Policies

FEES & LEVIES

TERM FEES

Term fees cover the training and coaching provided per group training classes.

An invoice for each Term will be sent out 2-3 weeks before the start of the coming Term and are to be paid before the Term commences. Term fees are calculated on the amount of hours each student trains.

RATE PER HOUR

2 Days or less per week: $24.20/hr

3 - 6 Days per week: $20/hr

*Please note that NO CASH payments are accepted for Term Fees*

PRIVATE LESSON FEES

Private lesson fees are to be paid before or directly after each private lesson slot. Account Transfers are accepted with an additional charge of 10% GST

Private Lesson Costs

30min: $65 (excl gst)

1hr: $120 (excl gst)

REGISTRATION FEE

Upon enrolment and at the start of each year, an enrolment fee of $25 will be charged to each dancer which covers the Admin cost of documenting/updating all students details and enrolling them into classes.

OUTSTANDING FEES

If fees are overdue, students will no longer be allowed to train until fees have been paid in full or an instalment plan has been activated.
After two requests to the family to settle the outstanding debt and the account is more than 30 days overdue, outstanding fees will be referred to a debt collector. An additional cost of 20% of the debt will be later invoiced to recover the costs involved.

Payment Methods

Credit and Debit Cards through Xero invoices.
Cash: cash must be the exact amount and handed to the Director or Assistant Director directly. *Cash is not accepted for Term Fees*

Difficulty with payment

Please contact the Ballet Express Director or Assistant Director via email: balletexpress123@gmail.com for a confidential discussion as soon as a difficulty with payment arises. The signatory on the Enrolment Form will be held responsible for the settlement of all accounts.

MAINTENANCE LEVY

All students are required to pay a Maintenance Levy of $20. This levy contributes to the costs required to maintain and upgrade equipment in the studio.

The levy is charged semi-annual (Term 1 & Term 3).

MID YEAR ASSESSMENT FEE

All students participating in the Mid Year Assessment are required to pay a fee of $150. This fee covers the cost of the use of the recording equipment, the time spent to edit and upload the footage as well as the Admin involved in writing each dancers report. This fee will be charged along with the Term 2 Fees.

VAGANOVA EXAM FEE

All students participating in the end of year Vaganova Exam are required to pay an examination fee of $500. This fee covers the cost of the Examiner and Pianist (on the day of the exam) as well as the cost of the prestigious certificates.

*Please note, should a class require an additional rehearsal with the pianist, an additional cost may be charged*

PRE BALLET EXAM FEE

All Pre Ballet students participating in the Pre Ballet End of Year Exam are required to pay a fee of $150. This fee covers the cost of the teachers preparation, the Admin involved in writing each dancers report as well as the cost of printing the certificates. This fee will be charged along with the Term 4 Fees.

END OF YEAR SHOWCASE FEE

At the end of each year, Ballet Express holds an end of Year Showcase where students will perform highlights of their work for their friends an families. Should the performance will be held in a theatre and a fee of $150 per dancer participating will be charged which goes to covering the theatre hire.

CHOREOGRAPHY FEE

Should a student require a dance specifically choreographed for them, whether classical or contemporary, a fee of $200 will be charged to the dancer. This levy covers the teacher’s time for finding appropriate music, editing the music and of coarse the time to create the choreography.

LATE PAYMENT FEE

If full payment of Term fees are not received by the due date, a late payment fee of $50 will be added to your next invoice.

Uniform Fees

Each level has a required uniform to be worn during all classes. These uniform requirements will be in your information booklet which you will receive upon enrolment.

Should a student represent Ballet Express at any competition, workshop or event, the student is required to wear a Ballet Express Jacket or vest. Prices for these vary according to size and style. Please contact us at balletexpress123@gmail.com to inquire or place an order.

SIBLING DISCOUNT

If siblings are enrolled with Ballet Express the oldest sibling will pay the full Term fee but the younger sibling/s will receive a 15% Discount off their Term Fee.

*this does NOT include Private Lessons or Workshops*

HEADPIECE USE DEPOSIT

Ballet Express owns a variety of beautiful headpieces and tiaras collected over Ms Jessica’s professional ballet career as well as purchased from a maker in South Korea. Students are welcome to “borrow” these headpieces for competitions but are required to pay a cash deposit of $150 which will be refunded should the headpiece be undamaged upon it’s return.

CLASSES

FULL TRAINING SCHEDULE PAYMENT

On acceptance of the student level, parents commit to payment of the full hours that are required to train for that particular level.
Any necessary variations to the training schedule should be negotiated and agreed with the Ballet Express Director or Assistant Director.

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

There will be no classes scheduled on Victorian and Australian Public Holidays unless a student has an upcoming exam or competition. The students will be notified in advance should they be required for training/coaching.

DANCER EXTENDED ABSENCES

Please note that students who have extended absences (holiday, camp or any other reason not relating to an event where the student is representing Ballet Express) are NOT entitled to a Term fee reduction.

INJURY or ILLNESS

Students who miss classes due to sickness or injury are NOT entitled to a fee reduction.

students may be eligible for credit of fees in the case of injury or illness.

The absence must be for a period of three or more consecutive weeks.
Families must apply in writing to the Ballet Express Director or Assistant Director and provide a medical certificate covering the whole period.
Credit for the missed period will be applied to the new Term following a medical clearance certificate stating that the student is fit to return to training.
Please note that a student is not permitted to train at all during this time i.e. if the dancer is training a modified program during this time, they are not eligible for credit of fees.

MAKE-UP CLASSES

NO REFUNDS ARE GIVEN FOR A MISSED CLASS
However, make-up classes can be offered to students if 24hr notice has been given from the family prior to that class in the event of an unforeseen circumstance.
Make-up classes DO NOT roll over to the following Term and MUST be used during the Term of the class missed.

VAGANOVA EXAM PARTICIAPTION

In order to participate in the end of year Vaganova Exam, it is a requirement for students to attend a minimum of 3 of their level classes per week as the dancer needs to meet a minimum technical requirement and complete that level’s vocabulary in order to represent

Ballet Express in a Vaganova Exam.

*The class teacher and Ballet Express Director have the right to prohibit a dancer from participating in the end of year Exam should they feel the dancer is not up to a high enough standard*

PRIVATE LESSONS

Payment

Payment should be made prior to the Private Lesson via bank transfer $130/hr (inc GST) or in cash $120/hr on the day of the Private Lesson.

Cancellation

As we have a high demand for Private Lessons, the Parent/Guardian should give Ballet Express at least 24hrs notice before cancelling their Private Lesson or they will be required to pay 50% of the coaching fee.
In the event that a student is unwell and unable to attend their Private Lesson, Ballet Express will need to be notified at least 2hrs before the lesson commences and the Private Lesson will be rescheduled with no extra charge.
Should a student not show up for their scheduled Private Lesson and the teacher not been informed, the family will still be invoiced for the Private Lesson.

Missed Lessons

Should the dancer cancel or miss 3 or more Private Lessons in a Term, the slot will be given to another dancer on our waitlist.

OTHER CONDITIONS

WITHDRAWAL FROM THE PROGRAM

If a student wishes to withdraw from our Program, they must provide at least 4 weeks written notice to Ballet Express.

PARENTS

Viewing Group Classes

Parents/Guardians are prohibited from watching/attending all group classes at Ballet Express. From our experience students tend to focus a lot better when parents are not in the class. However, we will have parent viewing in Term 2 & Term 4 where Parents will be invited to watch class.

Private Lessons

Parents/Guardians are welcome to attend and view their own child’s private lesson.
Recording lessons is strictly prohibited unless the teacher has permitted it for learning purposes.

COMPETITONS & EXTERNAL EVENTS

Students are welcome to participate in any master class, intensives, workshops and competitions. We kindly request the Parent/Guardian to make Ballet Express aware of the event.

Competitions

Should a student wish to participate in any ballet competition, that requires a Variation or Solo, it is a requirement to have a regular Private Lesson with Ballet Express at least once per week.

REPRESENTATION AT EXTERNAL EVENTS

To prepare students for the professional ballet industry, it is a requirement to represent themselves and Ballet Express in a professional manner. Such as wearing the appropriate dance attire, neat hair (hair sprayed/gelled), clean tights and ballet shoes as well as the Ballet Express Competition Uniform (simply contact us to place an order)

RESPECT

Teachers & Peers

To prepare the students for the professional ballet industry, it is a requirement for students to have respect for the Teacher (whether a Ballet Express or Guest Teacher) as well as their peers at all times.

Bullying

Ballet Express does not tolerate ANY form of bullying and should a dancer or Parent be found bullying anyone part of Ballet Express (dancer/teacher/parent) the Parent/Guardian will be made aware the incident and should another incident occur, the dancer will be asked to leave Ballet Express permanently and NO refunds will be given.