Donation Days: At the start of each Session, we offer an event called Donation Days, where you can take classes for a small monetary donation or nonperishable food item. This is a way to sample our available classes and give back to the community. If a class is available during Donation Days, this means it is accepting new students. We strongly encourage anyone interested in taking a Session or signing up for a class to do it in advance as Donation Days classes fill up quickly. Proceeds are donated to Citizens Counselling Centre in Victoria, and to Wish Drop-in Center in Vancouver.
Levels:
- Open Level: For folks of all levels of dance experience. The instructor may provide modifications to make the class easier or more challenging for you.
- Level 1/101/Beginner: For folks who have never danced before or are new to performing on stage. Most level 1 dancers have 0–5 years of dance experience.
- Level 2/102/Intermediate: For folks with dance experience in adulthood or foundational dance from their youth. Participants in level 2 classes should be comfortable with basic dance terminology and should be able to perform: single pirouettes, chaîné turns, basic jumps, as well as have some comfort performing basic floor work. Most students in a level 2 class will have 5+ years of dance experience.
- Level 3/103/Advanced: For folks with extensive dance experience. Participants in level 3 classes should be comfortable with most dance terminology and should be able to perform: double pirouettes, axel turns and barrel jumps, floor work including backward rolls, and be comfortable with fast-paced choreography. Most students in level 3 classes will have 10+ years of studio dance experience.
- Note: Level requirements do not pertain to any Chair classes. If you are interested in Chair dancing, you must start at level 1, regardless of dance experience.
- For more information on class levels, check out this infographic.
Recreational Program: These classes do perform! Performance is not required (but it’s a blast!). Recreational classes build a routine over a Session—usually six weeks, but this may vary depending on the show date. There are different levels of classes to support different levels of dancers. It’s important to note that students who take these classes will likely pay an additional costume fee to perform and there may be occasional weekend practices, which are not mandatory but strongly encouraged. You can sign up for a Session, or as a part of your monthly membership.
Session: A Session is usually a six-week course (the number of weeks may vary depending on the show date). Strength and Skills and Recreational Program classes operate on a Session format. There are six Sessions per Season. Session 1 starts in September. Session 2 starts at the end of October/beginning of November. Session 3 starts in January. Session 4 starts in March. Session 5 starts at the end of April. Session 6 starts at the end of June. Donation Days classes are not included in the number of weeks in a Session.
Strength and Skills: These classes are non-performing and open level. Skills classes are perfect for folks new to dance or returning from a long hiatus. They work on the fundamentals with stronger fitness influence. You can sign up for a Session, one-time drop-in (space permitting), or as a part of your monthly membership.
Traditional Program: These classes run for a full Season, from September to June (like a school year). Most Traditional classes perform twice per Season, which is not mandatory but strongly encouraged. Competitive program classes are 75 minutes instead of the typical 60 minutes. Depending on the performances and class capacity, these classes often accept students throughout the year, so please check in with us or check out Donation Days to find out if a class is accepting new students. You can pay for these classes in full or as a part of a monthly membership.
