RoCo General Policies for the Youth Program

Our youth dance classes require a seasonal commitment because they are performance oriented classes (see below for performance information).  Our program is organized into 3 seasons per year in conjunction with the academic school year.  Fall & Spring seasons are approximately 17-19 weeks in length and during the Summer season we offer numerous 1-2 week intensives.

Our youth program serves youth ages 3-18 years of age.  All classes are organized based on GRADE level. They breakdown with the following codes: P for Preschool classes (any child who is pre-Kindergarden), C for Child classes (K-6th grade) and T for Teen classes (7th-12th grade).  Some classes accommodate both Child & Teen and are labeled as C/T.

Level Placement: There are pre-requisite levels that must be taken before entering certain upper-level classes. The student’s current instructors determine advancement to the next level. If you are new to RoCo and unsure what level to join, please check with a RoCo manager BEFORE registering for a class. You cannot register for advancement to the next level without authorization from your teacher. Teachers will contact their students when they are ready to move onto the next level at the end of a session. Students can stay in a level anywhere from 1 session to 4 years. All dancers progress at different rates. Students will not be pushed into a higher level if their teacher feels they do not have a firm technical grasp, body knowledge, or vocabulary for their current level. Putting dancers into higher levels before they are ready can cause injury, poor technical habits and slow down the learning process for others in the class.

Fall & Spring seasons commence in an end of session performance.  Some classes perform in our Child Preview Show at our Studio Theater and some classes perform in our OnStage Show at the Angelico Concert Hall in San Rafael.  Both performances require that students attend a 30-90 minute technical dress rehearsal in the performance space before the show.

Many classes that participate in the OnStage Show hold Performance Workshops that are required in order to perform.  These rehearsals meet for 1.5 to 2 hours on 4-6 weekends throughout the season.  There are additional fees beyond tuition for these classes that hold Performance Workshops.  They run between $150-$200 total.  Classes that participate in the Child Preview Show do not require additional class time.

Students may not be able to perform if too many classes or mandatory rehearsals are missed.

Registration must be completed online or in person (not over the phone) and is on a first come, first serve basis.  A space is not guaranteed until full tuition is paid.

RoCo offers tiered pricing rates for early, pre and late registration.
Tier 1: Early bird rate for registration 2 months prior to the session start date
Tier 2: Pre-registration rate up until the session start date
Tier 3: Late registration rate after the session start date

Classes, including summer intensives, are subject to cancellation if enrollment is too low.

Tuition fees are non-refundable – please choose carefully.  The only exception to this policy is if we cancel a class, in which case you will be refunded.

There are no credits or refunds for missed classes.

If a class has not reached capacity, new students may “drop-in” (one time only) to a single class to try the class before registering.  The drop-in rate is $25 and will be applied to the season registration if the student decides to enroll. Please call or email the studio to sign up for a drop-in class. Most classes will close to drop-ins after the first 4 weeks of a session.

Irregular and mid-season drop-ins detract from the class experience for the teacher and regular, committed students, so they are not allowed.

Payment plans are available on a case by case basis and must be set up in person.  To divide tuition into 2 payments there is a finance charge of 5%.  To divide tuition into 3 payments the finance charge is 10%.

Drop Off/Pick Up
We are not responsible for children left on premises before and after classes. If you are dropping off young children, please drop them off to their specific classroom and the teacher will take attendance once everyone has arrived. If you are picking up young children, please arrive 5 minutes early to your classroom.

Dress Code
Students must follow RoCo dress code for all classes. Students not dressed appropriately may be asked to sit out.
Ballet/Pointe – Ballet tights and leotard of any color, or black shorts or leggings and form fitting tee shirt, ballet shoes, hair must be pulled back in a bun.
Contemporary  – All black athletic wear, legs should be covered. Bare feet. Hair pulled back away from face.
Jazz  – Athletic wear, legs should be covered. Jazz shoes or foot undeez. Hair pulled back away from face.
Hip Hop – Comfortable clothing that dancers are able to move in with sneakers. Please make sure your sneakers do not have dirt on the bottom that can come loose while dancing.

Attendance Policy
Class attendance is crucial for a successful experience at RoCo Dance. To report an absence, please communicate with your teacher.

Attendance policy for 2x/week OnStage classes:
40% of classes missed (16 absences) –  Dancers may not be able to perform.
30 % of classes missed (12 absences) – Instructors reserve the right to remove dancers from certain choreography or sections of the piece.

Attendance policy for 1x/week OnStage classes:
40% of classes missed (8 absences) – Dancers may not be able to perform.
30% of classes missed (6 absences) – Instructors reserve the right to remove dancers from certain choreography or sections of the piece.

We make all announcements via e-mail. Please add us to your address book so our messages don’t get mis-directed into your “junk mail” folder.

All information regarding your class including their performance, holidays and teacher contacts is located under the “Class Info” page. Find your class and click on it.

Costumes are required for any classes performing in the OnStage or Preview shows. We try to keep costume costs to a minimum. Costume fees and instructions are announced halfway through the session.

If a student needs to withdraw due to illness or injury, please notify us immediately.  A doctor’s note is required to receive a credit for the remaining classes in the session.  The credit balance begins from the date of notification that your child will not be returning.  The credit must be used in the following season or it will expire.  Please see Youth Credit Policy below for specifics.

RoCo Youth Credit Policy

In the case of illness or injury, if your child cannot return to class for the rest of the session, we will offer a credit after delivery or a doctors notice.

Youth credits:

• Begin from the date of notification that your child will not be returning
• Must be used for another youth registration and cannot be transferred to an adult class card or adult drop-in class
• Cannot be transferred between siblings
• Cannot be transferred to parents/adult family members and vice versa.
• Our adult program and youth program are separate and funds are not transferable.
• Must be used in the following season or they will expire.