Are there special clothes and/or shoes i need for class?
Yes! Proper attire and footwear assure dancers can move freely and safely in class and allows instructors to check for correct alignment and technique. If you are new to dance or a certain style, it is ok if you don’t have the specific gear right away! Any athletic clothing and bare feet, socks, or sneakers (depending on the class) are totally fine temporarily.
We recommend Second Skin Shop in Marquette for all your dancewear needs!
Ballet - Leotard, tights, and canvas or leather ballet shoes are required. Ballet skirts, spandex shorts, legwarmers, and other accessories are optional. Hair should be pulled into a secure bun. During our regular season, each level has their own color as part of their dress code (summer season has no color restrictions):
Creative Movement and Fundamentals - any color
Ballet 1 - light pink
Ballet 2 - light blue
Ballet 3 - purple (any shade)
Ballet 4 - burgundy
Ballet 5 - black
Ballet 6 - any color/pattern
Jazz - Leotard or form fitting top, leggings or yoga pants, and jazz shoes are required. Hair should be pulled securely off the face.
Modern - Leotard or form fitting top, leggings or yoga pants, and bare feet are required. Hair should be pulled securely off the face.
Hip Hop - Comfortable athletic clothing and CLEAN sneakers or hip hop shoes are required. Hair should be pulled securely off the face.
Tap - Comfortable athletic clothing and tap shoes (any style) are required. Hair should be pulled securely off the face.
Taking a dance class online is very different from in person, but can be just as fun! Here are a few pointers and things to keep in mind:
Make sure you have a decent space to move in. It doesn’t need to be huge, just make sure you’re not going to bump into anything!
If you can, wear footwear appropriate for class, but adjust as needed for the floor you are on
Ballet - soft ballet shoes or socks
Jazz - jazz shoes, ballet shoes, or socks
Modern - bare feet (socks may be necessary if you are on carpet)
Hip Hop - sneakers or hip hop shoes
Tap - tap shoes (you can lay down a plywood board to tap on if you don’t have a surface that works at home, wear a different type of shoe that won’t damage your floor, or just be ok with not making as much sound as you normally would!)
Dress for class as you would if you were in the studio! That generally means form fitting clothing (so your instructor can see your body and give appropriate feedback) and hair pulled neatly back and off the face.
During class, your teacher will have everyone muted to reduce extra noise and distractions. If you have a question, just wave your hand in front of your camera and the teacher will unmute you.
All of our classes are recorded on Zoom (teacher view only) and are available by request only to dancers who have booked the class. This is a great resource if you missed a class you booked or were having internet connectivity issues that made class difficult.
what do i need to know before taking an online class?
We are located at 417 Quincy St on the 4th floor (top level) with our offices in room 411. Parking is available on Quincy St, Ryan St, and a parking lot on the East side of the building. Pick-up and drop-off only can also be done via the 3rd floor entrance on North side of the building (take Ravine St up and around).
I’m having a hard time finding the studio. Where are you located?
Can i join at any time during the year?
That depends!
Are you interested in taking a Drop-In Class or Private Lesson? Then yes, these classes are open to new students all year.
Are you interested in a technique class (Ballet 1, Hip Hop 4, etc) during our regular season, September-May? We accept new students through January 1.
If you are interested in enrolling after January 1, please contact us. We order costumes for our Spring Production in January, so students enrolling after that date may or may not be able to get a costume in time due to long processing and delivery times.
Summer Dance runs June through August with registration opening up in May. We offer drop-in classes as well as intensives for all ages and levels, with no cutoff deadline for registration.
Nope! All technique classes during our regular season (excluding drop-in classes) perform in our Spring Production, however, if a student can’t participate or does not want to participate, they can opt out.
Do i have to participate in the Spring production?
can i try out a class before officially registering?
Absolutely! If you are new to dance or new to the studio, we definitely recommend coming to check things out and taking a drop-in class before officially enrolling in our regular season. Please contact us at ssodinfo@gmail.com if you would like more information. If you do enroll and later change your mind and want to switch classes, that’s not a problem. (Just keep in mind date restrictions mentioned above).
How do I know what Level to take? how do I move up to the next level?
Contact us and we can give you an idea of a good place to start. If you are new to SSOD our teachers will see how you do in your first class and figure out if that’s the right level for you or if you need to switch.
Throughout the year, our teachers do assessments. Assessment is based on curriculum requirements set for each level. We have a mid-year assessment that gives some feedback on how students are doing and lets them know if they need to change levels at that time. End-of-year assessments give the same type of feedback and also give recommendations for summer and fall classes for each student. All assessments are emailed directly to parents individually.
As we have a maximum of 4-6 levels for each style, it is totally normal and expected for dancers to stay in a level for multiple years. Everyone progresses at their own speed!
Do i have to stay with my child during class? are parents allowed in the room?
You don’t have to stay with your child during class! Feel free to drop off and go run errands or do whatever you need to do. If you do want to stay, the doors have windows and are often open so you can peek in.
We do not allow parents in the room while classes are going on (unless there is some sort of extenuating circumstance). This is to keep the kids focused on what they are doing and reduce disruptions. I know it’s tempting to step in and remind your kid to pay attention or stop poking their classmate, but please leave it to our teachers during class time. If we need your assistance for an ongoing issue, we will let you know.
Where do I access past email newsletters?
All of our SSOD Dance Newsletters come out through MailChimp and you can access the archive anytime. If you want to sign up or think there is an issue, then email the studio: ssodinfo@gmail.com