Duluth School of Ballet

This is a list of questions frequently asked about certain aspects of our programs. If you have other questions, please feel free to call us at any time.

Your tuition payment is due the first day of each month. A 10% late fee will be added to accounts not paid by the 10th of the month. Please note that we do not send out bills. We will mail you a reminder notice if we have not received your payment by the 10th of the month.

Yes, we accept Visa, Mastercard, and American Express.

Why is my tuition the same each month whether there are three classes in a month or four?

Our annual tuition is a yearly amount divided into ten equal payments. We guarantee that each class will meet 35 times between the day we start in August and our final day of classes in May. In fact, we build extra classes into our schedule so that we don't have to worry about scheduling make-up days if we have to close because of bad weather, or some other unforeseen situation.

The number of classes in each month will vary, however, based on holidays and the calendar.

Suppose my child decides she doesn't like it? Can I drop at any time? Do I still have to pay the tuition for the entire year?

You may withdraw from any or all classes at any time by giving 30 days written notice to the office no later than the end of the month. If you give less than 30 days notice, you are obligated to pay the next month's tuition.

Participation in our end-of-the-year performances is not mandatory. However, we require notice of this by December 1st. There is no reduction in tuition if your child does not participate.

You are welcome to wait while your child is taking class. We have a well-appointed lobby, and observation windows in each studio.

We just ask that you use common sense while watching classes through the windows. Do not tap on the class or wave at your child - it can be distracting to both the instructor and the students. Keep in my mind that some students do not like being watched, whether it is their own parent, or someone else. If you see the students are being distracted, just back away from the window.

Registration for our summer programs opens the beginning of March. Registration for annual classes usually begins about mid-April.

Of course you can. Any missed class may be made up in any other class of the same level. Please check with the Front Desk for the appropriate times and days. However, no refunds or reductions are made for missed classes.

We understand that being late is sometimes unavoidable for all of us. However, a pupil who is more than five minutes late for class may be asked to observe rather than take the class. The final decision is at the discretion of the instructor. This is not a disciplinary measure, but is done with the student's best interests in mind - especially where higher level classes are concerned. A student who misses the first few exercises at the barre runs the risk of injury by not being properly "warmed up."

We only close for the following holidays:
The last Saturday in September (the Duluth Fall Festival);
Thanksgiving (we close for the entire week);
Christmas (we close for two weeks based on the Gwinnett County school schedule);
Spring Break (we close for a week, based on the Gwinnett County school schedule);
We sometimes close early on Halloween, depending on the day of the week on which it falls. We never close for the various one-day teacher work days, or other government holidays.

We initially place children in classes according to their age. However, if we feel that the student needs to be in another level, we will place the child accordingly.

Do children in the Early Childhood Program take part in a performance at the end of the year?

Yes. All students at the Duluth School of Ballet take part in our Spring performance at the end of the year. We create a full-length children's ballet for the school, so that all of our students understand that dance is not just putting on a costume and "doing a dance." We generally give three or four performances, with each performance lasting about an hour. The school is divided into casts, so that most children are only in one performance.

At age seven, children move into Grade I-A ballet where they are introduced to the formal classical ballet technique. The Duluth School of Ballet teaches according to a graded syllabus that has its roots in the Vaganova syllabus of training, with heavy influence from the Royal Academy of Dancing program.