ATHENIAN DANSE TROUPE
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to a new year of Greek Folk Dancing! We are pleased to have you and your child in the dance program and look forward to an exciting year. Below are the 2019 Hellenic Dance Ministry Rules & Regulations. We pray the policies outlined below will help everyone to understand the dance ministry and meet the expectations of this year’s program.
2019 DANCE PROGRAM
The Greek dance program of the Nativity of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church is an integral part of the ministry of our church. Greek folk dance is part of the Hellenic Culture & Dance Ministry of our metropolis.
The primary purposes of this ministry are:
• To bring youth / adults together in Orthodox Christian fellowship
• To help our youth develop strong moral, ethical, and leadership standards
• To develop, promote, and preserve our Greek heritage and culture
Each ministry of the church is guided by a set of rules and standards intended to help us live and grow in a standard befitting the life of an Orthodox Christian.
2019 RULES & REGULATIONS
The goal of the Hellenic Dance Ministry is to establish a safe, organized, and positive environment in which the instructors can teach and the dancers can learn. No disciplinary rules of this dance program are intended to supersede or replace the parenting responsibilities of a dancer’s parent. All parents are expected to be fully aware of their child(ren)’s behavior at all practices, performances, and events and to take necessary disciplinary measures to ensure their child(ren) comply with all rules and expectations.
DANCE PROGRAM CODE OF CONDUCT
All Dancers are required to be active members of the church, respectful, and responsible.
CHURCH
All Dancers, Instructors and Directors are expected to attend church regularly if they wish to participate in the dance program. Regular attendance means being in church each Sunday, whether it is in the Divine Liturgy or in Sunday School (at the discretion of the Parish Priest). We understand there are times when someone cannot attend due to illness or other issues, but these must be the exception and not the rule. Attending church each Sunday demonstrates each of our dancers, instructors and directors understand and exemplify our purpose as a ministry of the church.
A dancer’s family must be a pledged steward of the church. Any exception to this condition will require discussion with and clearance from the Parish Priest.
CONDUCT
All dancers, instructors, directors and parents are expected to be respectful of each other, the clergy, and the church at all times.
This includes:
• No bullying, name-calling, swearing or other disrespectful comments / actions.
• No vandalism / destruction of church property; any mess made during practice should be cleaned up before practice is dismissed.
• No cell phone use by a dancer or instructor will be allowed during practice until the instructor has dismissed practice for the day. Please note: If this rule is broken, the instructor has the right to remove the cell phone from the dancer’s possession until practice has been dismissed (unless emergency or otherwise discussed prior to practice). The instructor will not be responsible for any confiscated cell phones.
CONSEQUENCES
In the event that a dancer does not abide by the rules and regulations outlined above, the following consequences will apply:
- · 1st Offense: Verbal warning / statement / explanation given by Instructor
- · 2nd Offense: Meeting with Dancer, Parent(s), Instructor, Director, Parish Priest
- · 3rd Offense: Dancer suspension – Right to participate in performances / events will be revoked. Dancer will still be required to attend practices. If dancer has repented and shown a respectful and a cooperative attitude, suspension may be lifted. (Meeting will be held with Dancer, Parent(s), Instructor, Director and Parish Priest to discuss and determine suspension details.)
RESPONSIBILITY
All dancers, instructors, directors and parents are expected to arrive ON TIME, dressed appropriately for all practices, performances, fundraisers and other events. In the absence of an emergency or illness, all dancers / parents are expected to advise the instructor(s) of a planned absence no later than 48 hours prior to the practice, performance, fundraiser or other event.
All dancers and instructors are required to perform at this year’s Greek Festival and other events as scheduled by the instructor.
All dancers will be required to attend at least 75% of all practices.
Absences due to any of the following are considered unexcused and will count towards a missed absence:
• Vacations
• Athletics or other school events / teams
• Sickness (under certain circumstances, this may be excused)
• 3 tardies = 1 absence
Any other absence is considered unexcused, unless otherwise discussed with dance instructor / dance director and agreed upon 48 hours prior to missed practice.
If a dancer is unable to meet the attendance policy, as outlined above, they are eligible to perform at the Greek Festival but will be assessed by their Instructor. In the event they have not sufficiently mastered a specific dance, they will be asked to step out for that dance during the performance.
Practices will be announced.
ELIGIBILITY
All dancers will be divided into groups based on the dancer's age.
No exceptions to the above will be made.
PARTICIPATION FEES
Participation fees have been established for all dance groups. We have put a tremendous amount of thought and consideration into these fees but feel they are necessary in order to continue to grow the Dance Group Program.
Participation fees will be collected beginning at the 1st dance practice and are due no later than the 4th dance practice. This will allow most families to pay less than $8 - $10 per child. Participation fees are non-refundable and are $30 for the1st child AND $20 for each additional child.
If you have any concerns about the participation fees, please feel free to contact the dance director and / or Parish Priest prior to the 1st dance practice. We do not want to discourage anyone from participating in the Hellenic Dance Ministry and are more than willing to work with each family on a case-by-case basis if necessary.
COMMUNICATION
Communication is vital to ensure the dance program functions smoothly. Directors and instructors are required to communicate with dancers and parents in a regular, frequent, and timely manner. Directors and instructors will communicate to the dancers and parents via TEXT or email. Topics addressed will include practice information, performances, fundraisers, other events, costumes, etc.
COSTUMES
As we work our way to having a collection of traditional Greek folk dance costumes, it is important we make sure to take proper care in maintaining such costumes.
Dancers will be provided with traditional, handmade costumes at the time of a performance. Dancers are required to check out a costume prior to each performance, and check in a costume after each performance. Costumes are expected to be returned in clean, original condition. Dancers / Parents will be responsible for the cost to clean any stains (with the exception of normal sweat and dirt) and / or the cost to repair any damages to costumes. If any part of a costume is returned in a state of disrepair, the dancer / parent will be responsible for covering the total cost to replace that part of the costume.
Fundraising
The primary purposes of dance program fundraisers are:
• To raise money for costumes and FDF expenses
• To develop fellowship
• To instill in our dancers and parents a sense of responsibility for the dance program
All parents and dancers are required to participate in at least 2 fundraisers per year.
Hellenic Folk Dance Festival (FDF)
The Hellenic FDF will be held in Annapolis, Maryland, in January over the MLK Holiday Weekend. FDF is intended to be an event that promotes, encourages, and perpetuates the Orthodox faith and Greek heritage among individuals, families, and communities by expressing it through folk dance, music, and language. Dancers are not required to participate in FDF and will be chosen by the instructor.
Requirements for participation in FDF will include the following:
• At least a group of 5 Dancers
• Participation at Greek Festival and 80% of scheduled performances
- Participation by dancers/parents in at least 2 fundraisers
DANCER & PARENT AGREEMENT
Please print the following information:
DANCER(S) NAME(S) AGE(S)
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PARENT(S) NAME(S) PHONE
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By signing below, you confirm you have read, understand, and agree to all rules and regulations as outlined above.
DANCER SIGNATURE DATE
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PARENT SIGNATURE DATE
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