FAQs
Classes
No need to report absences to us. Your make-up credits will be automatically noted on your account. You’re welcome to use them at any time while you are enrolled!
Our approach to working with these little ones has been very carefully thought out. We do start introducing more and more ballet technique each year that a child dances with us, but we always balance that against more creative, imaginative activities that keep them captivated and engaged. Midway through our Exploring Ballet division, for example, children at Tutu School start learning basic barre exercises. Even then, though, they continue to also spend part of each class dancing like butterflies, learning ballet stories, and just being generally creative.
Tutu School only teaches students up to eight years-old, specifically because eight is an appropriate age to start more serious training. Prior to that, a young dancer engaging in training at too young an age will develop bad habits that can take a very long time to unlearn. Even more tragically, they often simply turn away from ballet (and usually do not take very positive feelings about it with them), because they were pushed into study that was too strict too quickly. That’s why the focus of our school is enrichment. We aren’t training toddlers and young children to be professional dancers –no one should. But we are exposing them to the world of ballet, and carefully laying the foundation of good ballet technique should they choose to study more seriously later.
Please see above. In addition, it is important to keep in mind that pacing a child’s progression through our divisions and levels will ensure that they do not miss out on anything or advance so quickly that they find themselves without something to progress toward. We strive to balance these concerns with an eye to keeping each student properly challenged and engaged, and will always work to incorporate your own thoughts and feedback regarding your child in our plan for their progress.
Every child will begin participating fully in class at their own perfect pace. We will work to always provide a warm and nurturing environment in each of our classes, and will continually strive to meet shy students where they are in their level of comfort with class, and to draw them into activities as they are ready. In the meantime, you will often notice that a student may start trying out at home the things they have seen at Tutu School before participating more fully within the classroom. Please always feel free to share with us anything you think might be helpful in aiding your child’s progress, but please also trust that they will join in when they are ready.
Please note that caregiver participation is required in our Baby Ballet division. The role of the caregiver is to support their little dancer, as much or as little as they need. Supporting your baby may include physical support (holding your baby in your arms or hand holding), cognitive support (helping your dancer practice decision making by selecting props), and/or emotional support (offering comfort and encouragement because trying new things takes courage and lots of practice).
Be on the look out for the endless learning opportunities being curated for your little one at the studio. Exposure to classical music in childhood has been shown to stimulate brain activity and enhance auditory awareness, and infants who are exposed to regular physical movement opportunities demonstrate an increase in gross motor development, just to name a few. Rest assured that our amazing Tutu Teachers understand that each dancer will embrace the experience at their own perfect pace and they can’t wait to work with you!
Please note that caregiver participation is required in our Tutu Toddlers division. The role of the caregiver is to support their little dancer, as much as or as little as they need. Supporting your dancer may include physical support (hand holding), cognitive support (helping your dancer with decision making such as finding a spot at the wall or selecting a prop), and/or emotional support (offering comfort and encouragement because trying new things takes courage and lots of practice).
Rest assured that our amazing Tutu Teachers understand that each dancer will embrace the experience at their own perfect pace. Be on the lookout for twirling to first appear in playtime at home, and after weeks of attending class at Tutu School, you will very likely see your dancer trying more and more of the class activities at the ballet studio. In the meantime, know that exposure to music and movement alongside other children similar in age can only lead to good things!
For your trial class, we recommend clothing that your dancer can easily move in, plus ballet slippers or bare feet.
Baby Ballet & Tutu Toddlers –
Students in our youngest division are invited to wear any clothes that they can move easily in, and should take class with bare feet or rubber-soled socks if they do not have ballet slippers. Adults participating in these classes should also wear comfortable clothes and bare feet or rubber-soled socks.
Exploring Ballet & Primary Ballet Prep –
Tutu School asks students in its oldest divisions to wear leotards or fitted shirts with tights or leggings and ballet slippers. Please tuck in all drawstrings on slippers, and secure long hair away from the face as much as possible. No specific color or style of dancewear is required, and tutus and skirts are absolutely permitted – naturally!
Classes at Tutu School follow a consistent structure each week, but although much of the class content does remain the same in every class, there is also a great deal of variation from week to week within that established structure. Children benefit tremendously from the security they gain when there is a sense of ritual to what they do, and their skill level evolves more evenly when there is consistency in their practice. That being said, we always work to keep the activities we do in class fresh and exciting…So there will be plenty of new mixed in among the familiar!
The excitement of class and dancing friends can sometimes prove to be distracting for little ones and can take some getting used to…It can all be a lot to take in! Please don’t worry if it takes a while for your little dancer to settle into the rhythm of class and develop a sense of focus while they are at Tutu School. We will continue to help draw your child into our classes and to practice the development of excellent Dance Manners with them. We really appreciate you also talking to your child at home about Dance Manners, behaving beautifully, and trying their very best to pay close attention in class, so they can learn a lot and have even more fun!
We carefully monitor a child’s progress in and compatibility with each class division and level, so that we can be sure to stay on top of their readiness for the next level. We also have age guidelines for each class level that help us pace each child’s progression. That being said, we are always open to your own feedback and input about what you see working best for your child.
At Tutu School, we firmly believe that ballet is for everybody. We always want our studios and classes to feel warm, welcome, and inviting to any and all children – including children of all genders – who want to dance in them.
At Tutu School, we, um, love tutus. LOVE them. You’ve probably noticed a lot of pink and purple in Tutu Schools, too, right? Yeah, we kind of (REALLY) love pink and purple, too. And sparkles. And tiaras. And wands. And flowers. Oh, and making space in children’s lives for creativity and joy and an absolutely magical introduction to music and movement.
And guess what? None of those things are exclusive to girls. They also aren’t the only things girls care about or that we want them to value. Also, if children get to celebrate a lot of pink and purple and tulle in our space – they also get to celebrate strength and bravery and kindness, too, and we think those are all things that fit nicely within our pink and purple walls, and within an age-appropriate introduction to the world of ballet.
Please note that caregiver participation is required in our Baby Ballet and Tutu Toddlers divisions. For older divisions, please note that Tutu School is not a childcare provider and our classes are not intended for drop-off care. Please plan to remain close by in case your little dancer needs something.
Membership
Unfortunately, we are unable to offer drop-ins because we need to be able to thoughtfully manage the size and composition of our classes, as well as our faculty’s schedule.
Unfortunately we are unable to put memberships on hold, as it may mean turning away another student who is able to enroll in your absence. Instead, we are happy to help you take advantage of our unlimited make-up classes, and to schedule make-up classes for your child before you leave, after you return, or both. If you prefer to cancel your membership, we will do everything we can to try and accommodate your re-enrollment when you return, as we would love to have your child continue dancing with us!
We ask that all missed classes be made up while your child is still enrolled at Tutu School. We really strive to carefully manage the size of our classes and therefore are only able to reserve make-up spots for currently enrolled students.
After signing up to join the waitlisted for a full class, you will receive a confirmation email with the details. You can expect to hear from us when a spot becomes available and instructions for enrolling to claim the spot from your dancer.
In the meantime, you are welcome to book a free trial and even enroll in another available class on the schedule and keep your spot on the waitlist for your preferred class day and time. You’ll hear from us as soon as a spot becomes available to confirm you’d like to transfer.
Membership fees are the same each month because they are the average monthly tuition, calculated based on the total number of classes in the year and with all breaks factored in.
Advantages to the monthly membership system include:
- More flexibility than when students are required to register for an entire session
- Smaller payment increments
- The convenience of not having to re-register many times throughout the year
If you have any questions about your specific situation, please do not hesitate to contact us so that we can review it with you. It is very important to us that all of our Tutu School families feel great about our membership system!
Parties
Each party package automatically includes birthday fun for the Birthday Child and up to 10 guests. Additional guests can be added to any party package. Please let us know if you might have 16 or more children participating in party activities.
Tutu School will provide the decor, craft, a cupcake picnic with lemonade, and party favors, plus any other elements based on your party package and optional add-ons. Simply show up and enjoy the magic!
Camp
Tutu Camp is not grouped by age, though Tutu Camp leaders may decide to split the group for certain class activities based on age.
Tutu Camp is a drop-off program and due to background check requirements of adults present during Tutu Camp hours, caregivers cannot stay inside the studio once the camp day has begun. Additionally, it can be tricky for other children to see some caregivers stay after theirs have left. If a child is having a hard time
Children do not need any prior dance experience, but they should be prepared for a lot of leaping, twirling, and imaginative adventures!
We kindly ask that campers are able to undress and use the toilet independently, although Tutu Teachers are able to assist children as needed in the restroom.
Dancers should bring their change of clothes and a snack and/or lunch, depending on the length of the camp session. Please keep an eye out for an email closer to camp with more details about snack and lunch.
Children should arrive to camp each day in their dance attire (leotards or fitted shirts, tights or leggings, and ballet shoes). No specific color or style of dancewear is required, and tutus and skirts are absolutely permitted, naturally!
When weather permits, campers may go outdoors. Dancers should bring a change of clothes plus outdoor footwear for the second half of the camp day.
Caregivers of younger students may consider sending their camper with a spare set of clothes in case of accidents.
Bravo Bash
Bravo Bash is Tutu School’s way of giving our dancers a low stress and super fun introduction to performance on stage. While participation is not required, we highly encourage it! Students get the opportunity to perform (with their Tutu Teachers on stage with them) and practice being audience members. We will be in touch closer to the show with all of the details and what to expect the day of your performance.
All rehearsals leading up to the performance will happen for a few minutes in each of your child’s regularly scheduled classes. Our goal is that students are familiar with the music and choreography, but we do not expect any dancer to memorize the routine to perform on their own. At least one Tutu Teacher will be on stage to demonstrate so children can focus on the joy of performing, and not the memorization of a routine.
Additionally, rehearsal videos are available closer to the show for optional at-home practice.
All students who are actively enrolled in our Tutu Toddlers, Exploring Ballet, and Primary Ballet Prep divisions are invited to perform.
We want to be careful not to take up too much of our little dancers’ class time with rehearsals for a performance. Often, when classes become too focused on preparing for a recital, they lose touch with the core content of their curriculum and unfortunately, the attention and interest of their students.
We really believe that our Bravo Bash performance opportunity strikes the perfect balance and offers students a low-stress yet exciting and lovely chance to take to the stage!