Connecticut Concert Ballet: School Policies

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Welcome to Connecticut Concert Ballet!  We hope you will find the following informative and helpful.  If you ever have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact us.   Click on the following topics for more information:

Registration

Scholarships

Attendance

Missed Classes

Cancellations

Waiting Area

Where to Find Important Information

Behavior

Parent Observation

Class Level Placements

Class Level Requirements & Recommendations

Information Regarding Phases of Development

General Guidelines for Parents

Registration

Registrations will be held at both CCB studios before the start of each semester.  Students who wish to join the school in the middle of a semester can make arrangements by calling the school.  For more information, please feel free to contact us.

Scholarships

Connecticut Concert Ballet awards partial scholarships on the basis of financial status and talent.  All scholarship students will be required to meet certain responsibilities and criteria and will be expected to participate in our work/study program.  Please stop by the front desk for an application.  Applications must be received by September 12 to be considered for scholarships for the 2011/2012 school year.

Attendance

• All students are expected to attend classes regularly and on time. Students should arrive at least 10 minutes before the start of their class.  Students who arrive more than 15 minutes late for their class may be asked to sit and observe.  Without a proper warm-up, a student can be seriously injured!
• Students should be picked up within fifteen minutes of the end of their classes.
• Please notify the studio by calling (860)643-4796 in advance of a class absence.

Missed Classes

Missed or cancelled classes may be made up at any time during the semester in another class of the same level or one level above or below.  No advance notification is required to make up a class.

Cancellations

CCB will make a decision to cancel classes due to inclement weather at least 2 hours before the start of that day’s classes.  Please call the main office at (860)643-4796 and check the voice mail message for cancellation announcements.

Waiting Area

The waiting area is available to parents while students are attending classes and rehearsals.  Please keep young children supervised and quiet in the waiting area.  All students must remain inside the building when waiting to be picked up.  Students are not allowed in the parking area unsupervised.

Where to Find Important Information

All studio info is sent out to CCB families via email. Please be sure to check these emails regularly for important information. Students and parents should also check the bulletin board regularly for notices, schedules and other important information.

Behavior

Polite and respectful behavior is expected of all students, parents and siblings at all times, both at CCB and when participating in any off site event, performance or excursion.

Parent Observation

We feel that students achieve the most success when parents do not observe each class. It is important for the student to develop a sense of independence and build a relationship with the teacher. Parent Observation week will be held half-way through each semester. We encourage all parents to come and observe classes this week.

Class Level Placements

The Artistic Directors and faculty at CCB are committed to the technical and artistic growth of their students.  They strive to bring each dancer to their individual peak potential in a supportive and nurturing environment.  In keeping with this philosophy, the placement policies at CCB are geared to the individual student.  Students are initially placed in Pre-ballet and Primary levels by age.  Initial class placement for new students for all other levels will be based on both age and previous experience.  The students’ progress is then continually evaluated and promotion to the next level is made on an individual basis.  Written evaluations will be sent to the parents at the end of each semester.  

At CCB, we are very concerned with the proper and safe advancement of all of our students.  We wish to be sure that a student is both physically and mentally ready to advance before they are moved to the next level.  It is essential that the body be in proper alignment and the muscles well strengthened before more complex exercises are undertaken.  If dancers advance too quickly proper technique is not established, bad habits are formed, and injuries can easily occur.

Class Level Requirements & Recommendations

BALLET:
Pre-Ballet students must be toilet-trained.
Level 2 students are strongly encouraged to attend two ballet classes per week.
Level 3 students are required to attend a minimum of two ballet classes per week and the Pre/Beg Pointe class.
Level 4 and 5 students are required to attend a minimum of three ballet classes per week and the Level 4/5 Pointe class.

POINTE:
Students must have had a minimum of three to four years of early ballet training to achieve the required strength, balance and coordination needed for purposeful pointe work.  Prolonged early training also serves to slowly introduce stresses to the bones of the feet, allowing them to build strength and density.  A student who begins serious training at the age of 8 or 9 – and who has the necessary prerequisite range of motion in her feet and ankles – is usually ready to begin pointe training at the age of 11-13.  Children mature and develop at different rates, so at CCB students are evaluated by the Artistic Directors and given permission to begin pointe work on an individual basis. All students who are on pointe must attend a minimum of two ballet classes per week and a Pointe class.  

JAZZ/MODERN:
In order to give all of our dancers the most well-rounded dance education, we strongly encourage all of our students (especially those in Level 2 and up) to attend a class in Jazz and/or Modern Dance.

Information Regarding Phases of Development

Our teachers play a vital role in the physical and emotional growth of our young dancers.  We feel that having an understanding of a young dancer’s emotional development is vital to building healthy relationships with our students and creating a positive atmosphere for them to learn in.  Parents can help in this endeavor by understanding the emotional development of their child.  Here are some general guidelines to help parents play a positive role in their child’s dance training:

•    1-5 YEARS OLD
Setting consistent and clear limits helps to maintain the child’s safety and teach appropriate and acceptable behavior.  These limits will provide the foundation for the autonomy that will emerge in later years.  Encourage your child’s attempt to become separate, and share in his/her fun.

•    11-14 YEARS OLD
Parents should set boundaries with and for their children.  They should be role models for appropriate behavior, and teach coping strategies like deep breathing and refocusing.  The focus should be on the process, not the outcome, of their child’s endeavors.  Parents can put situations – especially disappointments – into perspective without coaching or hovering over their child.  They should provide an opportunity for their child to communicate with them.  

•    15-20 YEARS OLD
Parents should be supportive.  They should allow their child to drive some of the decisions she/he will be making.  Parents should reframe disappointing situations, and not coach.  They should create an open environment for their child to communicate with them.

General Guidelines for Parents

• Our teachers are responsible for the children only during the class.  All students must be accompanied by an adult until the class begins and must be picked up promptly when the class ends.  Most classes run back to back and teachers cannot monitor children in the waiting area.

• For children under 6, at least one parent or caregiver must stay in the waiting area during the class in case of an emergency.  If you can’t stay with your child please make arrangements with another parent.

• To maximize your child’s learning experience please refrain from addressing issues with individual instructors before, during or after class.  Please call the Artistic Directors at (860)643-4796 and we will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

• To assure proper body alignment and placement, instructors may need to physically adjust a dancer’s body.