About Us
MoonDance Studios is now in its 36th year. In November 2011 we moved into a beautiful new space which allows us more scheduling freedom and class versatility. We believe that dance should be stress relieving, not stress inducing. With that philosophy in mind, we create a fun, relaxed atmosphere with just the right mix of structure and discipline.

The health benefits of a varied dance program are many, including increased flexibility, coordination, muscle tone, cardio strength and endurance.

The social benefits of dance class are also important. Children learn to share time, space, attention, and to interact with peers. They feel fulfilled and self-assured in a successful dance class. Do we want great performances? Sure, a flawless recital would be nice, but true success means happy kids with a healthy self-esteem. We are proud of our student return rate which has been at 97% for the last five years.

Our Staff
Kim Lauritsen..................owner and instructor
Shayna da Cruz..............student instructor
Julea Gorneault..................student instructor
Alecia da Cruz..............student instructor
Jessie Vilar..................student assistant
Kimberly Cook..............student assistant

Dance Genres/What We Teach
Ballet - A codified, classical form of dance with soft ballet shoes or pointe shoes (for women) and specific terminology. Various techniques include Cecchetti, Vaganova, Bournonville and Royal Academy of Dance. Most schools offer an amalgamation of styles.

Jazz - One kind of jazz dance is lyrical with fluid movements, another is more percussive with accented beats and body isolation movements, danced to popular music. Broadway (musical theater) dance and vernacular dance (Charleston, Swing, Latin) are included in this category.

Tap - A popular American dance form in which metal taps are mounted on shoes to make rhythmical sounds. Various styles abound. Some famous tappers are Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Brenda Bufalino, Gregory Hines and Savion Glover.

Creative Dance - Takes a student through the creative process as they make decisions about how they will move and why.

Hip Hop - A very popular and fairly recent development in dance that started on the streets of big cities and now has its own vocabulary.

Clogging - An American dance form that has Bluegrass roots and Celtic influences. Shoes have double taps for loud, fast, precise steps. Can be dance to any music with a quick and heavy beat.

Tumbling/Acrobatics - Tumbling moves are performed on mats and a low balance beam. Students work on skills at their own level and participate in a group floor exercise. We utilize balls and ribbons for coordination training.

Pointe - Specialized Ballet with hard shoes to enable the student to dance on her toes. Pointe is for girls at least 12 or 13 years old, depending upon their physical characteristics. Dancing en Pointe is very demanding and can permanently damage a young body if taught indiscriminately.

Vocals - Fun group sing-a-longs where scales, breathing exercises, vocal warm-ups and harmonies are taught. The class agrees on songs to practice and sing at recital as well as other performances throughout the year.

3-6 year olds year olds learn to stretch properly, work on gross coordination skills like skipping and Chasse (galloping), learn basic beginner Ballet and Rhythmic Dance (a precursor to Jazz), play games to music and learn basic tumbling skills. 5 & 6 year- olds also tap and can begin separate Clogging and Tumbling classes.

7-11 year olds stretch, begin their floor progressions and combinations and work on Ballet, Lyrical, Jazz, Hip Hop and Tap routines. Separate Tumbling and Clogging classes are available.

12 & up start class with comprehensive stretching and progressions and work on Ballet, Lyrical, Jazz, Hip Hop and Tap routines. Separate Clogging and Pointe (at my discretion) classes are available.

Class Fees
Class fees are to be paid at the first class of each month and are due regardless of absences or the number of classes held in that month.
Monthly class fees are as follows:
$48 for first hour-long class
$30 for second hour-long class
$12 for Vocal Group
$15 for Hip Hop Electives
$15 for Gymnastic Electives
There is a family cap of $140 per month for members of the same household.
Please call Kim for other family discounts.

Parents Viewing Class
Parents are not allowed to stay during class. Kids in general respond much better to instruction without an audience and for younger students, part of dance class is learning to handle that initial separation from Mom and Dad.

Appropriate Dance Attire
There will be a $35 registration fee payable when a student enrolls in classes.
A class leotard and tights will be provided and must be worn to class. You may purchase additional leotards and tights by contacting Kim.
In addition to class leotards and tights, dance skirts may be worn for combo classes and Ballet class, and gauchos may be worn for Hip Hop and Clogging.
Socks must be worn in the Studio until appropriate footwear is ordered.
No street shoes or bare feet are allowed in the Studio. This applies to parents and other non-dancers as well as students.
Hair must be up in a bun or a braided pony-tail for class.

Attendance & Promptness
It can be very difficult to teach a class and prepare for performances if the entire class is never in full attendance. Please make every effort to attend all classes and notify me if you/your child will be missing class. Please don't drop off your child earlier than ten minutes before class will begin, unless you've made prior arrangements with me. Students must be picked up promptly at the end of their class.

Practicing
Don't worry if your 3 to 7 year-old seems unable to recall their dances at home. Dancers that age become acclimated to their surroundings with the other dancers and often are unable to perform a dance they know without the whole group in place. There is also a good chance that dancers at this age may practice steps or a routine incorrectly without supervision. Students are encouraged to stretch throughout the week and may be given specific skills to practice. All students may bring a blank CD to class to have their music copied for them to take home. Class music may not be ready until January.

Parking
Please park in one of the five spaces directly in front of the Studio or in the side parking lot facing the street. Please, please do not park in front of any other businesses, even for a minute just to drop off a child.

Costumes
Order forms for costumes will be sent home in January to be returned with payment in February. All costumes are made-to-order and are unable to be returned. The cost last year for costumes, tights, slippers and accessories was $96. If your child attends more than one class, he/she will need additional costumes, usually costing less than their initial costume.

Recital
I will have a definite recital date by February before costumes are ordered.

Studio Website
Please check our website Bulletin Board weekly. All weather cancellations, any schedule changes, notices and other various bits of news will be posted there. Not all the papers I send home make it to parents, so your best bet to keep informed is to consistently check the Bulletin Board.

Please feel free to contact me anytime for anything. Thank you for choosing MoonDance Studios for your/your child's dance education.
Kim
(764-1385 or 227-1664)

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