AN OPEN LETTER

To our new families

The staff and faculty at ZION welcome you. You are entering a new world as you begin to study the art of dance, voice, or acting at ZION.  Remember that one is never too old or too educated to explore the numerous aspects of the performing arts, because the knowledge derived from dance is endless!

To our returning families

Thank you for your support and welcome back!  You have chosen ZION as your performing arts school.  Once again, we are dedicated to teaching you more than how to dance, sing, and act, but also the development of your mental, physical, emotional, and artistic growth, which is your coordination, poise, grace, flexibility, strength, self-confidence, self-discipline and self-respect and also how to use these talents to glorify God.

To our parents

By enrolling your child at ZION, we appreciate that you take an active role in assisting your child with a genuine, enthusiastic, and positive interest in your child’s progression.  You must also trust that we as the staff and faculty will make the decisions in your child’s best interests. His/her welfare is first and foremost. 

To our new students

Entering ZION, you must take a trial class to assess proper placement and to ensure the best possible class schedule.  The instructors will evaluate by considering age, experience, # of years dancing, dance history, progress, pace in “picking up” material, physical development, attitude, and work ethic in class.  If there are any changes you will be notified by the next class.

TUITION

Tuition is due the first week of each month unless prior arrangements with the director have been made. Payments are set on a 10-month grace period but are broken down on a monthly basis. This means that the yearly tuition rate is broken down into 10 equal monthly payments and all time off from dance for scheduled studio closings has already been taken into consideration. In the event of a class being canceled due to inclement weather or an instructor's absence, a make-up class will be scheduled. Monthly tuition will not change due to a student's absence. Student's taking private or semi-private instruction may schedule a make-up class for any lessons missed throughout the season. After looking ahead to the 2024-25 season and taking into account which days the studio will be closed for holidays, there will be 36 weeks for Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday classes, and 34 weeks for Mondays. Classes have been added up with the hourly rate and divided by 10 for the season. Tuition payments will be due Sept-June.

Payments may be made by check or on Venmo @charity-creech-1

or mailed to Charity Creech, 3233 Wayne Street, Endicott, NY 13790

Hourly Rates per Lesson

1 Hour Group Class: $12.50

45-Minute Group Class: 9.40

30-Minute Group Class: $6.50

30-Minute Private Lesson: $20

30 Minute Semi-Private Lesson (Duo/Trio): $14

Registration Fee:   $30 per family to be paid at registration. This fee covers the cost of music, the stage rehearsal, and administrative costs.

Late Fees: Tuition is due the first week of the month. There will be a $5 late fee charged for tuition turned in one week late, and a $10 late fee charge for 2nd week, and $15 charged for 3 weeks late. 

​Bounced check Fee: A $25 service charge is applied to the repayment of a bounced check. 

Discounted Tuition Rates per student

This does not apply to Private or Semi-Private Instruction

2 one-hour Classes: $5 off 

3 one-hour classes: $10 off

• Family Discount: A family discount of $5 off for the 2nd, $10 off for three. Families with 4 or more children will receive a 10% discount. Discounts do not apply to private or semi-private lessons. 

Attendance: Students missing more than 2 weeks of classes in a row risk being dropped from that class. We ask that you carefully consider your child's schedule and other extra-curricular activities before committing to a dance, acrobatics, or theater class. Attendance is crucial for making a group routine or mini-production work. While ZION understands the need to discipline children, we ask that you do not use missing dance as a punishment. When your child misses class it doesn't just affect them, but it also affects the entire class and the instructor who may be trying to choreograph or run routines. If your child is going to miss due to a mandatory school event or a planned vacation, please notify Miss Charity ahead of time. If your child is going to miss due to an illness or family emergency, please call Miss Charity as soon as possible at (607) 743-9498. E-mail and Facebook messages are not always received the day of while Miss Charity is teaching classes.  

Absences or Cancellations: Make-up lessons are not given for any missed lessons that are not canceled by the director or instructor. If the lesson IS canceled by the director or instructor, a make-up lesson will be given prior to May 2024. All classes canceled due to scheduled studio closings or breaks have already been factored into the monthly/yearly tuition. If at any time a student decides to not continue their class or lessons, for any reason whatsoever, ZION is not responsible for refunding or transferring any monies already paid in advance to secure the dancer's spot in their class. However, special arrangements will be made for a student with a prolonged illness or serious injury with a doctor's note stating how long their recovery time will be before they can return to class. 

Dress Code: All students in dance and acrobatics class must wear proper dance attire. No exceptions

Acrobatic Classes: Any leotard or unitard. If wearing tights footless or convertible. Optional shorts or sweats

Ballet Classes: Black or pink leotards with pink or white full-footed tights (older teens may wear tan/nude tights), and pink ballet shoes. Hair in a bun. Optional skirt or shorts. Black ballet shoes for boys

Adv-Elite Dance Teams: Any color leotard and footless tights. Skirt or shorts optional

Tap Classes: Dance/Athletic shorts or pants, any color leotard or fitted top. Please make sure to maintain our modesty rules. Black tap shoes for tappers. No sneakers are allowed on the dance floor. No jeans or sweaters.

BOYS ATTIRE: Athletic shorts or pants with a well-fitted tee. No jeans or sweaters allowed

 ZION promotes modesty so please take special consideration when selecting your dancewear to make sure your chest and stomach are fully covered. No midriff is allowed. Camisoles or tank tops may be worn over leos to prevent this issue. If students come inappropriately dressed after the first warning, they will be asked to sit out of their class and observe only.  Parents & Guardians, please enforce this rule with your teenagers. 

Competitions: ​ZION is not technically a competitive studio, but we attend one competition per season for our competitive groups and soloists whom we feel are ready. 

Music Selections: All group or class music is selected by the instructor. Students taking private or semi-private classes have a say in what song they'd like to perform but all selections must be approved by the director. Since ZION is a Christian performing arts school, Christian music is the main focal point. However, at times instrumental, patriotic, or other selections may be used to tell a story relating to a particular theme a production or recital may have. The director has the final say in all music selections. 

​Pick-up: Please pick up your child when their class is over. If you are running late, please text or call us asap. Thank you. 

SUPERVISION: All siblings or friends attending ZION while your child is in class must be supervised by an adult. ZION is not responsible for students not in our class. 

RECITALS: Every student at ZION is invited to participate in our yearly recital in June

COSTUMES: Each group class or routine that your child does will require a costume. At ZION we try to keep the costume expenses as low as possible but even the most inexpensive costumes can run between $40-$70. There is also the added expense of dance tights, liners for older girls, and dance shoes. Please keep these expenses in mind while budgeting for your child's upcoming season at ZION. Costume money will be due the 2nd week of November (no exceptions). All monthly tuition fees must be up to date before paying for costumes. You will receive a full list of what you will need to purchase for each class at the end of September. ​

FOOD: All food MUST be eaten in the lobby. No food is allowed on the dance floor.

LOST & FOUND: All items left at the studio will be put in our lost & found with the exception of jewelry, keys, or electronic devices, phones, chargers, etc. Those items will be kept at Miss Charity's desk. Please leave jewelry at home to avoid this issue. We will only hang onto lost & found items for 2 weeks after which point, they will be discarded or given away. Please check the lost & found if you suspect an item has been lost. Please put your child's initials in their coats and other clothing so it can be easily identified if left behind. 

PICTURE DAY: There will be one required studio-wide picture day in May or June (exact date TBA). Students must be in their proper attire (including costume, hair, make-up, tights, shoes, accessories) for their scheduled block of time for each dance. Pavlik Photography will be doing the photo shoot and all orders for photos will be taken on that day by Jim Pavlik. Payment is due at the time of order and must be paid before the picture is taken. A specific schedule will be posted prior to picture day for each class and routine. No one is required to purchase pictures but all students in a group class must attend.