Dancer/Parent Information
Dancer/Parent Information
Important information for our families
Important information for our families
New Family FAQs
Welcome to the DSA Dance Family! We'll try to address a few of the common questions new students and families have.
Do I have to change for class? Yes. You will have a few minutes at the start of each class to change into dance gear like leotards and tank top or shorts or clothing you can move in. You can wear yoga pants, leggings or exercise pants, Capri pants, Leotard and tights, T-shirts or tank top and shorts. YOU CANNOT WEAR sweatpants, pajama pants, jeans, jean shorts, jeggings, or sports bra without a shirt on top. Dance shoes are permitted but most students dance barefoot or wearing socks for class. If you're going to be purchasing new items for wearing for class, consider purchasing black leggings or dance pants, dance shorts, leotards, or tank tops. These items are commonly used as base items for costumes for concerts.
What about lockers? Lockers are available in each of the two dance changing rooms. rentals will be allowed again this year for $5. pay online (Kalfas) (Patten)
What do dance fees cover? Dance fees are paid yearly and help cover some of the expenses to offset transportation for field trips, costumes, equipment, etc. The fee for 2021-22 is $40. Every student will receive a DSA dance t-shirt. pay online
What are the dance groups at DSA? High School has Fundamentals, Advanced Fundamentals, Ensemble, Collective and Company. Middle School has Exploring Dance for 6th graders, Middle School Ensemble (for 7th & 8th grades) and Advanced Middle School (for 7th and 8th grades). In January or February placement is decided for the upcoming year. Collective and Company require an audition. Placement for all other classes is done via specific work in class. For more information, see the different pages under "Student Information" tab of this website.
How do the concerts work? There are typically two types of concerts at DSA. Winter and Spring Concerts include all dance groups performing pieces choreographed by the dance instructors as well as select other student-choreographed pieces. These are usually at the end of the semester in December and May. Student Concerts take place in October/November or February/March and include mostly pieces choreographed by students, either as part of their classwork at DSA or pulled together in rehearsals outside of class. There is a charge for tickets, as this is the main way in which the department raises funds to cover concert costs.
What does concert week look like? For every concert, there are usually two days of tech rehearsals and one day of full dress rehearsal. If the concert is Thursday night, dancers should expect to be at tech rehearsal Monday and Tuesday for at least some portion of the rehearsal. Sometimes, if a piece is completely pulled together, only choreographers for a piece will need to be present. Wednesday night will be a full dress rehearsal. All dancers are expected to be present for the entire rehearsal, which runs typically from 4-8 pm and involves two full run throughs of the show. Concert Scheduel
What about costumes? The DSA Dance Dept has a number of costumes that are reused from one concert to the next. Students are also asked to provide an item from home, typically something simple that they might already have in their closet like black leggings or a black leotard. Occasionally, dancers are asked for something specific to purchase, like camouflage pants. Plain black leotards, dance pants or leggings, and tank tops are common base items that are embellished by DSA Dance Dept accessories and costumes. Dance shoes are often required. Course fees and concert ticket costs are the main way in which the department funds the purchase of new costumes. Pre-COVID, the department had developed a small group of parents and students who were interested in sewing and embellishing costumes. If this sounds like fun to you, attend Dance Booster meetings to find out more.
Do DSA dancers go to competitions? Yes! For the past few years, DSA has competed at the NC Scholastic Dance Festival. DSA High School is the 4-time defending state champ! The competition is usually in February somewhere in NC. In September, auditions are held for high school dancers. Dancers from any class at DSA are permitted to audition for a dance team piece and a hip hop piece. DSA's Company also takes a lyrical and jazz routine. The Advanced Middle School class often takes a piece. Practices for competition groups are held exclusively outside of school hours. The few weeks prior to competition often have many extra rehearsals.
How can parent/guardians help? Dance concerts require a ton of extra help. DSA has only two dance faculty and they need to be watching the show! We need volunteers for all sorts of jobs, ranging from creating and folding the programs, to ushering guests the night of the show, to helping with costumes, to selling tickets and concessions, to supervising back stage. If you are interested in helping, attend dance booster meeting or look out for announcements closer to the show. Outside of the concert, though, there is much work to be done helping organize the annual DSA Dance Dept t-shirts, competition logistics, fundraising, etc. Check out the calendar for Dance Booster Club meetings to find out more about these opportunities. Booster Club
Dance Tutoring
- Tutors are dance students who belong to National Dance Honors Society. Tutoring schedule will be coming soon!
Dance Teachers Supply Needs
- Band-aids
- Ice Packs
- Expo Markers
- Paper
- Tape
- Water Bottles
- Female personal hygiene products
- Lysol
Dance Assessments for Incoming Students Spring 2024
Check back for more information! As of fall 2021, all incoming dance students must bring a one minute contemporary, lyrical, or jazz solo to a song of their choice. Please be sure that the song is school appropriate. Please no hip hop/majorette styles for the audition as we are looking for performance quality and dance technique. Solos should showcase the following:
A turn of your choice
A leap of your choice
Use of space
Performance quality
Level changes