iron is hot". In other words, if the child
is keen to begin now, do so. Sometimes, a wait of a couple of weeks is enough
to kill the child's enthusiasm.

5) A. Usually, we take the same holidays as the children's ordinary schools, but we are
intending to start holiday clubs and an annual summer school.
Watch this space!

6) A. Your child will be happiest if he/she is wearing clothes, which allow for
comfortable movement. Girls are recommended to wear leggings or cycle
shorts with a sweatshirt or T-shirt and a pair of socks to help keep their ankles
warm. Boys are usually happiest if they have a pair of sports shorts with a
sweatshirt and, like the girls, a warm pair of socks.
The Classical Dance Studios runs a dance wear service and can order everything
that your child will need, from top to toe. This way, the cost is kept to a
minimum and the fit will be right.

7) A. We don't recommend private lessons for young children as they have to develop
at their own pace and the technique does the same. A private lesson is rather a
lonely experience and the social aspects of a group class offer the child much
more fan.
We do offer private lessons, however, to serious students who are used to
visiting us from vocational schools. There, they dance every day and they
come to us for extra coaching, often during the holidays, at the suggestion of
their regular teachers.

8) A. This is a matter of ethics as well as a practical consideration. The teaching of
classical ballet is a scientific art and the well-trained teacher should have had a
course of training involving anatomy, physiology and child psychology. The
pupil who comes to us will receive the benefits of our training in those subjects,
among others. Even when there are two or more qualified teachers working
with a child, it is possible to cause problems, simply because each teacher has
his/her own methods of reaching the required result. In our school, we are able
to attend staff meetings to discuss the best ways of helping our pupils. If the
child attends more than one school, communication such as this will not be
possible.
The other problem is that we are very keen to be as ethical as possible. The
child might decide to leave the other teacher without giving the required notice.
We have been known to refuse to accept a pupil when, to our knowledge, this
has happened.