Below are some of our Frequently Asked Questions.. some of these have been covered on other pages, but some are just in here. If however, you can't find an answer anywhere in the site, feel free to contact us.
You can start classes at any age over 5 years old, although dancers who will turn 5 this year may still be able to enrol. We have seperate beginner classes for young children as well as teens and adults, adults do not start in the same class as small children as the learning styles and maturity levels are very different. You do not need any previous experience, we can teach you what you need to know. Although knowing left from right can be a great help.
Short answer - no. Comfortable, unrestrictive clothing is perfect, for example shorts and t-shirt. Barefeet is just fine to start with. Once you have decided that you like it, you can move on to buying softshoes. We have a second hand box that you might find some shoes in. Hardshoes (the noisy ones) are not needed until at least a year into classes.
Fees are competitive with other dance schools around Darwin and the rest of Australia. We have an annual Registration, Insurance and Administration fee for each dancer, then the individual dancers term fees. As we offer a hefty 20% discount for pre-payment of term fees (Early Bird Discount) and also discounted fees if more than one family member is enrolled, it is better to discuss this with us on an individual basis.
Yes we do have a newsletter. We send it out weekly by EMAIL (your email address is required on the Registration forms). This is for several reasons. Firstly, most people have access to email these days. It is more environmentally friendly and saves trees. Secondly, you are more likely to actually get the newsletter rather than finding it crumpled in the bottom of a bag. This is also the case where dancers have been away and would not have received written newsletters in class. Thirdly, we can include cute little pictures, jokes and other interesting bits and pieces.
This is a big one.. most people never ask it, but we decided to include it anyway. We do not refund term fees - we staff our classes according to enrolments and therefore your enrolment was part of that terms staffing level. HOWEVER, if a dancer has to miss a majority of the term classes due to a major illness (eg glandular fever) or broken a leg then we will roll over their fees till the following term. In either case a medical certificate or plaster cast will need to be sighted.
Sure can. You are welcome to stay as long as you are not a distraction to the class.. mind you it is usually siblings or friends that are the distraction. We have complimentary tea & coffee available for parents who want to stay and watch their child in class. Most parents find that after the first couple of weeks their child has settled in and doesn't want them there anyway. Many of our parents enjoy seeing the improvement their child has made when they only watch the occasional class.
We have a list of suppliers that people have had great dealings with in the past. Once you get to the stage of needing shoes and things we can help you out, especially as Irish shoe sizes are different from Australian shoe sizes.
No. Those dresses whilst very beautiful are not necessary in the early days. We have a beautiful 'school dress' made of silk that you can rent once you get to performance stage. For other performances, like the Christmas Recital and things like that we have a selection of costumes available to wear.
Darwin is 'geographically challenged'. Our nearest Irish Dance Feis (competitions) would be in Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth. So for now the only place we can 'compete' is at the annual North Australian Eisteddfod which is held in May each year at the Darwin Entertainment Centre.
We perform at many varied events. School fetes, fundraisers, corporate events, weddings, parties, pretty much anything you can think of. Just contact us through our Performance Proposal Form to discuss your needs.
That will depend on many factors including what your needs are, what the event is, where it is to be held and many other factors. Please fill in our Performance Proposal and we will get back to you to discuss it. It is far better to tailor this to your specific needs rather than having a blanket approach.
Obviously the more notice we get the better. Dry Season events tend to be more busy due to the wonderful conditions, however, Christmas and St Patricks Day (17 March) are also very busy. We will try to accommodate your needs for events on short notice (less than two weeks) but cannot guarantee that your preferred date will be available.
