WELCOME TO MERRILEE STUDIOS!

This is our 31st year of teaching excellence in dance and acrobatics. We're happy to have you as a part of our studio. Please remember that if you have a question, there is only one way to get an answer - ASK. If your child's teacher or the receptionist doesn't know, then a note will be written to Mary, and you will be called with an answer. Communication is very important - let's keep the lines open so we can give your child the best possible training in dance and acrobatics. Mary is in the studio on Tuesdays and Thursdays (she teaches dance at ICC on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays), so if you are there on Tuesday or Thursday, please ask her in person.

WHAT WE OFFER

CLASSES FOR PRESCHOOLERS AND KINDERGARTENERS - Tap, ballet, and acrobatics

We limit these classes to 12 children taught by the teacher, one assistant, and possibly one helper. If children are making up from another class, the number may go over 12 for that particular lesson. Preschool classes are on Monday mornings and evenings and Wednesday evenings. Kindergarten age classes are on Monday and Tuesday evenings.

CLASSES IN TAP for the beginner student in two levels in thirty minute classes and for intermediate, and advanced students in forty-five minute classes.

CLASSES IN CLASSICAL BALLET AND POINTE - Ballet for the early beginner student in half hour classes, late beginner and intermediate students in forty-five minute classes, for the advanced students (at three levels) in hour classes and hour and a half classes, and pointe classes only for advanced ballet dancers.

This will be the twelfth year that Merrilee Studios is teaching exclusively Vaganova (Russian) ballet technique. This technique has a goal of teaching your child complete body control in the same way the schools teach your child to read - one step at a time. The results are phenomenal. If your child is in first grade or older and is enrolled in a ballet class, I would highly suggest a second class each week. Ballet is much like sports; it is much easier to become proficient if you practice and take class more than once a week. If your child is serious about ballet, you should consider this second class.

CLASSES IN JAZZ for the beginner in thirty minute classes and for the intermediate and advanced students in forty-five minute classes.

CLASSES IN ACROBATICS - This is the ninth year that all of the tumbling classes are taught according to the guidelines set up by the American Athletic Union and the United States Tumbling Association. This will encourage your child to tumble with more precision. All first grade and older classes are forty-five minutes. As in ballet, a second class each week will help your child progress at a much more rapid pace.

CLASSES IN HIP HOP OR STREET JAZZ for those who are at least eight years old. This is a one half hour class for beginners, intermediates and advanced students. We highly recommend all hip hop students to take a jazz class.

CLASSES IN MODERN DANCE for those ten and older who have had at least one year of ballet. (This is the last year for this requirement. Next year it will change to require the student to also take a ballet class concurrent with the modern class.) Modern dance is an offshoot of ballet and therefore, requires a ballet background.

CLASS IN THEATRE DANCE - Some of our students have enjoyed the Theatre Dance class this summer and in past summers and they have requested that we offer a class during the school year. So we will offer one.  The children will need to be at least 8 years old and be currently registered in a jazz or ballet class.

PRIVATE LESSONS - This year, Dan and Lida will have time in their schedules for private lessons in jazz, tap, or tumbling. If you are interested, please leave your name at the desk.

SPECIAL DISCOUNT - All boys ten years of age and older taking two or more classes per week will receive a 50 % discount

WEB SITE - Please visit it at http://www.merrileestudios.com/

Also, if you are buying anything from amazon.com, please go through the Merrilee Studios web site. It will not cost you anything, but will bring in a small amount of revenue that can be used to support the website.

EMAIL ADDRESSES - I would like to email as many of the monthly newsletters that I can. In early August I sent out an email and asked that you respond if you would like to continue to receive your newsletters by email. If you did not receive the email or if you didn’t respond then, but would still like to receive your newsletters by email, please leave your name and email address (clearly printed) at the desk. One of the advantages of having your newsletter emailed to you is that you will always get it.

SCENT FREE DANCE STUDIO - All students and parents are asked not to wear perfume, cologne, or scented lotions in the studio. Mary has asthma that is set off by these scents. In talking to people about this problem, it seems that there are many others who have a similar problem, so we ask your cooperation to have a totally scent free studio. (I know that everyone thinks that their perfume isn’t strong. If someone has a sensitivity to it, believe me, even the smallest amount is too much.)

DANCE SUPPLIES - Dance supplies are sold in the studio. We have all of the shoes that your child will need in stock. We have leotards on consignment, which means that they will change every four weeks. We also have tights, legwarmers, and dance bags. All merchandise is 10% off during one week in October (Midnight Madness - October 22-25), during the month of December, and during the summer classes.

BRING A FRIEND TO CLASS - During the week of September 10-13 we are having a "bring a friend to class" week. This means that when your child comes to class, he/she may bring a friend who will take the class with your child. This is only for this week.

BIRTHDAY PARTIES - Merrilee Studios now does birthday parties. Please see the attached sheet. Pick a package, pick a theme, and we do the work for you to create a very special party for your favorite little dancer.  Talk to Lida or Mary about these fun parties.

STUDIO POLICIES

1. Each month you will receive a newsletter similar to this one. (I hope to be able to email most of the newsletters.) It will tell you about studio happenings, etc. It will be given to your child the 4th week of every 4 week period (or it will be emailed to you the weekend before the 4^th week). If you do not have email, please ask your child for this newsletter or look in his/her dance bag. If your child is absent the week newsletters go home, yours will be mailed to you. Please read it.

2. Tuition is due for your child the first week of every four week period. Any one who has not paid for his/her classes by 9:00 p.m. on Thursday of the third week (of the 4 week period) will be charged a $10.00 late fee. (Last year I increased the last fee from $5 to $10. The number of people who owed each month dropped to about one third of what it was before. A few people were upset by the late fee. I am really sorry, but where else do you have three weeks from the due date to pay before you are assessed a fee?)

3. Credit cannot be given for missed classes. Your child's absence from class does not reduce the cost of operating the studio on that day. You do have the option of making up the missed class(es).

4. Classes will be cancelled for three holidays: Monday, September 3 for Labor Day, Wednesday, October 31 for Halloween, and Thursday, November 22 for Thanksgiving Day. These missed classes can be made up (see section on makeup lessons) or they can be forfeited. Credit will not be given for these days.

   Other Monday school holidays will NOT be considered holidays for the dance studio. Lessons will be held as scheduled.

5. If your child must miss a class, we would appreciate a phone call. A missed lesson may be forfeited or it may be made up. There is a list on the wall in the studio office of makeup lesson times. If your child comes to take a makeup lesson, please tell the teacher that your child has come for a makeup. Otherwise the teacher may not realize that your child is there, and your child may miss the lesson. The decision to makeup or forfeit is yours, but credit cannot be given for missed lessons. A list of the makeup times will be available for you to take home by the 4^th week of classes. This list will be a tentative list. Please check the office copy for updates.

6. All students are expected to wear the proper dance clothing by the third week of lessons.

   • Female students should wear a leotard and dance tights. Short ballet skirts or tight fitting boxers are allowed. Skirts should be mid thigh or shorter. Close fitting cami tops or baby T’s are allowed over leotards. Gaucho pants are not allowed.
   • Male students should wear a T shirt with bike pants or shorts. In the cooler weather, sweats are allowed for the male students. Loose fitting shirts will not be allowed.
   • All long hair must be tied back. No jewelry should be worn to class. No perfumes, lotions, or colognes should be worn to class.
   • Preschool and kindergarten tap students need black patent leather tap shoes.
   • Tap 1 and Tap 2 students need the tan tap shoe with one strap.
   • Intermediate and advanced tap students need the black jazz tap shoes.
   • Ballet students need pink ballet shoes.
   • Acrobatics students need white acrobatic shoes, and once your child begins aerials, he/she will need the better acro shoe that gives more secure footing.
   • All jazz students need tan jazz shoes.
   • Pointe students need pink pointe shoes.
   • Hip hop students need the black jazz sneaker.
   • Modern students need modern shoes
   • Dance team students need white tennis shoes.
   • Theatre Dance students need character shoes.

7. If the Metamora Grade School District cancels school for bad weather, there will be no lessons that day. If school is dismissed early for bad weather, there will probably be lessons that day. You can call to be sure. In the case of an early dismissal of schools, a miss by your child will not affect his/her Perfect Attendance. If lessons are cancelled for the day, they can be made up or forfeited, but will not count against perfect attendance. Lesson cancellations WILL NOT be called in to local TV and radio stations. Just remember the rule that if Metamora Grade School cancels school for the day because of bad weather, we will not have class. WHEN IN DOUBT, CALL.

8. A Perfect Attendance ribbon will be presented to every child who attends or makes up all classes in any one subject from August 27 through the middle of April. Your child's name will also be listed in the revue program. Those who achieve ten years, fifteen, and twenty years of perfect attendance will receive a plaque. If your child takes more than one class, only one must be made up for perfect attendance. Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving Day, and bad weather days do not have to be made up for perfect attendance.

9. Parents are invited to observe the last five minutes of all 3, 4, and 5 year old classes and all dance classes. Parents are also invited to observe the entire class the 4th week of every four week period of school-age acrobatics classes. Following this schedule will insure that your child receives the very best lesson, and you will be able to observe the progress made. If this does not fit into your schedule, please talk to your child's teacher. We want parents to feel welcome, but your child will do sooo much better if you do not observe the entire class every week.

10. Waiting Room - While the children are in classes, the parents are invited to wait for them in the office. We know that this area does get very congested.

    The small room beyond the first teaching room (what we call the "kitchen") is available for parents to wait.  I hope you will be able to make the best of this situation.

    In order to make the parents more comfortable, by making the office larger, we would have to sacrifice some space in the first teaching room. This would be counterproductive to our goal of giving your child the best dance education possible. I’m afraid in this case, the children must come first.

    Also, when walking through the first teaching room to any of the other rooms, the bathrooms, or the "kitchen", please walk outside of the box on the floor that is formed by tape. This will cause the least amount of disruption to the children in the first teaching room.

    Also, because of the disruption that sometimes happens while teaching in the first room, we teach most of the baby dance classes in the third room downstairs. This room is isolated and has no disruptions. Therefore, your child will be better able to learn and concentrate. The Monday morning classes and the Wednesday evening classes will be taught upstairs because the studio is reasonably quiet at those times.

    When waiting for your child in the office or the "kitchen," please talk quietly.

11. Wet or dirty shoes Please leave your wet/dirty shoes in the office before walking through the first teaching room. Water and/or dirt make the floor very slippery and dangerous for the dancers. I thank you for your cooperation.

12. Dance supplies are sold in the studios. We offer a complete supply of tap, ballet, jazz, acrobatic, modern, hip hop, and pointe shoes. We will be getting character shoes for the theatre dance classes in stock soon. We also have tights in suntan, pink, black, white, and black mesh.

    We have leotards in every size and many styles in the studio on consignment. This means that the supply will totally change every 4 weeks.

    Dance supplies also include leg warmers, dance bags, and dance supporters for the older boys.

13. Used shoe box We also offer a used shoes box. If you wish to sell a pair of shoes, put your child's name on both shoes, the amount you want for the shoes, securely tie them together, and put them in the used shoes box. (Shoes only, please) No ziplock bags. The shoes will be taken out of the bags to be tried on and most people will not put them back in the bags. *Please note that we have had shoes disappear from this box. Put them in the box at your own risk.

    If your shoes are sold, you will receive your money minus 5% for the studio.

14. Solos, duos, trios in the spring, 2008 recital Those who took at least three weekly summer classes or the dance camp and who are taking at least three classes each week during this school year (beginning during this first month of lessons), are eligible to do a solo, duo, or trio in the dance recital in the spring of 2008. More information will be in future newsletters.

15. Those who take preacro As most of you know, we do not include the ones who take a half hour acrobatics class in the dance recital in the spring. Because of this, we feel that they have nothing concrete to show at the end of the year. Of course they have the tumbling skills that they have learned, but they don't get to hear the applause and have the fun of performing in the show.

    To give them something more concrete, at the last lesson in May, we will present each child who takes the half hour acrobatics class with a certificate, and we will list the names of those who have taken this class in the dance recital program book. This will give some recognition to these children. This is not a perfect attendance certificate, so misses are allowed.

16. Parking Parking is available along the street and in the lot behind the American Legion. It is also available in the lot next to the newspaper office. This lot is owned by the funeral home. If a Mason Funeral Home sign is up at the entrance to the lot, this means that the funeral home needs to use their lot. Please respect them and do not park there.

17. Dancer/Tumbler of the Month/Year Each month Mary will pick one child to be Dancer of the Month and Dan will pick one child to be Tumbler of the Month. From these, one Dancer of the Year and one Tumbler of the Year will be chosen at the dance recital in May. The following criteria will be used in making these selections: the student must be at least ten years of age, must have good attendance and attitude, must show improvement in skills and signs of home practice, must dress properly for class.

    A child may be chosen only once in a school year, but may be Dancer of the Month and Tumbler of the Month in the same school year. Those chosen cannot be teachers but may be demonstrators, aides, and/or teaching assistants.

    The awards received for being Dancer and Tumbler of the Month include the child's picture on display in the studio, name in the revue program, and eligibility for Dancer or Tumbler of the Year.

    The awards received for being Dancer and Tumbler of the Year include a trophy, name on the plaque in the studio, and $50 worth of merchandise.

18. The Lydia M. Moritz Scholarship As many of you know, my mother, Lydia M. Moritz, passed away in March, 1999. She was a lifelong advocate of the arts and because of her dedication to my arts education, I set up a scholarship in her name. Brittney Kuehn was the first recipient of this scholarship, Emily Rowden was the second, Meagan Davis was the third, Leah Zulz was the fourth, Samantha Cremer the fifth, Katy Crenshaw the sixth, Margaret Greenhalgh the seventh, and Julia Burns was last year’s recipient. The recipient this year is Clare Maksimovich. Each year at the dance recital I will announce the recipient for the next year. The following criteria will be used to make the selection:

    The student must be at least ten years of age and a dance student at Merrilee Studios for at least the two preceding years, must be a serious ballet student, must have good attendance and attitude, must show signs of home practice and an improvement in skills, must dress properly for class, must show the importance of dance in his/her life, must submit a written composition during the month of April stating why he/she should receive the scholarship.

    The chosen recipient is expected to take classes the summer before the scholarship year and will receive ALL dance classes for the next school year free of tuition.

    If your child is interested in this scholarship, he/she must work for it throughout the year.

19. The Edmund F. Moritz Memorial Award As many of you know, my dad passed away in November, 2003. My mother may have taken me to many classes, but my dad paid for them and my many costumes. In his memory, I would like to offer another award to be made each spring at the dance recital. This will allow a child to have $200 worth of costumes paid for by the award. The following criteria will be used:

    The child must be at least six years of age and have taken classes in the studio for at least one year including summers. The child must also take 3 or more dance classes during the award year. The parent of the child applying for the award must write a short paragraph telling why the award would be helpful. As with the other award, this is due no later than May 1.  The winner will be announced at the dance recital. This year’s recipients are Madalyn and Abigail Bachman.

20. Spring Recital Showtime 2008 will be held in the theatre at MTHS.  The tentative dates are as follows: dress rehearsal date - Friday, May 16 beginning at 6:00 p.m.; the shows - Saturday, May 17 at 6:00 p.m. and Sunday, May 18 beginning at 2:00 pm.

DANCE CLASSES NOT ONLY TEACH YOUR CHILD TO DANCE, BUT ALSO GIVE YOUR CHILD DISCIPLINE

BETTER CONCENTRATION

FLEXIBILITY AND MUSCLE STRENGTH FOR A HEALTHY BODY,

SELF ESTEEM

AN APPRECIATION OF THE ARTS.

SPORTS WILL GIVE YOUR CHILD SOME BENEFITS

BUT THE ART OF DANCE WILL BE WITH YOUR CHILD FOREVER.

MERRILEE STUDIOS

THE PLACE FOR HAPPY DANCERS!

MOTIVATING YOUNG MINDS TO BE THE BEST THAT THEY CAN BE!

MERRILEE STUDIOS CALENDAR 2007-2008 SCHOOL YEAR

This schedule is subject to change.

* If you would like to pay each month on costumes, I will keep track of your payments and this will lessen your total costume payment in January.

** The acrobatic classes do not wear costumes in the dance recital. We order leotards for the girls and shirts and shorts for the boys. (The ½ hour preacro classes do not perform in the recital.)

Copyright © 2001 through 2007 Merrilee Studios.
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