STUDIO POLICIES

PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU AND YOUR DANCER(S) HAVE READ THIS PAGE BEFORE STARTING DANCE

DANCE CLASS DRESS CODE

Hair must be tied off the face in a ponytail, braid or bun.
Highland dance slippers (Highland Ghillies)*.
*For brand new dancers: a pair of soft dance slippers (ballet, jazz or highland).
Bodysuit or snug t-shirt or tank top.
Shorts, leggings or a skirt that is above the knee (no baggy sweat pants,sweaters or long skirts).
Knee high socks.
Bring a full water bottle
Bring your own dance swords (if you own them)
Bring practice skirt for national dances and jig
Dancers must have slippers on and be ready to dance as soon as class starts. (If you arrive very early, please wait with your dancer in the car, unless the instructor has arrived and the door is unlocked).

BASIC STUDIO RULES

No running in dance studio.
No gum, candy or food (unless special permission is given) at dance.
Dancers must show respect to their teachers and classmates at all times.
Cancellations: If class is cancelled for any reason you will be notified by email a minimum of one hour prior to class start time. If school is cancelled due to bad weather, dance is also cancelled, unless otherwise notified.
Observing Classes: Parents are not be permitted to sit in on group classes. This can be distracting and make other dancers in the class feel shy. During the last few minutes of class we will open the door and allow parents to see what the dancers are working on. Please arrive to class ontime, ideally 5 minutes before class starts.
Dancers are not permitted to take lessons from other highland dance teachers while registered with Hudson Highland Dancers, however;
Workshops are encouraged and highly recommended for competitive dancers.

GENERAL BEHAVIOUR
As written by the Scottish Official Board of Highland Dance (S.O.B.H.D) Code of Ethics:

Participants will display honesty, fairness and equality of opportunity in all relationships in association with Highland Dancing, this includes but is not limited to social network communication (e.g. Facebook).
Participants will not engage in behaviour that undermines the status and esteem of Highland Dancing.
Participants will recognise the authority of judges and other officials and treat them with courtesy and respect.
Participants will treat all other participants with courtesy and respect, whether successful in competition or not.
Participants will not discriminate between other participants on the grounds of sex, ethnic background, religion or ability.
Participants will respect the competence of teachers and judges and will not engage in public criticism; nor will participants be exposed to adverse public criticism. This includes but is not limited to verbal, textual or social networking communication.
Participants will not compromise the integrity of any competition result by seeking to influence any judge’s decision.
Participants will not actively persuade dancers to change teacher nor will participants seek to influence other participant’s choice of teacher.

PRACTICING AT HOME

Dancers should practice at home 3-5 times a week:
- Beginner Dancers: Practice at least 15-20 minutes.
- Novice and up: Practice at least 30-45 minutes.Buying a dance music CD from Heart of the Highlands (see link) is strongly recommended.

COSTUMING FOR COMPETITION AND RECITALS

Parents are responsible for aquairing proper dance attire and footwear for competition and performances. Please refer to the competition requirement page for details on what dancers must wear.
If required, dancers may borrow an outfit from Lindsey Hudson, for their first competition only, provided she has one available in thei dancer's size. Any damage to the garments must be immediatly reported, and must be paid for. Parent's are responsible for covering dry cleaning costs after the use of the costume. (Due to the high cost and sentimental value of the costumes, PLEASE do not take to the dry cleaner's yourself, Lindsey will take to one who deals with kilts and submit the receipt to you to reimburse).

Studio Policies