FAQ- Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to common questions about Leap Dance Midlands, including dance styles, booking and trial information and what makes our dance school unique.
Children’s Classes – FAQ for new starters
🩰 General Dance Class Information
🩰What age can children join the school?
We have a special class called Little Leapers for children aged 1-3 years with their grown ups. Children can start the preschool classes usually from 2 years 9 months or younger if they are confident enough to come independently.
🩰How do I book a trial class?
You can book a trial for our classes online in a few quick and simple steps. This link takes you to view all the classes by age group, and place and shows you all the dates available for trial classes. We do limit the number of trials in our classes, to make sure the children get the support they deserve and feel welcomed as part of our dance community.
🩰 What dance styles do you offer?
We offer a wide range of dance, acrobatic and drama classes including:
- RAD Ballet
- ISTD Tap & Modern
- I-PATH Jazz & Lyrical
- Acrobatic Arts Acro
- Street Dance
- Musical Theatre– Drama, Singing and Dance
🩰It’s my child’s first trial class, what should they wear?
For their first class your child can wear something they can dance comfortably in, T-shirt and leggings for example. They need to have their hair tied up off their faces.
They can do ballet in bare feet or trainers at first. For tap they need to wear trainers or school shoes that supports their feet. We do have a uniform that you can buy directly from us, but you don’t need to purchase anything until they are settled and want to stay with us.
We get our uniform at wholesale prices and pass the discounts onto our families. We also encourage you to resell tap shoes to help you keep costs down.
🩰Can my child join the school at any time during the term, or must I wait until a new term commences to register?
Children may register for a trial class at any time during the term and fees for that term will be adjusted accordingly. This means the children don’t need to wait to start with us and can join at anytime.
📅 Schedule & Locations
🌟Where are your classes?
Each venue is welcoming, child-friendly, and easy to access. We currently offer classes in:
- Hilton (Scout Hut)
- Tutbury (Old School)
- Anslow (Village Hall)
- Melbourne (Assembly Rooms)
🌟What days and times are classes available?
Our Melbourne classes are after school on Thursdays. Our Anslow classes are after school on Fridays. Our Tutbury and Hilton classes are on Saturdays.
🌟Do you run classes during school holidays?
We offer pay as you go classes in the Summer holidays as we know some families are away, which are optional to attend and you only pay for the ones you attend. It is a positive way to give our parents some me time and help keep the children motivated and away from too much screen time.
💃 Performance & Progress
💃Do students take part in exams?
We work towards examinations in Royal Academy of Dance ballet and ISTD and IPath tap and modern in our Primary classes and above. Examinations are offered to all pupils but are not mandatory. We believe in giving the children the opportunity to demonstrate how hard they have worked, perform and feel a sense of achievement and progress through the examination process. However, we wouldn’t hold any child back in their development should they chose not to take part in exams.
💃What performance opportunities are available?
We do an annual show that everyone is in, where we showcase all the children’s hard work from their classes. We love welcoming families and friends to see the children dance and perform.
We have a Performance Group that children in Primary and above are all invited to join, We perform at all our family events as well as at local fetes and events.
💃Can my child progress through levels?
We have clear progressions in all our classes and the children can move up through the different classes. We also encourage them to try out new classes to aid their confidence and performance skills.
💰 Payments & Commitment
🌟How much are classes?
Our class prices are all clearly listed on our booking site. They reflect the care and quality we put into every session — helping us keep our staff fully trained and supported, so your child’s experience is always professional, safe, and nurturing.
🌟How are fees charged? Can I pay on a weekly basis?
We offer two trial classes where you can pay weekly. After the trials you just pay for the remaining classes that month, giving your child time to settle in with us. Then we invoice you monthly and classes are paid for in advance.
🌟Do you follow school terms or are the classes arranged differently?
We aim to follow the school’s calendars as closely as possible so our half terms follow the school term dates. We do take half term breaks to ensure the children have the opportunity to rest and have the last Friday/ Saturday off. Please refer to the Class Manager noticeboard for Easter and Christmas holiday dates.
In Summer we have Pay as you go Dance classes as we know people are busy enjoying the holidays. We have payg classes most weeks in the Summer and dates are shared with you in advance to choose from.
🌟Do you cater for children with special needs?
All children are welcome at the school, including children with a disability. Elaine is trained in SEND and has experience of supporting children and young people with special needs and mental health needs for many years. She has also trained in mental health support and awareness and safeguarding. Please contact us so we can provide the best support possible for your child.
🌟Can I watch lessons?
During trial classes experience has shown us that having parents in the class watching can be off putting for all of the children, so we allow you to wait outside where we dance, rather than in the room. We have Assistants whose main role is to support and nurture the children so they will always be well looked after.
If they are not ready to come in independently we have an extra special class called Little Leapers, where you can stay with them and join in too. We have found this can be an ideal way for them to get used to Elaine, the environment and grow in confidence ready to progress into our Preschool and Primary classes.
We invite families into our special Watching Weeks so you can see your child’s progress and see what we do in class. We also have a Summer Show where you can watch your child perform on stage, which is an exciting experience for everyone. We also share Progress Cards so you can see how they are progressing.
FAQ After the trials
After first trial
- Book a second trial if you’d like a bit more time to decide.
- Enrol fully in their chosen class if you’re ready.
- Try a different class as a trial.
After the Second Trial
- We’ll send an invoice for the rest of the month.
- Future payments are invoiced monthly and can be paid via GoCardless (you’ll get an invite by email) or bank transfer.
Uniform Information
- Ballet shoes are the most important item to start with.
- We have a uniform list and you can order by emailing us.
- Hair is tied back for lessons and bring a water bottle.
Welcome Info
Please email us for the Welcome Handbook to find out all about joining our dance community.
Join our private Facebook group for updates, preloved items, and more. Invite on trial emails and future newsletters or just email us.
Refer a friend and get 50% of your month’s classes. Send their contact details and we will do the rest.
Missed classes can often be made up in another session, just email us for alternative classes.
Stay Connected
- Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for class photos, videos and the latest events. As well as our website on our news and blogs page.
Questions?
We’re here to help—just email us or DM us and we will reply.
Adult Classes FAQ
🩰It’s my first trial class, what should I wear?
For your first class you can wear anything you can dance comfortably in, T-shirt and leggings for example. Tie your hair back for safety.
You can do ballet in bare feet or trainers at first. For tap you can wear trainers. We do supply dance shoes that you can buy directly from us, but you don’t need to purchase anything until you are settled and want to stay with us.
We get our uniform at wholesale prices and pass the discounts to you.
🌟Can I join the school at any time during the term, or must I wait until a new term commences to register?
You may register for a trial class at any time during the term and fees for that term will be adjusted accordingly. This means you don’t need to wait to start with us and can join at anytime.
🌟How are fees charged? Can I pay on a weekly basis?
We offer two trial classes where you can pay weekly. After the trials you just pay for the remaining classes that month, giving you time to settle in with us. Then we invoice you monthly and classes are paid for in advance.
An option for payg may be added in the future, with discounts for monthly bookings.
🌟Do you follow school terms or are the classes arranged differently?
We aim to follow the school’s calendars as closely as possible so our half terms follow the school term dates. We do take half term breaks to give our staff the opportunity to rest and have the last Friday/ Saturday off. Please refer to the Class Manager noticeboard for Easter and Christmas holiday dates.
If any information is missing on this page and would be of use please email us with your suggestions. Please get in touch below.
Leap Families Information
We have included some of the most useful information and links so you can find everything in one place. We hope you find it useful.
Uniform
Our uniform has been chosen to be suitable for RAD and ISTD dance exams. We aim to use sensible priced items and don’t ask for different items for the different styles of dance. We also buy and use our trade account to pass on the savings to our families.
We ask that the uniform is purchased for our Primary and Junior classes within two months of starting. Ballet shoes are the only purchase we encourage all classes to buy. We encourage and help parents to sell on their tap shoes.
Please email us for the current uniform list.
Or email us to order or ask for advice
Communication for our families
Class Manager App
Download and use our school app in your Class Manager account. Plus reminders for special classes or urgent messages are sent out using this app.
Term Dates
Dates are shown on our Facebook cover page for each half term.
Monthly class dates are shown on the invoices.
Leap Families on Facebook
We also have a private families group on Facebook which we will use for discussions and feedback about events and activities. Plus selling on preloved tap shoes. Please do request to join us here: Key dates and events are posted in here.
News and blog page
Our website also has a page with all the latest news and events. We also add new topical blogs too, so why not take a look here?
Leap Dance Midlands 