CD/FW’s mission is to develop the art, artists, and audience for Modern Dance through performance and education in schools and in the community.

CD/FW SCHOOL & STUDIOS
PHILOSOPHIES AND POLICIES

CREATIVITY: Classes at CD/FW include opportunities to exercise creativity and analytical skills through improvisation, choreography, and creative problem-solving. Students are expected to actively participate as artists, decision-makers, and collaborators. In addition to learning the fundamentals of proper technique, students have opportunities to express themselves through personal movement choices. Modern dance was founded on principles of individualism and self-expression with a spirit for exploration and adventure, and CD/FW celebrates that tradition.
EXCELLENCE: Classes are designed to provide excellent training in dance technique and expression. In addition, teachers emphasize efficient alignment and progressions to promote appropriate muscular and neurological development, along with injury prevention practices.

DRESS REQUIREMENTS: Fitted clothing, showing clean lines of the body, is expected (e.g. leotard and footless tights, or an athletic bra with leggings, or unitard). “Regular” clothes or leggings are fine as long as the clothing is fairly fitted and the student can move easily in the clothing – the teacher must be able to see the lines of the body easily to make sure that students are working with proper alignment. Individual teachers may specify dress rules for their classes. Exceptions are made for general adult classes, in which we would prefer that participants wear any clothing in which they feel comfortable, as long as it is not distracting to the teacher, or dangerous for the student.
FOOTWEAR: The majority of the classes taught at the studio are designed to be danced barefoot. Shoe requirements will vary depending on the class. All modern technique classes should be attended barefoot or in socks if it is cold weather. (Cotton socks work well – acrylic socks can be slippery and dangerous.) Students are expected to maintain appropriate foot hygiene – students with athlete’s foot, warts or other infections should NOT go barefoot, and should appropriately inform their teachers.
NEW RULE – NO GLITTER: Please do NOT wear clothing with “glitter” applied to the fabric – there are some new kinds of glitter on fabrics which are problematic – not only does the glitter drop off, but it sticks to the floor and cannot be easily removed. Glitter that is “enclosed” inside plastic/acrylic is fine.

TUITION PAYMENT POLICIES
Tuition is non-refundable. Check or money order payments are preferred. Cash should only be delivered in person and given directly to a CD/FW staff member by an adult. Credit card payments are not available at this time. Students are responsible for tuition for the entire semester in which they are enrolled. There are no credits for classes missed. After registering, students are obligated to pay the full tuition for that session, even if they stop attending before the end of the session. Students and parents should communicate directly with CD/FW staff regarding any injuries or illnesses which impact their attendance or participation. Students forced to withdraw due to a serious injury or prolonged illness may be permitted to apply credit to a future semester with appropriate proof of the condition and approval of the instructor. CD/FW reserves the right to modify the class schedule as needed. If a class does not meet a minimum enrollment requirement for it to continue, students can opt to take a refund on the tuition, or transfer to a different class in the schedule. LATE FEES: Tuition payments must be made within 10 days of the start of the class payment period (semester or month), or a late fee of $15 will be added to your bill.

RECITAL: CD/FW’s recitals are DIFFERENT. The CD/FW philosophy is that you can learn to be a fine and wonderful dancer without spending a small fortune on costumes, photos, jewelry, professional videos, and assorted recital paraphernalia. None of those things will change how well you dance!
CD/FW is a non-profit organization, and we try to keep costs low for everyone. The CD/FW recital is meant to be a relatively “informal” event conducted with professionalism and high performance standards. Students are not required to participate in the recital, but once they make a commitment to do so, they are expected to follow through on that commitment.
Participation in the CD/FW recital requires two financial payments:
RECITAL FEE: a $20 recital fee to help offset production expenses is due by March 1st. Admission to the recital is free for any family members and friends. Students may choose not to participate, but parents should inform the teacher by March 1st. For scholarship students, the recital fee is reduced to $5, but the student must still pay the full amount for costumes/props.
RECITAL COSTUMES: Teachers work with students to select costumes and props within a budget of a MAXIMUM expense of $50 per student per class. (Last year the cost per class per student started at $8 and up.) Efforts will be made to keep expenses as low as possible within the concept of the dance created.
In addition, it is our general aesthetic that costumes will be respectful of the body, and not overly “revealing.” School director Kerry Kreiman believes that while dance celebrates the body, and our bodies are beautiful and amazing gifts, we are not in the business of training young people to be dismissive or disrespectful of the human body. The focus should be on beautiful movement and beautiful performances, rather than on exposing beautiful bodies.
RECITAL CHOREOGRAPHY: Students participate in designing and creating dance works to perform. Students who are not participating in the recital will still be asked to assist in the creative process, since all students in the class will help to choreograph.
PERFORMANCE GOALS: Students may join the studio during the year because CD/FW teachers do not begin to choreograph recital dances with the students until the last part of the year – instead, the focus is on the continual training and development of each student to their full physical and artistic potential. CD/FW does NOT participate in dance team competitions. Additional performance opportunities outside the recital may arise during the year, and students may choose as to whether or not they would like to participate. Teachers will designate days for “informal showings” in the studio.

LEVELING: The studio reserves the right to adjust level assignments according to the student’s progress and level of proficiency.

NO-EXCLUSIVITY POLICY: CD/FW students are allowed and encouraged to study with a variety of teachers and studios.

NON-PROFIT STATUS: CD/FW is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit arts organization, and all proceeds from classes support the school and
organization, the CD/FW company and its “Dance Delivered” outreach programs.

STUDIO ENTRANCES: Please enter through the main entrance on the south side of the building and enter the studios through the door from the hallway. The exterior exit on the east side should be considered an emergency exit only.

“STUFF” (purses, bags, backpacks, etc.) – Items should never be placed in front of the fire exit in the foyer. And, while the foyer seems like a handy place to dump your personal items, we do NOT recommend leaving any personal items unattended in this area, as there are many people coming and going through the building at all times. PLEASE BRING YOUR BAGS AND BACKPACKS into the studio with you to guarantee the safety of your personal items, and to keep the foyer free of obstacles.

DRESSING AREAS: Students can change clothes in the restrooms near the main entrance.

DROPPING OFF & PICKING UP CHILDREN: Please avoid bringing your child more than 5 or 10 minutes prior to their class time. Students must wait outside or in the hallway prior to their class time, and are not permitted in the studios until it is time for their class. Please try to arrive promptly to pick up your child after class, and remember that teachers are only required to supervise students during the actual class time.
PARKING is available behind the building. When driving in the parking lot, please watch carefully for children crossing.

WAITING & OBSERVATION POLICIES: In order to maintain a consistent classroom environment with appropriate discipline and focus for the students, classes are limited to attendance by the students only. At least one observation week will be designated during each semester, so that parents and relatives may come to observe if they desire. Parents and family members are welcome to wait within earshot in the foyer during class if you so desire. For very young children, these rules are more flexible, as parents may need to come and go on occasion to assist in the daily “mood swings” and difficult life lessons of pre-schoolers :) as they learn to get along with themselves and others.

NO SMOKING: There is no smoking permitted anywhere inside the Orchestra Hall building. If you step outside to smoke, please stay away from open doors or windows.
NO FOOD OR DRINKS: Only water bottles are allowed in the studios. Food and other drinks are not allowed in the studios, and must be consumed in the foyer/hallway, down the hall in the snack room, or outside the building. All trash from snacks/meals should be disposed of in the wastebasket. Leftover drinks should be emptied out in a sink before disposing of the container.

MULTIPLE CLASSES: Enthusiastic students are encouraged to enroll in more than one class a week at the studio. Discounts are available for additional classes.

MAKE UP CLASSES: Make up classes are not guaranteed. If there is another class of the same level, students may do a “make up” with the permission of the instructor, if there is enough room in the class and if it will not disrupt class plans for that day.