All communication is sent via email; please keep a current address on file!

Parents and dancers are responsible for reading all newsletters, memos, etc.

Students are expected to attend class regularly

Please arrive 5 minutes before class time, and be ready to start at the scheduled time

Please use the washroom before class to avoid disruption

Arrive dressed in proper dance wear (see our dress code for more info)

Hair pulled back off of the face – no bangs please

Proper footwear must be worn – no socks please

Please bring a water bottle, with dancers name marked on it

There is a no cellphone rule in the dance studio – students may leave their cell outside the studio or with the teacher during class

Missed classes may result in the students removal from a routine for recital/event/competition

Element Dance Studio reserves the right to combine, reschedule, change, or cancel any class due to inclement weather, instructor illness, insufficient registration and/or for any reason deemed in the best interest of the studio. In such cases of a full class cancellation, a full refund will be given for any classes that have not taken place. If classes are cancelled due to inclement weather, an announcement is typically made on our website, Facebook page, Twitter and our answering machine by 1:00pm (weekdays).

Element Dance Studio reserves the right to cancel without refund or credit, 1 class per Term due to weather related circumstances.

In the event that classes need to be rescheduled for any reason, a reschedule date/time will be chosen that is in the best interest/convenience of the studio and the majority of dancers in a particular class. If a student misses class, it is the students responsibility to catch up on missed choreography and lessons. With prior notification, dancers who are unable to attend these make-up dates can choose to attend another studio class of the same level or lower, but will not be eligible for a refund or credit.

*From Dec 12th-18th, along with one week following the last scheduled class day of the season, are our make-up weeks. Dancers should remember to leave time available during these weeks for the potential of make-up classes. Inability or lack of desire to attend make-up classes during these weeks are not acceptable means to warrant a refund or credit.

In addition to the above, please see also our COVID-19 Policy regarding special closing circumstances.

Please understand that due to the nature of Dance and Performing Arts schools, it is very difficult for us to offer FULL refunds except in extreme and rare circumstances. Yearly budgets and expenses, teacher pay, competition enrolment fees, costume orders, event bookings, and many more factors are all accounted for early in the year based on your registration and commitment. Your dancer’s registration reserves a spot for them in our classes which have limited numbers. Once a Term has begun, we are unable to fill that spot part-way through with another dancer. For these reasons, our policies regarding refunds/credits are as follows:

70% Withdraw from Classes Refund:

30% of remaining Term tuition withheld + Costume charge.

After deducting a costume fee from your tuition payment, Element will charge/withhold 30% of any remaining tuition for the current Term enrolled in. Any remaining term tuition above 30% will be refunded along with any subsequent terms for that class. These charges/refunds apply to tuition only and do not include Registration Fees or any performance related fees.

Example: Your dancer signed up for our Storybook Ballet class in September and the tuition cost was $496+hst.

Upon registration you paid a $25+hst registration fee, and the 1st Term tuition of $278+hst. (The 2nd Term tuition of $218+hst will not be charged until Dec. 1st).

After 8 weeks of dance, things just don’t seem to be working out and you decide to withdraw your dancer.

Since there are 16 weeks in each Term. That leaves 8 weeks of dance left in Term 1. First, we will remove your Term 2 charge ($218+hst due in Dec.) altogether.

Next, we will subtract a $60.00+hst charge from your tuition for your dancers costume (you can still keep this costume and play dress up at home!).

That means $278.00+hst -( $60+hst costume charge) = leaves us with $218.00+hst.

Next, we determine your weekly rate by dividing $218.00+hst/16 weeks and we get $13.63+hst/week. Since there are 8 weeks left when your dancer withdrew, your refund would be as follows:

$13.63+hst x 8 weeks = $109+hst = or $125.35

$125.35 x .70 (70%) = $87.75 REFUNDED

Company Dancer Class Drop Fee: (Company Dancers Only)

$50 charge/withhold for Studio class drop.

Element will charge/withhold a $50 fee (per class dropped) for any Studio/non-company class dropped after August 1st.

In some cases these fees may be in addition to other Company Withdraw Re-blocking Fees, Costume Fees, etc.

Please note: Required Classes (a class required to participate in a program/Company) and Included Classes (classes that are not charged when enrolled in Company) are not eligible for a Refund.

-Registration fees, Costume fees, and Performance Fees are non-refundable unless Element chooses to cancel the class.

-Only in cases of extreme unforeseen medical conditions will full refunds be given. Documentation may need to be provided.

-Requests for FULL refunds regarding change of home address, over scheduling of personal affairs, excessive school work, or other sporting activities, are examples of insufficient grounds for a FULL refund/credit.

Should Element decide to issue a credit, it is important to note that any and all credits held on an account are Non-Redeemable for refund or any cash value. In the event that a student has a credit to their account and chooses to leave or not return to the studio for a subsequent Term or Season, these credits remain Non-Refundable and will continue to exist on the dancer’s account should they choose to take classes with Element in the future. This includes dancers transferring to a different school, moving on to university, discontinuing the art, and other similar reasons.

Any and all credits provided to an account will first be used/applied toward any existing/outstanding balance on that account before its remainder can be used.

Credits do not expire and will remain until used as long as Element continues to operate. Credits are not valid for use on merchandise or studio rentals.

We do require our Parents to Enrol in our AutoPay program through our Parent Portal. This allows us to streamline our payment system, keep your account balance up to date, and provide a heightened level of security for your payment information.

Your tuition payments are automated through our system. They will be processed according to your applicable dates set out on our website, Company Package, email/studio communications, etc, and they will typically appear on your account during the transaction posting date, or within 1 business week.

For Studio dancers, Tuition Payments are processed on August 1st (Term 1) and December 1st (Term 2). For Company dancers, monthly Tuition Payments are processed August 1st to May 1st (10 months).

If you have any questions or concerns regarding payment amounts or dates please do not hesitate to contact our office.

In rare cases where enrolment in AutoPay is not possible, we do offer an EFT payment option. Please contact our office to set up your EFT payments. Those wishing to register for classes using EFT will have to contact our office for registration.

$10 Fee for declined and/or late Credit/Debit card payments.

Returned cheque fee is $25.00

You may check your account online at any time via our Parent Portal.

Accounts that are past due, will have a late charge applied at $10 for every month past due.

Studio Dancer Payment Dates

Term 1 Payment: August 1st

Term 2 Payment: Dec. 1st.

By enrolling in our AutoPay system or using our EFT payment method, you are authorizing Element to process a transaction or multiple transactions, according to payment amounts and dates which are applicable to your class registration/enrolment. If for some reason you need to alter or change your payment method, amount, or date, you must inform Element no less than 2 weeks prior to a payment date. (We will do our best to honour notices given less than this time but we cannot guarantee).

The following charges will be automatically applied to your account for late or declined tuition payments. They will be automatically processed using the automatic payment information we have on file. (Credit Card, etc)

$10 Fee for declined and/or late Credit/Debit card payments.

$25 Fee for Late/Failed EFT payments.

Element Dance Studio reserves the right to combine, reschedule, change, or cancel any class due to inclement weather, instructor illness, insufficient registration and/or for any reason deemed in the best interest of the studio. In such cases of a full class cancellation, a full refund will be given for any classes that have not taken place. If classes are cancelled due to inclement weather, an announcement is typically made on our website, Facebook page, Twitter and our answering machine by 1:00pm (weekdays).

Element Dance Studio reserves the right to cancel without refund or credit, 1 class per year due to weather related circumstances.

In the event that classes need to be rescheduled for any reason, a reschedule date/time will be chosen that is in the best interest/convenience of the studio and the majority of dancers in a particular class. If a student misses class, it is the students responsibility to catch up on missed choreography and lessons. With prior notification, dancers who are unable to attend these make-up dates can choose to attend another studio class of the same level or lower, but will not be eligible for a refund or credit.

*From Dec 12th-18th, along with one week following the last scheduled class day of the season, are our make-up weeks. Dancers should remember to leave time available during these weeks for the potential of make-up classes. Inability or lack of desire to attend make-up classes during these weeks are not acceptable means to warrant a refund or credit.

In addition to the above, please see also our COVID-19 Policy regarding special closing circumstances.

Please note that although it is unlikely, there are circumstances which may arise where we may have to temporarily or indefinitely substitute or change the teacher for a particular class. Element Dance Studio reserves the right to change or substitute a teacher on our schedule for any reason, at any time, without refund.

Element reserves the right to extend our season end dates due to necessary and unforeseen circumstances up until June 30th. Classes extended beyond the original season end date (1 week after the last scheduled day of classes) are not refundable or creditable. However after June 30th, any remaining classes can be credited towards future classes upon request.

In case of an outbreak of COVID-19 or other similar public health concern where we are required to close the studio, the following procedures will occur:

Element Dance Studio will pause all classes for up to one month (the season will be extended).

If we are unable to go back in to the studio for longer than one month the following options will be available:

OPTION A: Dancers may participate in the online classes at a reduced cost of 50% per class, with a credit given of 50% per class for the duration required to be online.

OPTION B: A full credit for the duration required to be online.

Once we are permitted to resume classes back inside the studio, we will pick up the rest of the season where we left off, following NS government regulations.

*There are no refunds/credits for the post-closure duration that we are permitted back inside the studio.

*Once the decision is made to proceed with virtual classes, dancers will be given a one week deadline to choose either OPTION A or OPTION B. After this period they will be required to continue with the terms set out above. If no choice is made, OPTION A will be selected for you by default.

*Credits will be calculated and applied after the duration of the closure.

Element Dance Studio requires any and all outstanding fees (or any accounts in arrears) to be paid in full prior to the start of each dance season no later than August 31st preceding our Fall start. Dancers with outstanding fees (or accounts in arrears) will not be permitted to dance in the coming season and any registration fees associated with the upcoming season remainnon-refundable.

It is understandable that on occasion parents may face a delay or setback in their ability to pay fees. However these incurrences must be rectified before any performance event in order for your dancer to be eligible to participate in such events. This includes recitals, competitions, and any other performance event associated with your dancers classes. Dancers with outstanding fees (or accounts in arrears) will not be permitted to perform in Element events, and any and all fees associated or paid toward the event will not qualify for a refund or credit.

Element is not responsible for any lost or stolen items. Please be extra diligent in maintaining costumes and personal items during performances, recitals, competitions, etc. Lost costumes may need to be replaced at your expense before your dancer can perform on stage. Element reserves the right to disallow without refund a dancer from performing on stage during an event if their costume is not worn.

A Parent or legal guardian must complete and sign a discontinuation form (available upon request). The discontinuation form must be received by Element’s main office, or scanned and emailed PRIOR TO THE FIRST OF THE MONTH they are withdrawing from. Verbal notification and non-attendance are not considered automatic withdrawal. A $250 fee will be charged/withheld in order to cover the costs associated with re-working choreography for the team's dances.

Unlimited Payment Plan Refunds: (Company Dancers Only)

For dancers paying on an Element Unlimited Plan, refunds will be given based on an hourly rate determined by the total number of class hours taken, the total tuition charge, and company fees included in the Company Class tuition. In some cases these fees may be in addition to other Company Withdraw Re-blocking Fees, Costume Fees, etc.

Element Dance Studio collects and submits Competition Entry fees to various competitions throughout the year. Element Dance Studio acts as a “middle man” for these transactions so that dancers and their teams can enter and participate in competition events. Once Entry fees have been submitted to a given competition, Element no longer has control over, and is no-longer responsible for the refunding of these fees in any way or for any reason. If a competition refund is needed, we will advocate on your behalf to acquire a refund from the competitions, however their terms are often strict and Element does not assume responsibility of repayment for these fees. In the event that a given competition chooses to provide Element with a Refund or Credit for services not rendered or any other reason, these Credits and Refunds will be made available to our families.

All choreography done at Element is intended for the upcoming competitive season, however, I understand that if competitions are unable to run, Element will not be refunding fees relating to choreography taken place.