What You Need to Know About Being on a Dance Team at Starlight

So your daughter has attended classes at Starlight for a while and has now

been offered a place on a competitive team. They are jumping up and down

with excitement but are you? Here is some information on what is involved

when you are on a competitive team at Starlight.....

Drama:

There will be none! If you have any issues please come to Shelly or Linda

straight away. If we know about an issue, we can fix it.

Affordability:

There are costs involved in being on a competitive team;

Annual Starlight Registration:

This is a fee of €25 to cover insurance, membership and administration

fees. This is paid every September.

Weekly Fees:

The minimum weekly payment for a team Dancer is €40 (youngest team

members) or €50 (all other team members). Classes are €5 per class.

Class fees must be paid in cash in advance on the previous Wednesday,

Thursday or Friday. There is a late payment fee of €10. If fees are not

paid in a timely manner, they will have to be paid monthly in advance

for that Dancer. If payments are not maintained after this, the Dancer

will have to step off the team. These fees need to be paid, regardless of

sickness or in-term holidays (exceptions are hospitalisation, broken bone

or family emergency).

Class fees are non-refundable and cannot be carried to the following

week.

Uniform:

Team Dancers need the Starlight uniform in order to attend competition

events. This can be ordered from Malley Sport (details on our website).

There is a charge of €8/garment to add a name and we strongly

recommend that you consider this. This uniform should also be worn to

class.

Costume Rental:

For each event, Starlight will rent each Dancer the required team

costume at a charge of €10. This will be given to the Dancer prior to the

event and will be returned to Starlight immediately after the event so

that it can be washed.

Competition Fees:

Starlight attend several different competitions and events annually. The

fees vary from event to event. There is usually an event registration fee

and then a fee per dance. There can be optional fun workshops on the

day that are charged separately.

WLDF (World Lyrical Dance Federation) have an initial registration fee of

€15 and then an annual registration fee of €10. This is paid via an online

WLDF app on your phone.

Please do not be put off! Please see below for fundraising suggestions.

Number of annual events:

Each dance team will attend no more than 6 events annually. There will

always be the option to attend more competitions for solos/duos/trios

but this is optional. There will be one or two annual Starlight local

events; a display and/or a showcase and all dancers are expected to

perform at these events.

Chat:

A group chat is set up for each team so that members can communicate

about fund-raising or car-pooling. There is no need for every parent to

attend every event once you all take turns and be fair with each other.

Event Calendar:

This will be posted on the studio wall and in each group chat in

September each year. If a dancer cannot attend a particular

competition, a sub will replace them for that event once you give at

least 6 weeks’ notice.

Travelling:

Throughout the year, there may be competitions that require an

overnight or a weekend stay. When the Dancers’ families get to know

each other, one parent could bring 2 dancers.

Event Fund Raising:

We suggest that each team organise at least one bonus ball event

annually. This is based on the bonus ball for the lotto on an agreed date.

The 47 numbers are divided between the team members and sold to

friends and family at €10 a number. The prize money is agreed in

advance:

e.g. 47 numbers @ €10 each = €470. If the prize for the bonus ball on

the agreed date is €170 then €300 goes into a kitty for the team. This

money can be used to pay for competition fees or team costume rental

or even team pancakes on competition day! One team has already

undertaken this and the money is held in a designated leader’s Revolut

vault. Participating in fundraising is optional, but remember, if you do

not get involved, you will not benefit from the fundraising. If you change

teams, your portion of the team fundraising will move with you to the

next team. If you leave, the money stays with the team. This money

must be used equally and fairly for the team members who did the

fundraising.

Attendance:

Team Dancers must attend the agreed number of classes per week to

include their team class, a strength and flexibility, an acro (gymnastics)

class, a ballet class and Tuesday showcase classes. A Dancer can be

zoomed into any live class if necessary if they are ill.

Multi-Genre:

We have an a-la-carte menu of classes on offer at Starlight and we

encourage team Dancers to embrace more than one style of dance. This

will broaden the Dancers’ horizons and improve their performance

techniques.

We hope this information is of benefit to you and is not too off-putting! We

hope you decide to join the team, but if you feel this is too much at this time,

please continue to attend our recreational classes.

Remember, you can always drop in for a chat. Just drop us a text and we will

arrange a day and time.

Many Thanks

Shelly and Linda

0862646777