WBDC Policies
Registration
Each family must complete the June 2023-May 2024 Waiver for all dancer’s in the family, online in WBDC account/Dance Studio Pro, and pay the $25 Registration Fee per Family on, or before, the first day of Fall/Spring class.
Discounts
$5 off per month for each additional family member registering for Sept-May classes.
Payments
WBDC has 2 choices for tuition payment:
Utilizing Auto-Pay for all Tuition and Dancer Package fees. Please be sure to select Auto-Pay in your WBDC Account/Dance Studio Pro. Only one credit card can be applied to an account and all charges will be done on that card for auto payment enrollment. Families can opt out of Auto-Pay at any time by deselecting the option in your online WBDC Account.
Monthly submitted payments may be done online in family’s WBDC account. Submitted payments are due BEFORE the first of month/specific due date. Cash or check payments may be made to WBDC’s front desk.
Credit Cards - WBDC accepts Visa, Mastercard, and Discover Credit Cards. Please check the expiration date on your credit card and be sure to update soon to expire cards in your WBDC account. Our system will not allow a payment to go through with auto-pay with an expired expiration date. For example, January’s tuition will not be processed with an expiration date of 01/23.
Late Fees
All tuition payments that are received after the 1st of the month, costume/dance fees that are received after the 15th of the month, or any payment that is not received in full on or before the due date, will acquire a $15 late charge PER month per late item.
Returned Payments
All payments that are declined or returned to us for Non-Sufficient Funds will acquire a fee of $35. This is true for all auto-pay payments, one time charges by credit card, checking account, or written checks. If you have a credit card set up with WBDC that you need to change, please be sure to log in and change it on your account BEFORE the next charge date.
Lost & Found
At this time, we are not utilizing our Lost & Found. Items should be minimal that are brought into the studio by families and will be cleared out at the close of business each day,
Class Withdrawal and Tuition Refunds
All class withdrawals must be made in writing and submitted to the front desk by the 1st of the month to stop the monthly payment and completely withdraw your dancer from the class. Submissions for withdrawal after the first of the month, will result in changes to account beginning the first of the following month. There is no partial refund for withdrawing in the middle of a month. For those that have pre-paid the year in full, the credit for the remaining tuition hours not used will be refunded back to the original method of payment. Again, partial month refunds will not be applied. There are no refunds for missed classes, but dancers are always welcome to make up their absence in another class. Monthly tuition is the same for all months regardless of the amount of weeks. Tuition rates take into account studio closing, holidays, and planning for Minnesota winters.
Dancer Package Refunds due to Class Withdrawal
All requests for refunds must be made in writing and submitted to the front desk. Recreational Dancer Package fees are non-refundable after November 15th. Competitive Company Dancer Fees are in most cases non-refundable. Any refunds are only on a case by case basis depending on date, and payments to outside organizations that have already been completed. After December 1st, there are no refunds of any kind. Families are responsible for paying their dancer package fees Sept-March even if their dancer opts not to complete the season.
Complete payment of a season before participating in a new season
A dancer’s account must be paid in full, including late fees, prior to beginning a new season with WBDC. Examples but not only circumstances: Fall-Spring Season must be paid prior to beginning a Summer Season. Summer Season must be paid prior to beginning a new Fall-Spring Season. Winter 6 Week Class must be paid before starting a Spring 6 Week Class.
Recreational Class Absence
If you miss a class, please contact the front desk to find another class either exactly the same or similar to make up your missed class. There will be no refunds for missed classes.
Staff Substitutions
WBDC reserves the right to utilize any staff substitutions at any time at their discretion. (Examples: sickness, schedule changes, maternity leaves, competition performance schedules, professional performances, etc.)
Communication
Studio Phone Number: 651-426-4793
We do our best to make sure the answering machine at the studio is current and up to date. We will change the message to put all class cancelations and studio closings on the answering machine when applicable.
Studio Website: www.whitebeardancecenter.com
If you are reading this...you are already here! Great Job!!!! :-)
Online Account: Please click HERE to access your WBDC account.
Email is WBDC’s main form of communication. All WBDC studio information is sent out by email only. Please make sure you have a current email address on file at the front desk. Our emails have been known to go to the “junk” folders of email accounts, so please make sure to check your email settings with our email accounts. If you do not receive something from us within the first two months, please stop by the front desk to make sure we have the correct email address!
WBDC Email Address
info@whitebeardancecenter.com (for all information communication.)
katie@whitebeardancecenter.com (to reach Katie Weidner)
jenny@whitebeardancecenter.com (to reach Jenny Landry)
Weather Alerts
As we all know, living in Minnesota can bring on some unpredictable weather. We do our best to let families know, in a timely matter, about studio closings. Please see our order of communication below with a studio closing:
An email will be sent out.
The answering machine at the studio will be changed with a “studio is closed due to weather” message.
Because we have families from all over the area, please use your own judgment if there is bad weather. We base studio closings on what is happening at the studio. If you miss a class due to weather, we do allow for your dancer(s) to make up the class in the following weeks.
Front Desk
If you have a question, please ask the front desk. Our wonderful front desk staff should be able to answer, or find the answer, to any question you may have. If you need to speak with Jenny or Katie about something, please email them and they will return all messages as soon as possible.
Facebook/Instagram/Tik tok
If you have a facebook/instagram/twitter account, please go and become a fan of White Bear Dance Center! This is an excellent way to communicate information immediately and a fun interactive community.
Facebook (White Bear Dance Center)
Instragram (wbdcdance)
Tik Tok (wbdcdance_)
Additional Company Policies
Company Member Class/Rehearsal Absence
All Company members are required to have excellent attendance. More then 3 absences in a condensed time period may result in private lessons, removal from choreography (parts or whole), removal from upcoming performance, and/or removal from the company. All above options are at the discretion of teachers/choreographers. Not all situations are the same and will be handled on an individual basis. Any tardiness or absence, must be communicated to WBDC front desk, by phone 651-426-4793, or email info@whitebeardancecenter.com by a parent/guardian prior to the beginning of class/rehearsal. Please do not call, email, or text a teacher/choreographer, for they may be in class/rehearsal and not able to get the communication.
Mandatory rehearsals/Week Before Performance/Competition
The week before a performance/competition and any mandatory scheduled rehearsals, are just that, mandatory. Failure to attend rehearsal or class be it for cleaning, choreography, or technique, may result in removal from part or whole of choreography or performance. Not all situations are the same and will be handled on an individual basis. There will be no refunds for competition entries.
Dancer Packages
All Company dancers Mini, Intermediate, Elite, Hip Hop Company 1-4, Petite, Junior, Teen, and Senior will have a Dancer Package payments in 7 installments, Sept-Mar. This includes all outside rehearsal fees, competition/convention fees, costumes fees (minus tights, shoes, and accessories), recital video and a recital T-shirt needed for finale. All of these fees are refunded only on a case by case basis depending on date, and payments to outside organizations that have already been completed. After December 1st, there are no refunds of any kind.
Company Parents
There will be a Company Parent(s) selected to represent each Company. They will assist in communication and details for each Company.
Competition/Workshop Weekends
All competitive dancers are required to be at the competition venue 2 Hours BEFORE their first event. If the doors to the facility do not open 2 hours before, then all dancers are expected to have their hair/make-up completely finished and be at the doors when they do open. This season there will be an expected warm-up that all dancers will participate in prior to their first dance. This is important for focus levels and also for physical health and a proper warm-up.
All group awards, group plaques, special awards, over-all awards, cash awards, and group trophies must be brought back to WBDC on the next day of class. Group Ribbons/Metals/Pins may be handed out at the event and the extras must be given to the Company Parent or brought back to WBDC on the next day of class. Group Trophies and Plaques will be given away to the dancers that earned them, by class drawing. Over-all awards, special awards, and cash awards belong to WBDC.
WBDC apparel is a necessity for competition weekends. TO BE ONSTAGE AT AWARDS, A DANCER MUST BE IN WBDC APPAREL! WBDC warm-ups are HIGHLY ENCOURAGED, as well as, any other sweats, T-Shirts, Socks, etc.
Competition Schedules
Competitions communicate the detailed schedule of the weekends one week prior. As soon as WBDC has the information they will communicate it with all competition families. Most competitions do not accept requests on re-arranging schedules.
Injuries
Unfortunately, injuries happen both at dance and outside of dance.
If a dancer is injured in the fall, dancers may need some extra private lessons with an assistant or staff member to catch up on choreography and to assist with any rehabilitation. Dancers need to attend all of their company choreography classes and technique classes. They must participate in any stretching or activities of the class that are safe to do while injured.
If a dancer is injured during dress rehearsal and competition season it is at the discretion of WBDC if a substitution is needed within a piece. The injured dancer’s costumes may need to be altered in a (non-permanent way) to be worn until they are healed and are brought back into the piece. This is not optional, but an expectation of each dancer. There are no refunds of competition entry fees if a dancer cannot participate or if another dancer needs to be a substitute.
Returning to a piece after an injury is also up the discretion of WBDC. Just because they are cleared to dance doesn’t mean they are ready to compete. The rest of their body may need some time dancing full out again, so another injury isn’t created, their company may be too close to competition to have blocking or parts altered to be fair to all dancers,and if a competition has already been notified and changes have been made to their schedule then they cannot be reversed. Just like injuries that may happen in the fall season, during the rehearsal/competition season dancers need to attend all of their company choreography classes and technique classes. They must participate in any stretching or activities of the class that are safe to do while injured.
Keeping up with Choreography and Technique
If a company member is falling behind in choreography or technique, then private lessons will be recommended with an assistant or staff member. Each family is responsible for the charges accrued due to these extra lessons.
If after extra lessons and focused attention a dancer is unable to perform at the same level as their company, pertaining to performance level, choreography knowledge and technique, then they will be removed from pieces until they have caught up. They will be added back into pieces at the discretion of WBDC.
If a dancer is removed from a piece due to lack of effort there is not any refunds on costumes, entry fees and no adjustments will be made to monthly tuition.
Completing the 2023-24 Season
Families are responsible for paying the full dancer package payments Sept-March even if they choose to leave the 2023-24 company program in the middle of the season or incase of another or continued pandemic experience. The only exception is entry fees. Anything that has not already been paid to an outside company will be subtracted from the payments. If entry fees have been paid there are not any refunds. There are no exceptions.
Families must let WBDC know in writing that they are opting to stop their monthly tuition, prior to the 1st of the month. If the communication is received after the 1st of the current month there will be no refunds, and/or the family is responsible for the current month even if their dancer is not participating.