Competitive Teams | The Dancers' Studio

Team Information

Musical Theater Team

Ages 7-18
1 Required Class Weekly
1 Rehearsal Weekly
2 Competitions Per Year

Star Dance Team

Ages 3-18
2 Required Classes Weekly
1-2 Rehearsals Monthly
2 Competitions Per Year

Elite Dance Team

Ages 7-18
5-6 Required Classes Weekly
2-4 Rehearsals Weekly
4 Competitions Per Year

A Big TDS Welcome...

Dear Students and Parents,

Thank you for your interest in our Performance Teams. We are entering our 13th year with our Dancers’ Studio Performance Teams, and are very excited to get going again. Our studio team competes in a variety of areas of performing arts, focusing mainly on the areas of dance and musical theater. By offering this variety to our students, we have opened the doors for our students to expand their training in the performing arts, and become well-rounded performers. Many of our former and current team members have had success at auditions within the industry and are recognized for their professional training. Some of our former members have received college scholarships for colleges like UCI, CSULB, and NYU. We’ve also had members find success performing for artists on tour, music videos, community arts, and Disney! We are proud of the performers our program has produced. Our team director and choreographers are all looking forward to working with so many new and talented young people!

Our goal for our team dancers, singers, and actors is for each performer to develop excellent performance skills by being given extra opportunities to perform each year and by receiving an elevated form of training. Our fabulous performers have the opportunity to dance and sing at a variety of wonderful events including community events, Disneyland, and Storm Stadium. They also earned high scores and honors at competitions and conventions in surrounding cities and the fabulous Las Vegas! We are extremely proud of our team members and their success.

This year we are excited to introduce a brand new team experience for all families. We realize competitive teams can seem like a scary commitment. We also understand that the time and financial commitment doesn't work for every family. We feel that the chance to perform and experience working with a team is an extremely beneficial opportunity that should be available to every student. We want to be different, we want to be inclusive, and we want to open new doors for new performers. We proudly introduce the Star and Elite Teams!

Star Team:

The Star Team is designed for students who are new to the team experience and will benefit families who would like to be a part of the amazing training and performance opportunities without a large time and financial commitment. Members will learn one to two routines that will be rehearsed 1-2 Saturdays of every month. This schedule will be given to parents upfront. Routines will be performed at two local events in addition to recital between the months of January and June.

Elite Team:

The Elite Team suits families who are looking for a competitive edge to the training of their experienced performer. The Elite Team will continue to rehearse weekly and will perform at four to five events in addition to recital between the months of January and June.

Musical Theater Teams:

The Musical Theater Team is a great opportunity for our performers who love to sing and dance. Musical Theater Team members will learn 1-2 routines that will be rehearsed once a week. Members of the Star and Elite Dance Teams are welcome to also be a part of the Musical Theater Team. Routines will be performed at approximately 2 events in addition to recital between the months of January and June.

All teams are amazing opportunities and are fun ways to take your child's training to a new level. We highly recommend our teams and are proud of the bond our parents and members hold. Don't let the word "team" scare you. We are just a family coming together to share our love for the arts and for our studio. No drama, just lots of support from other parents, students, and instructors!

"Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life."

Audition Eligibility: All students enrolled at The Dancers’ Studio are eligible to audition for our teams as long as the student’s tuition, costume, and team accounts are current with no past due balances from previous seasons, and has completed his/her commitment during any and all previous seasons. All team members are expected to commit to the full season of events and attend all team performances and competitions. Any conflicts must be presented to Miss Victoria well in advance. Students who do not honor their team contract will not be allowed to finish the remainder of the season on team, and will not be eligible to audition for teams in future seasons.

Auditions will be held on Friday, August 30th, 2019, at 5:00pm for dancers and 6:00pm for musical theater performers. The studio will be available 1 hour before auditions for warm up. If you are not able to attend auditions, please arrange a private audition with Miss Victoria in advance. Please arrive at least 10 minutes early for check-in. During audition check-in, you will fill out a form where you may select which of our teams you prefer and list any conflict dates you may have for the season ahead (September-June). This will help us plan ahead for the new year.

All members who wish to perform in a group or as soloists must audition. All Dance Team participants must audition in all styles of dance including Jazz, Contemporary, Tap, and Hip Hop. Musical Theater participants will only need to audition with a voice audition. Musical Theater participants must prepare a song under one minute that they will perform at auditions. The audition process is not intended to cut anyone but instead allows our director and instructors to form groups that will best suit our performers. We wish to create groups that will both enhance our performers strengths and will challenge them. In a few cases, our instructors may suggest that a contestant complete at least one year of training before joining the performance teams to build a strong base in dance or vocal technique.

Routine Placement: After auditions, the director and team instructors will be placing each performer in the routines/songs he or she will be working on and performing throughout the year. All students who wish to be a part of the The Dancers’ Studio Team, including those who wish to be a part of the solos only program must audition. Not only is the audition experience good practice for future performance opportunities but this is also the time in which instructors can observe and invite students into private solos or groups. Without having had auditions, we could not possibly predict exactly how the routines will be divided, other than the following basic information: For the Dance Teams, each dancer will be considered for placement in a jazz, hip hop, tap, or contemporary (or any combination of the 4), and production number. For the Musical Theater Team, students will be placed in a minimum of 1 group number and an option for a hip hop and/or tap routine. All students will be a part of one large team, but divided into different groups for some routines. While students may not all be participating in all disciplines, we want to encourage teamwork and support of our entire team, regardless of which numbers a person will be participating in. All solos, duos, trios and private lesson group numbers must be arranged with the team director.

Note: In past years we have divided our groups into 4 divisions: Tiny Team, Petite Team, Junior Team, and Teen/Senior Team. After auditions, should we not have enough students in any division to create a group of 4 or more, we will not offer a group for that season in that style of dance or theater. Should this situation arise, we will speak to the parents of the students who will be affected to discuss the possibility of arranging a solo/duo/trio private lesson instead.

After Auditions: All team members will receive an email with placement information and details. We thank you in advance for your patience as our director and instructors take time to create groups for the new season. Our competition team and soloists list will be posted no later than Tuesday, September 3rd, at the studio. A mandatory parent meeting will be held on September 7th at 10 AM followed by the first choreography weekend. The meeting will introduce the performance schedule and team wear, and will also cover what to expect throughout the season as a team member. We would also love to answer any questions you have during this time. Weekly scheduled rehearsals for Musical Theater and Elite Teams will begin the week of September 9-13th.

Choreography Weekend Rehearsals:

September 7 11:00am-6:00pm

September 8 12:00pm-6:00pm

September 14 10:00pm-6:00pm

September 15 12:00am-6:00pm

This time will be used to get a jump start on learning routines. Some team members may need to attend most hours of these rehearsals, while others may need to attend fewer. A detailed schedule for the Saturday rehearsals will be made after auditions. We are lucky to have a talented group of instructors choreographing for and working with our teams. This allows us to use in-studio choreographers instead of outsourced choreographers which can be pricey ($300+). All group members will have a one-time $50 Choreography Fee due at the end of the mandatory meeting September 7th. This helps us compensate our wonderful instructors for their time and skill. Soloists may use choreographers outside of the studio with our director’s approval. There is no extra choreography fee for soloists who are learning choreography from an instructor/choreographer who they are working with at The Dancers’ Studio weekly.

From September thru June, our teams will rehearse as follows:

Star Team:

Auditions will determine the number of groups and selected styles of dance and/or musical theater that best fit our dancers. Star Team members will likely only need to be there for 1-2 of the choreography days listed above to learn routines. These dates will be selected after auditions. After the choreography rehearsal, groups will rehearse 1-2 Saturdays of every month from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM. A schedule of selected Saturdays will be available at the meeting September 7th. We will use family conflict dates for reference when creating the rehearsal schedule and will do our best to accommodate the scheduling needs of our members.

Elite Team:

Depending on placement after auditions, members of the Elite Team will learn Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop, Contemporary and/or Musical Theater routines they have been selected for and should leave all the choreography time slots listed above available. Dancers will be selected for a minimum of two groups but may be selected for multiple groups in different styles of dance. Once we have created groups we will designate weekly rehearsal times starting the week of September 9th.

Please note that some routines/groups may have combined Star and Elite Team members. Rehearsals for these routines will be scheduled after we have received conflict dates for everyone.

All Teams: Additional rehearsals may be scheduled as we get close to competition. (e.g. Dress Rehearsals, Final Run-Through Rehearsals…)

Required Classes:

In order to join our teams, you must be enrolled in a minimum number of classes at The Dancers’ Studio each month from September, 2019 thru June, 2020 (Recital month). Star Team tuition is a flat rate of $45 per month and Elite Team Tuition is a flat rate of $95 per month. These rates are in addition to regular monthly tuition. Please see our studio price sheet for more details on our class prices. Students who are taking unlimited classes still pay the flat rates for teams. Team rates are not included in tuition prices.

Each year we strive to make changes and improvements to our program and find ways to help students build their technical skills to a level that will be competitive. This year we will be requiring both our Star and Elite Team dance members to take classes that will work on their strength, flexibility, and technical skill. We understand that being on a competitive team can sound costly and because we wish to open this wonderful training opportunity to more students, we have created some team member perks. We hope these changes will continue to strengthen our performers and help with the cost of being on our competitive teams.

A breakdown of requirements to participate in our performance teams is listed below:

Musical Theater Only:

Ages 7-19: All Musical Theater Team members must take Musical Theater Team Rehearsal ($45.00 per month), plus one class of your choice per week, or a private lesson in voice. Additional dance classes are always recommended for the Musical Theater Team members. Musical Theater Team members have the option of competing with the Hip Hop or Tap dance group, but must also be enrolled in a hip hop or tap class to do so. Musical Theater Team members do not have the option of competing in the Jazz and Contemporary groups unless he/she meets the requirements for the Dance Team.

Dance Team Only:

Ages 3-6: Must take Team Tots Rehearsal ($45 per month), plus one class of your choice per week.

Ages 7+: Must take Star Team Rehearsal ($45 per month), plus the requirements below.

Ages 7+: Must be enrolled in weekly rehearsals (Flat rate $95), plus the requirements below.

Both Dance and Musical Theater Teams:

All dance requirements listed above, plus Musical Theater Team Rehearsal Class. Star Dance Team plus Musical Theater $70, Elite Dance Team plus Musical Theater $120. These rates are in addition to regular monthly tuition.

Team Tuition Discounts:

Elite Monthly Tuition: $15 off

Private Lessons: $20 off

*Enroll in AutoPay: $5 off

Solos, Duos, Trios:

All team members will receive a $20 discount off private lessons. You must be on a performance team to perform and compete with a solo, duo or trio (Exception: See Note Below), and must be enrolled in a private lesson to work on that particular dance, song or monologue. Students who are on the competition team may compete and perform a routine in the disciplines of ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, tap, voice, monologue, or song and dance. Students who are on only one team may compete with a solo/duo/trio in any discipline, but each routine must be approved by the instructor in his/her private lesson (for example, a dance team member may compete with a vocal solo if she/he is enrolled in a private voice lesson, and is approved by the instructor). A maximum of two solo routines can be prepared in one private lesson time slot for ages 12+. Soloists under 12 may only prepare one solo routine in one private lesson time slot. It is important that our soloists and groups be well rehearsed, clean and prepared for competition. Duos and trios cannot be rehearsed during the same private lesson as a solo.

***Note: In an effort to provide more options to meet the needs of our students, a Solos/Duos/Trios-only option is available to all eligible students between the ages of 7 and 19, based on the approval of the team director. We realize the team requirements can be difficult for students who are involved in other activities, so we are delighted to offer this option for those who cannot make the complete commitment to groups, but still wish to be a part of the Team. Students who choose this option will not receive the team discount for private lessons, and will be required to pay $35 per month for team tuition as a paperwork fee. Students who choose this option may participate in Production and compete in as many solos/duos/trios as they wish, as long as all routines are well-prepared and approved by the team director. Students who choose this option will also be invited to perform at local team events when the scheduling allows.

The requirements for this option are:

-Minimum of 1 weekly private lesson with a studio instructor.

-Minimum of 1 additional private lesson or class per week in the same or similar style of dance.

Students who choose this option are not required to attend all competitions and performances, but are encouraged to participate whenever possible. Studio fees for performances apply (see cost breakdown).

Student Accounts: Each student will have his or her own individual account kept throughout the year. We recommend depositing a small amount into your team account each month as a savings account towards costumes and competition fees. Students will receive an invoice for each competition within two months of the upcoming event. Balances in the accounts will be deducted from invoice totals otherwise the invoice will be due in full.

Recital Participation: All team members are required to participate in the June Recital. Team members are expected and required to perform all team routines, as well as class routines with all of the minimum required classes. Students must purchase a recital costume for each of the required classes for the Recital. The only exceptions to this rule are technique only classes. Participation in recital routines is required because students can not maximize growth in their training if they are not dancing the entire year in the required classes, and students not participating in a recital routine often do not complete the year of classes, or do not dance full-out because they are not given spots in formations. We expect our team members to be good examples of how hard work and dedication can pay off with serious training. Team members are representatives of our studio, not just within our studio and at competitions, but also in our community.

An approximate breakdown of additional costs for the year is listed below: (Not including Tuition)

Star & Musical Theater Elite

-Warm Ups $150.00 $150.00

-Costumes and Accessories $150.00 $450.00

-Tights and Shoes $100.00 $150.00

-Competition/Performance Fees $200.00 $800.00

-Studio Fees ($25 single day event, $50 multiple day event) $100.00 $200.00

-Hotel Accommodations, Etc. N/A $300.00

-Annual Studio Recital Fee (Apx. Price) $30.00 $30.00

________ ________

Approximate Total Cost: $730.00 $2,230.00

Please be aware that this is only an estimate; costs may be lower or higher, and this is the approximate cost for the full year. This cost breakdown does not include tuition for the year, just performance team costs, and does not include spending money at any of the events. This also does not include additional cost for guest choreography, solos, duos, and trios for competition fees. This is just the base number for being on the team in the group numbers. We do not want to throw any surprises at you; we want you to know exactly what you are committing too for the year, so please be sure that you are comfortable with the financial commitment before auditioning. If you would like a more accurate total for the entire year, please include your monthly tuition and private lesson costs (each person’s will vary, based on the number of classes/private lessons you take), and any additional travel expenses you may incur from traveling to competition locations.

Below is a draft schedule for the year: (This is not final in any way, final schedule TBA.)

December Nutcracker Production

January Weekend Rehearsals, Please leave entire month open!

January 24-26 Access Broadway, Las Vegas, NV (Elite and MT)

Feb. 28- Mar. 1 KAR, Riverside CA (Star and Elite)

March 13-15 Rainbow, Escondido, CA (Elite)

April 3-5 Turn It Around Tour, Temecula, CA (Star, Elite, MT)

April Disneyland Performance (Elite and MT)

May 22-25 Showstopper, Anaheim, CA (Elite Only)

June 20 Annual Recital (All Teams)

Regarding the above listed tentative schedule: Teams will not attend ALL of the listed competitions, and likely not only these specific competition companies. These are just some we have attended in the past. Others will be optional competitions for solos/duos/trios. Once the dates are finalized, we will provide you with a final schedule. Should any events be changed after that point, we will let you know as soon as possible. Your commitment for the year is to the events on the final schedule only, which will be finalized and handed out during the mandatory parent meeting, and updated again in January, 2020 with more details. Any added or changed performances will be optional, although we expect all students to participate, unless we are told of a conflict at the time an event is scheduled. We want our team to work together, and it is difficult to perform well without the whole team. We will do our best to keep costs down for you throughout the year, so we will try to only add low-cost performances when possible.

Attendance: In past years, consistent attendance has been a struggle for some team members. We realize that some students have special circumstances that make consistent attendance difficult for them, and would like to encourage students who may not be able to attend regularly to consider the solos/duos/trios option instead of auditioning for groups. Absent team members cause a great deal of work for instructors and other students, and ultimately compromise the quality of the pieces. A very strict attendance policy will be enforced in regards to team rehearsals and required classes:

-3 missed team rehearsals per season, per routine (September 2019-June 2020) will be allowed and excused.

-4 missed rehearsals- the student will be considered on probation, and an alternate will be trained to learn the routine in place of the original student

-5 missed rehearsals- the student must provide a doctor note excusing the student from all activity. Should no doctor note be provided, the student will no longer be allowed to participate in the group routine for the remainder of the year, and the alternate will take his/her place. Should a doctor note be provided, the alternate will fill in and perform in the following competition or performance, after which, the original student may resume his/her spot in the routine, as long as we receive a doctor note releasing the student to participate again. Competition fees and studio fees will still be charged to the original student (even though the alternate will perform).

Required Class Attendance: We can not expect the standard of our teams to improve if team members are not consistent in their technical training. Regular class attendance is an important part of making sure our performers are receiving the proper training required to compete. In an effort to improve the skills of our competition teams and each individual equally we will be enforcing a new policy that states team members will not be allowed to miss more than three total days a month of any required class to be on the teams they are a member of. Absences will only be excused with a doctors note. If a performer does not follow these regular class requirements they will be considered on probation, and will be removed from the group number(s) for the following performance/competition.

***IF YOU DO NOT FEEL YOU CAN COMMIT TO THESE ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS FOR TEAM GROUP REHEARSALS, PLEASE DO NOT AUDITION FOR GROUPS, AND PLEASE CONSIDER THE SOLOS/DUOS/TRIOS ONLY OPTION SO YOU CAN STILL PARTICIPATE IN OUR TEAMS WITHOUT OTHER TEAM MEMBERS AND INSTRUCTORS RELYING ON YOUR ATTENDANCE AT REHEARSALS.

Performance Team Contract: Each student and parent will be asked to sign a contract at the time of auditions outlining the information contained in this packet, and all attendance requirements. Please read the contract carefully, so that you are aware of the requirements and commitment required to participate. Contracts will be available for you to read and sign at auditions.

In past years we have accepted all students who have auditioned for our teams, and hope to do so again this year. As our studio continues to grow, we strive to accommodate students of all levels on our performance teams, whether beginning, intermediate or advanced. Should we have a large number of beginning/intermediate level students audition, we may add extra groups to allow these dancers to be training at a comfortable level, rather than the students feeling as though they must keep up with advanced dancers who have been competing for multiple years. Should we not have enough new students audition at a beginning/intermediate level to create separate groups, we may encourage beginning/intermediate students to study for an additional year in classes before placing him/her on a team. We may also encourage beginning/intermediate students to select the solos/duos/trios option for a year to get a start with competing, and then audition again for groups the following year. If you have any questions or concerns regarding group placement based on ability, please see the front desk for a list of guidelines/curriculum for our classes. These lists should give you an idea of what is expected at a competitive level.

We have watched our performers grow immensely over the past years, and we are confident that participating in our Performance Teams will be a rewarding and positive experience for you in developing your performing arts training. We look forward to seeing you at Competition Team Auditions!

-Victoria Jauregui, The Dancers’ Studio Artistic Director