Dancewear:

Most items needed for all of our dance classes can be purchased at

Malabar
1610 Merivale Rd
613-225-8374

Brio Dancewear
877 Bank St.
613-567-9291.

Good online stores include www.discountdance.com & www.sansha.com. Though if unsure of sizing, we strongly recommend trying on shoes at a store rather than using online stores. It is important that dancers' shoes fit properly.

General Note: *no jewellery worn in class, hair must be tied back

Used Shoes for Sale:

A variety of used stepdance shoes are available for sale during the first few weeks of each term. At this time we only have used stepdance shoes but hope to have other footwear available in the future.

Feel free to bring in used shoes and we’ll be happy to sell them for you. Please include a contact name, phone number, size of shoes, and price (write this info on a piece of masking tape and stick it on the bottom of both shoes). Please note: We can't be responsible for lost or stolen shoes.

GOTTA DANCE

Girls: Body suit, tights, little skirt.

Boys: Fitted pants and t-shirt.

Non-skid slippers or ballet shoes.

STEPDANCE

Please wear athletic wear that doesn't hide the legs. ie no baggy pants, jeans, or long skirts.

Shoes:
For beginning students, we recommend the Mary Jane leather Velcro shoe #3800 approx $56 (girls), Lace-up Capezio Oxford #442 approx. $56 (boys or girls) or Capezio CG100 appox. $107 (boys or girls, best quality) available at Malabar. The heel of the foot should not slip out when walking on the balls of the feet. The soles must be made of leather.
Taps:
Most tap shoes will come with single taps installed. These are fine for the beginner student.
For more advanced students, and those who are interested in competing, we recommend the following double taps (which can be purchased at the studio):

Bell Taps $20.00

English Toe Taps $30.00

Taps can be put on the shoes yourself, using wood screws(see below). Or, by a shoe repair shop: I recommend Lincoln Fields Shoe Repair 2525 Carling Ave 613-224-6969.

Single Teletone tap on the heel. Double Toe Taps should be put on with #4 square flat head wood screws 3/8 inch. Bell & English toe taps require ½ inch #4 square flat head wood screws (The small Bell Taps may require hole widening by shoe repair shop to make the screws fit/ or use nails provided with the taps).

Supplies for Practicing at Home:

Dance Boards:
Dance surface should be masonite, tile, puck board or plexi-glass. A 4 by 8 sheet of masonite (also called Hardboard) can be bought at Home Depot for between $8.00 and $14.00. Dancing on cement or plywood is hard on taps and the dancer.

Music:
Practising to music is essential for developing rhythm and timing. We recommend “Step by Step” This CD includes various tempos of clogs, jigs, and reels at various tempos and can be purchased at the studio for $15. It is a valuable practice tool for all levels.

IRISH DANCE:

Shorts and a t-shirt, so that the teacher can see the student's legs. (Adult students may wear leggings or cropped/calf-length athletic pants). For the first term of lessons, any kind of soft slipper-type shoe is acceptable (ballet flats, gymnastic slippers, jazz shoes or Irish ghillies). After you're sure you're sticking with Irish dance, you'll want to invest in a pair of Irish softshoes or ghillies (see your teacher for buying locations). Ghillies cost anywhere from $30 to $100, and often can be found used for cheaper. When it's time to start learning hardshoe steps, hardshoes can be bought for roughly $75 to $150, and can be found for cheaper if used.

Zumba:

Acceptable athletic attire. Anything goes except jeans and sweatshirts. T-shirts and exercise pants and shorts should stretch with the body and be made of wicking material to keep you dry. Socks should fit snugly and be thick enough to provide a barrier against blisters. For ladies, a supportive sports bra is recommended.

Wear shoes that offer stability and cushion without too much traction. Plain workout sneakers are recommended.

General Studio Notes:

*We ask that students wait for the previous class to exit before entering the classroom, even if classes are running late (though we try our best to stay on time).

*Please ask any questions and make any merchandise purchases at the beginning of the class (expect a few minutes of changeover time between classes due to this).

*no gum please -only water allowed during class

*Parents of students are not permitted to watch the whole class, but are welcome to view the last 5 minutes of the class- During this time we encourage parents to watch so they can assist the students with their new steps. You are welcome and are encouraged to video material learned in each class.

Practicing:
Remember, everyone progresses at different rates so please try not to compare students. However, we do suggest that participants dance, with their shoes & music, a minimum of 15 minutes a day, 4-5 times a week to ensure progress and improve endurance (5-10 minutes for kids 5-7yrs old). Parents: encourage kids to show you their new step or steps. If possible have them dance in front of a mirror. This helps them improve their style and keeps their eyes looking forward, and not at their feet.

Notebooks are provided for each child (or parent) to write down things to work on during the week and to store handouts of dance steps. Parents please sign the 'homework' if your child has completed their practising and we will reward them with a sticker in their book each week.

Competitive Stepdance Students:

Participants who are wishing to stepdance in competition should contact us about what is required to prepare them for this. Competition requires a lot of dedication from the participant and their family and private lessons are most often recommended.

There are two types of stepdance competitions:

1/ traditional Stepdance and Fiddle– these are solo based competitions which occur across Ontario mainly during the summer months.

2/ Competitive Team – this is a program offered at the studio which prepares groups of dancers to enter multi-disciplined dance competitions where groups of varying genres compete. Ie ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, stepdance, etc. Many styles of music, elaborate costuming, props, and sets characterize these routines which are showcased at our year end recital along with our traditional/recreational classes.