About pcbt

Office and Studio

Providence Creek Academy Charter School

273 West Duck Creek Road

Clayton, DE 19938

302.653.6276 Fax: 302.653.7850

Cell: 717.433.1183

stephanie.artigliere@pca.k12.de.us

ARTISTIC STAFF

Stephanie Artigliere            Artistic Director stephanie.artigliere@pca.k12.de.us

Tania Potts                          Ballet Mistress tania.potts@pca.k12.de.us

Jennifer Seward                  Faculty jennifer.seward@pca.k12.de.us

Sophia Wicks                      Faculty sophia.wicks@pca.k12.de.us

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF

Denise Stouffer PCA Head of School denise.stouffer@pca.k12.de.us

Brandon Paris Business Manager brandon.paris@pca.k12.de.us

Jeanine Martin         Business Manager jeanine.martin@pca.k12.de.us

Rachael Straightiff Director of Human Resources rachael.straightiff@pca.k12.de.us

• Dancers age 13 and older are permitted to enter and exit the building independently. Any dancers under the age of 13 will need a Dismissal Permission Form completed in order to be able to leave the building without a guardian.

• Students in Level 5 through Company levels should be at the studio 15 minutes prior to the start of class. Pre-class warm-up reduces the risk of injury.

• Dancers are not permitted to roam around the halls before/after class.

• Dancers will need “street clothes” to wear over their leotard and tights when arriving and departing. Dance shoes are never to be worn outside.

• Any parent that is more than 5 minutes late will be charged $1/minute they are late. Classes often occur back to back and faculty cannot be responsible for other dancers once the next class has begun.

• Email PCA's Aftercare Coordinator, Nicole Cooper, and PCBT staff if your child is to report to aftercare after class/rehearsal. 

• If your dancer attends PCA and will be reporting to PCBT at dismissal from school, please be sure to follow the below procedure:

  • Send your dancer to school with the dance bag, including all necessary shoes.

  • Pack the appropriate dress code items, i.e. tights and leotard.

  • Send your dancer to school with their hair in a bun or ponytail (whichever is required for their dress code), tightly secured. Pack extra hair supplies.

  • Pack water and a healthy/non-messy snack for your dancer to eat between school and class.

  • Be sure your dancer is able to change into their dance attire without assistance. PCBT staff will not be able to assist with changing.

• Be sure to communicate ALL dismissal instructions with your child’s teacher, the main office, and PCBT staff! They must be notified of any changes!

• Planned absences should be reported by completing an Absence/Early Dismissal form; two weeks’ notice is required for all planned absences. 

• Unexpected absences should be communicated via email to the Artistic Director as soon as reasonably possible.

• Please try to arrange your activities so that they do not conflict with your dance commitment. If there is a conflict, please discuss it as much in advance as possible with the Director, individual teacher(s), and your dancer.  

• Missed classes should be made up during a class one level below the dancer’s assigned class level.  Please make every effort to attend all rehearsals and classes as attendance is required for progress. No refunds are given for missed classes.

• Every effort MUST be made to attend all rehearsals. There is a two week black out period prior to each PCBT performance. Students may not be granted absences during this period. Expect rehearsals to be scheduled for multiple days during tech week.

• All students are expected to behave respectfully and courteously at all times to other dancers and to PCBT faculty and staff.

• Talking is not permitted during class or rehearsals.

• No student should chew gum or use bad language near the PCBT studios.

• Students must follow the dress code for all classes and rehearsals.

• Students will show respect for the property of their peers, PCBT teachers, all PCA staff, and the facility. Leave the dance bags and lunches of others alone; help keep the studio, bathrooms, and hallways clean.

• If PCBT faculty recognizes a medical concern that could affect the health and wellbeing of that dancer and/or other dancers, PCBT faculty has the right to ask that dancer not to physically participate in class/rehearsal, to seek medical attention, and to return with a doctor’s release to dance. Refusal to seek medical attention may prevent and/or hinder a dancer’s opportunity to participate in class, rehearsal, and performances. Any medical expenses incurred are the sole responsibility of the dancer’s parent/guardian.

• Injured dancers are obligated to observe class.

• No food or drinks (with the exception of water) are permitted in the studio/on stage. All snacks should be in sealed containers and non-messy. All snacks are to be consumed in the hallway.

• Cell phones are not permitted during class or rehearsal. Cell phones should be turned off once entering the studio or stage.

• Water bottles labeled with the dancers’ names are encouraged and dancers may have water breaks during class.

• Please do not interrupt classes already in session. Dancers and guardians must wait for classes currently in session to be dismissed before entering the studio.

• PCBT is not responsible for any lost or stolen items and shall not be liable in any way for injuries sustained during attendance at the studio or any of its related functions.

• Students in danger of being excluded from performances due to attendance will be notified in writing.

• If you are late, please ask the teacher/choreographer for permission to participate in the remainder of the class. If you are more than 10 minutes late you may be asked to observe, due to risk of injury.

• Any reference on the internet (i.e. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, blogging, etc.) to Providence Creek Ballet Theater’s name or initials (PCBT), its artistic or administrative staff or fellow students and families in a derogatory manner could be cause for suspension or expulsion from PCBT. 

• Parents/Guardians are permitted to observe class only during Observation Week.

• Dancers must be present at school for at least a half day to attend ballet class or rehearsal in the evening. If a child is too sick to go to school, the child is too sick to come to dance.

• PCBT’s Artistic Director may dismiss any student from the school for disrespecting the Handbook and classroom rules, for being uncooperative, disruptive, or for endangering the health, safety, and welfare of him/herself or others.

• If you have questions or concerns about anything regarding PCBT, its classes or faculty, please contact the PCBT Artistic Director.

All pertinent information will be distributed via email and posted on our website. Please read all emails in their entirety to ensure timely communication.

PCBT uses various forms of social media including, but not limited to, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for marketing and educational purposes. Contact the Artistic Director prior to the season starting with any concerns. YouTube videos are uploaded as “Unlisted”; only by clicking the link provided are the videos viewable. Please be mindful when sharing these videos of students and copyrighted material.

Please check the website frequently. Check the online calendar for current scheduling information. The Artistic Director will be making updates as information becomes known to her. This can include cancellations due to: inclement weather, changes related to COVID-19, and/or announcements about classes, rehearsals, and performances.

In the event of inclement weather, PCBT will notify parents by email and Facebook if classes are canceled.   PCBT will make this decision independent of Providence Creek Academy. Make up classes and rehearsals for inclement weather will be scheduled as necessary. PCBT may also offer Zoom classes in the event of studio closure. 

PCA/PCBT is a pet-friendly campus! Please complete the form titled “Pets On Campus” PRIOR to bringing your pet on campus. Turn in your form to the Director and then it will be submitted to PCA’s office. 

All students are strongly encouraged to participate in Providence Creek Ballet Theater's Summer Intensive Program. Applications for the four week Summer Program are available for PCBT students in mid-March. We recommend the continuation of classes during the summer to retain and advance the technique and discipline that each dancer acquires during the academic year. Without additional school responsibilities, more dance classes each day, and the ability to focus on technique, dancers have seen dramatic improvements at the end of the intensive. 

Special Performances

PCBT has participated in various performances outside of PCA and plans to do so in the future. Performances include, but are not limited to, Dover Days, Delaware Dance Festival, Clayton Railroad Days, Philly Youth Dance Fest, Regional Dance America Festival, and the 4th of July Parade. The dancers invited to participate in these events will be notified by the Artistic Director. PCBT welcomes all dancers and their families to walk in the parades with the studio.

Regional Dance America

As of June 2016, PCBT was accepted into Regional Dance America/Northeast. Each year, select dancers from Trainee, Apprentice, and Company will be participating in a Festival at various locations around the country annually. This Festival entails participation in master classes taught by world-renown  faculty, performance and scholarship opportunities, as well as attending nightly performances.

Volunteers

Parents/Guardians, friends, and relatives of PCBT students are encouraged to play an active role in many areas of PCBT by volunteering their time and/or resources. Volunteer opportunities include, but are not limited to, dressers, ushers, ticket sales, costume alterations, parking lot attendants, working backstage, and assisting with production tasks. Volunteer opportunities and duties will be distributed prior to theater weeks and available on signup.com.

All PCBT volunteers are required to obtain the following:

• State and Federal background check filed with PCA

• DE Child Registry Form: see attachment below

• TB Test from the past 5 years

Sponsorships

It is a fact of artistic life that ticket sales and other forms of “earned income” cover only a portion of the cost of bringing these productions from the studio to the stage. The rest comes from our extended family of generous donors, parents, and families of PCBT dancers. In lieu of doing numerous fundraisers, we encourage each dancer to obtain a minimum of 3 sponsorships. Additional sponsorship brochures are available upon request.

Observation Week

Parents/guardians are not usually permitted to observe dancers in the classroom besides Observation week. Dancers focus better and are less distracted by their parents and others present in the dance space. Most parents are eager to see what the dancers are learning in class, therefore an Observation week is held in the spring for parents/guardians to observe class.  This is not a performance, but an opportunity to watch class. Please save the aunt/uncle, grandmother/grandfather invitations for The Nutcracker performance and Summer Concert when the dancers are better prepared to perform.

Auction Fundraiser

The largest fundraiser of the year is the auction held in conjunction with The Nutcracker.  We are accepting donations for this event beginning in November. Past donations include gift cards to local restaurants and businesses, movie tickets, handmade goods, baskets with gift items, framed artwork, etc. More information will be distributed with The Nutcracker performance packet.

Fundraisers

PCBT holds few fundraisers throughout the season to support the studio and dancers traveling to festivals as well as operating costs. We recognize families are given many fundraisers through all their kid's activities. We strongly encourage involvement in the sponsorship drive as an opportunity to participate in lieu of fundraisers. Additional fundraisers by Trainee, Apprentice, and Company dancers and their parents are held to help defer the cost associated with attending various festival and performance opportunities. These dancers’ attendance and performance opportunities are made possible by the continued support and participation of our immediate and extended PCBT community.