AT EDS WE ARE A DANCE FAMILY AND AS A FAMILY WE VALUE, ENCOURAGE AND EXPECT DANCERS TO DEVELOP IN THESE CHARACTER TRAITS:

EDS VALUES

Commitment

Regular attendance is vital to student progress and group choreography, so please make every effort to attend each class. If your dancer will miss a class, please report it through the Absence Reporting link on the website.

Forgiveness

We all make mistakes and we all have misunderstandings. Forgiveness requires a conscious choice to be empathetic and compassionate.

Honesty

Honesty is about more than telling the truth. It’ about being true to ourselves in what we do, how we live and how we relate to others. Let’s keep it real with each other.

Humility

No one is perfect. Corrections give us a chance to improve ourselves and become better dancers. Outside of dance corrections, when we make a mistake (we all do!), we own it and do what we can to make it right.

Patience

Learning new skills takes time and effort, and different movements will come to you at different times. That means we may not advance to the next evel as quickly as we’d hoped or at the same time as our friends. We need to trust the instructors to know when we’re developmentally ready to advance.

Respect

  • Dancers must show respect for teachers, choreographers, directors and other students at all times.

  • We ask dancers and parents not to speak negatively about one another or the teachers. We want our language with one another to build each other up and encourage each other to grow into our best selves at all times.

  • Do not take something that does not belong to you. If you find something that isn’t yours, please turn it in to lost and found.

  • We discourage dancers from using cell phones during their time at EDS. Dance is an opportunity to connect in real life and take a break from the pressures of social media.

  • Cell phones are always prohibited in locker rooms and in the studio.

  • Children waiting for dancing siblings should be supervised at all times. To make the lobby pleasant for everyone, please engage your children in quiet activities. Keeping noise and bustle to a minimum is especially important for dancers who do homework during class breaks.


Selflessness

As one big family, we (parents and dancers alike) help each other out whether with costume or hair issues, learning a new movement or finding a Band-Aid for an owie. Dance is a team activity, and we are stronger together.

Kindness Matters

At EDS, kindness matters. Whether between dancers, teachers and parents, we place high value in being considerate, encouraging, empathetic and respectful. That doesn’t mean that every action that occurs within these walls will meet our expectations all the time, but it is a constant we strive to install. We work hard to provide a positive studio that uplifts our dancers, provides fun and positive experiences, practices grace (in movement and in character) and offers exceptional opportunities to expand our students world and we invite you to join us in this effort.

CHARACTER LIVES HERE

To further instill positive values (specifically those referenced above) into our dancers, just as practicing builds dance skills, practicing values builds character.

Fundamental to character development is understanding the difference between personality and character.

PERSONALITY IS: the kind of shoes we wear

CHARACTER IS: where we choose to run

PERSONALITY IS: what we wear to dance

CHARACTER IS: how hard we work when we’re there

PERSONALITY IS: a gift, set by the age of 6

CHARACTER IS: a habit, shaped by daily choices.


A WORD ABOUT BULLYING

We have a zero-tolerance policy about bullying. If you see it, tell us.

BUT please first understand the difference between conflict and bullying.

BULLYING IS

• Recurring • Deliberate

• Involves an imbalance of power

BULLYING IS NOT

• Disliking someone • Excluding someone

• Being bossy • Accidentally hurting someone • Making a one-time joke about someone

• Arguing • Rolling eyes • Ignoring someone

If bullying is occurring at EDS, we will swiftly address it. We cannot, however, control children’s behavior outside of our classrooms or our facility. If you experienced a conflict with someone, go directly to that person to discuss your concerns. If the conflict cannot be resolved directly please contact your teacher or the front desk for assistance.