policies

REFUNDS / CANCELATIONS

NO REFUNDS on any fees, for any reason. Please see COVID-19 policy page for pandemic related registration policies. All checks returned from financial institutions will incur an additional $35 charge. All credit card reversals will incur an additional 2.5% charge of the original transaction. If outstanding invoices are sent to an outside collections agency the invoiced will incur penalties up to 25% of the original invoice or the maximum permitted by state law. Future payment will only be accepted by cashier's check or money order. 

If a dancer is unable to attend an event they have registered and paid for the following we will issue credit to the studio or dancer depending on how they were registered in the amount paid that is good to use in any city of the following season. If the event that the original registration was for has concluded this credit MUST be used for the dancer the credit is issued for and may not be transferred to another dancer. The credit is good for ONE YEAR.

If SOUL DE SOUL has to cancel due to natural disaster or severe weather SOUL DE SOUL will reschedule the event within 12 months. If you are unable to attend the newly schedule event SOUL DE SOUL will credit 100% of tuition to a future event. Credit must be used within 3 years. Furthermore, no refunds will be given on any SOUL DE SOUL dance expenses. Please keep an eye on local and national weather forecasts.

PAYMENTS

early bird rates expire 45 days before the event. all registrations that are received after the early bird deadline are subject to the “after deadline'“ pricing, no exceptions.

all payments must be completed prior to the event starting. no exceptions.

CHECKS MUST BE RECEIVED BEFORE OR ON THE EARLY RATE DEADLINE. IF CHECKS ARE RECEIVED AFTER THE DEADLINE WE DO NOT GUARANTEE HONORING OF THE EARLY RATE.

No personal checks, Canadian checks, or Cash are accepted.

All major credit cards are accepted: Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express. 

PARTICIPANT ASSUMPTION OF RISK

ALL ATTENDEES ARE REQUIRED to fill out our participant wavier and have it signed by their legal guardian.

TALENT RELEASE

ALL ATTENDEES ARE REQUIRED to fill out our talent release wavier and have it signed by their legal guardian.

CONVENTION

Dancers may either register with a studio or as an independent dancer. 

Levels (Ages) are their ages at the date of the event.

Studio Owners/Directors may place their dancers in the level they feel is appropriate to their student’s skill level, even if it is different from their age. 

All group registrations must be accompanied by a registered teacher.

Attendees are not required to participate in the Studio Performance Showcase, however, if you choose to participate in the Studio Showcase Performance Showcase you must be registered for the full convention.

We suggest registering as soon as possible due to limited space. Once capacity is reached, registrations will no longer be accepted

All dancers must have waiver form submitted to participate

SAFETY AND SECURITY

SAFETY AND SECURITY IS OUR TOP CONCERN FOR OUR #SOULCIETY. SOUL DE SOUL IS IN THE FINAL STEPS OF OUR “BE COURAGEOUS” CERTIFICATION WITH THE DEEA (DANCE EDUCATION AND EQUITY ASSOCIATION). AFTER SPENDING AN ENTIRE YEAR IN POLICY WRITING AND IN ANTI-ABUSE, ANTI-RACISM, AND ANTI-OTHERING TRAINING. WE ARE EXCITED TO BEGIN OUR INTUITION TOUR WITH THESE POLICIES IN PLACE IN OUR CONTINUED EFFORTS OF CREATING SAFE CONVENTION SPACES! OUR POLICIES INCLUDE BUT NOT LIMITED TO BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR ALL OUR SDS FACULTY AND STAFF, TRAINING IN ANTI-ABUSE, ANTI-RACISM, AND ANTI-OTHERING, AND OUR CLIENTS CAN EXPECT FAMILY FRIENDLY AND AGE APPROPRIATE MUSIC, CHOREOGRAPHY, AND MATERIAL.

DANCERS UNDER THE AGE OF 16 MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY AN ADULT OR SUPERVISING ADULT WHO IS 18 YEARS OR OLDER.

SHOULD A DANCER BE IN NEED OR FIRST AIDE, PLEASE SEE/REPORT TO OUR SOUL SUPPORT DESK OR SDS TEAM MEMBER.

WE ASK FOR EVERYONE’S EFFORT IN KEEPING OUR BALLROOM SAFE AND KEEPING THEIR BELONGINGS TO THE SIDE OF THE ROOM AND AWAY FROM TRAFFIC.

SOUL DE SOUL, THE HOST HOTEL, OR ANY EVENT AFFILIATES ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR LOST OR DAMAGED PERSONAL BELONGINGS.

OBSERVERS

OBSERVER BANDS ARE SOLD IN PRE REGISTRATION AS WELL AS AT THE DOOR. WE REQUIRE ALL OBSERVERS TO HAVE A REGISTERED DANCER IN ATTENDANCE, AND TO ABIDE BY OUR BALLROOM GUIDELINES TO ENSURE OPTIMAL SAFETY AND EXPERIENCE FOR OUR DANCERS.

ONE DAY OBSERVER BANDS ARE NOT OFFERED.

OBSERVER BANDS ARE REQUIRED FOR ALL BALLROOM ENTRY (INCLUDING THE OPTIONAL FRIDAY NIGHT CLASSES).

  • NO TALKING. PLEASE HELP US KEEP OUR BALLROOMS A CONDUCTIVE LEARNING SPACE.

  • NO CELL PHONE CALLS (PLEASE STEP OUTSIDE IF NEEDED)

  • PLEASE NOTE THAT SOME CLASSES ARE CLOSED TO OBSERVERS (CREATION CLASS, BREAK OUTS, AND MOVEMENT EXPLORATION)

  • PLEASE KEEP TO THE SIDES TO PROVIDE THE MOST SPACE FOR THE DANCERS

  • WE ASK ALL OBSERVERS “OBSERVE”. THE CLASSROOM IS FOR THE STUDENTS EXPERIENCE, LET THEM ENJOY THE PROCESS OF CLASS AND LEARNING.

SCHOLARSHIPS

scholarships are awarded throughout the weekend and all fully registered dancers are eligible for our scholarships (half day registrations are not eligible). Dancers who wish to be selected should wear their number throughout the weekend as they are observed throughout ALL classes.

select scholarships (soulelite pro, soulelite, jr. elite, and amda college) scholarships have a dedicated audition class. only dancers who attend this audition will be eligible for these scholarships. registration is required and available at our SOUL SUPPORT DESK.

SCHOLARSHIP REDEMPTION

dancers and studio owners may email info@souldesoul.com after a regional event to redeem scholarship codes needed for applying waived tution. If a dancers moves or changes studios, we request written permission from the studio the dancer was attending at time of the award to release the scholarship.

scholarships are non-transferable and good only for the following season.

scholarships that are left off final event payment or payment deadline may not be credited or refunded. It is the studio’s responsibility to claim scholarships on tuition balances prior to submitting final payment

DIGITAL MEDIA

in an effort to protect our dancers privacy as well as to protect the creative work of our faculty, we do not allow digital recordings, videography, or photography of any kind inside our classrooms or showcase. We understand that precious moments happen during our weekend, we offer FREE professional photography and videography services during our weekends. studios, dancers, and parents can access this media through their dancebug accounts.

SHOWCASE RULES

showcase dancers must be registered for the full convention weekend to be eligible to perform

Showcase fees must be received before the event's PRIORITY PRICING deadline to avoid late fee.  Registration is on a first come, first serve basis, and final payment in-full is the only method to guarantee your participation for an event.  

The studio showcase registration is on a first come first serve basis and once the maximum number of pieces have been reached registration will close. we strongly suggest registering your studio showcase pieces as early as possible to ensure your spot.

All music must be submitted to sds at least one week prior to the event date.   (Please be sure to have a back-up for all of your music with you at the showcase) 

No dangerous props may be used during the showcase. No liquids or powders are permitted on stage. General props are allowed, but must be taken on and off the stage quickly. It is the sole responsibility of each studio to ensure that its props are taken on and off the stage. Please do not build props backstage as this can be hazardous to the performers. For safety, props weighing over 200lbs and/or that stand above 8 feet may not be permitted on the sds stage.  

There will be strict adherence to the Studio Showcase program order. Please be ready to perform when scheduled.

All studio showcase awards, except Faculty Picks that reperfrom will be NOTIFIED VIA EMAIL LATE SATURDAY NIGHT.

SHOWCASE SAFETY STANDARDS

ZERO TOLERANCE:

Music, costumes, themes, props, and any form of performative element  discussing racism, othering, discrimination of race, gender, or sexual orientation WILL NOT BE TOLERATED AND WILL BE IMMEDIATELY ASKED TO LEAVE THE STAGE WITH NO OPPORTUNITY TO REPERFORM, OR CONSIDERED FOR ANY SHOWCASE AWARDS. 




AUDIENCE CARE POLICY:

At SDS we celebrate storytelling and the creative process. We have an understanding that work can sometimes deal with sensitive subject matters and ideas. We ask that choreographers and studio owners create subject matter that is appropriate for the age of a dancer, but we also recognize that maturity and appropriate content is extremely relative. We all have varying views, lenses, and life experiences that render our assessment of appropriateness with much variance. While we understand this variable, we also understand that what is appropriate to someone, may not be appropriate to someone else.  We do not want to minimize work that feels important and significant to a studio, a choreographer, or their dancers in any way. In order to be mindful about the impact of a certain subject matters for our audience, dancers backstage, the SDS team, and our faculty panel, we require pieces that are centered with themes listed below follow our audience care procedures so that their work can be showcased and celebrated AND we can alert our audience and #soulciety of sensitive subject matter. 

  1. Studio Owners/Choreographers/or a Studio Rep must fill out our Sensitive Subject Matter card, and turn it in to a SDS team member PRIOR to the showcase starting. 

  1. Studio Owners/Choreographers/or a Studio Rep MUST prepare their dancers that an Audience Care Announcement will be made prior to them performing, and inviting audience members and faculty panel, to excuse themselves should these themes or messages feel triggering to them. 

  1. Should a Sensitive Subject Matter card *NOT *be turned in and a dance performs that is deemed to fall into a sensitive subject matter category, the music will gradually be turned down during the performance, and dancers will be invited off the stage. At that point a studio representative may come backstage to fill out a Sensitive Subject Matter card, and should there be room in the showcase order to put them back on stage, we will re-invite the performance back to our stage after extending an Audience Care Announcement prior to their re-entry.




MUSIC:

Music should refrain from derogatory language and profanity of any kind. 

Music is required to be age appropriate for story content and dancers age. 


CONTENT, STORYTELLING THEME:

We encourage every choreographer to work and create stories that are meaningful and age appropriate. We understand that we do not have the capability of accessing what is too “mature” for studio teams, and we trust our clients' intuition and wisdom in setting pieces that are appropriate for their dancers. We also understand that what is “too mature” for one junior aged group, does not mean it’s “too mature” for another. We want to honor all stories and creative processes on our SDS stage, as we believe the creative process is powerful and medicinal, and an important component to moving through difficult and challenging life experiences. However, should your work include or address, in part or in large, to any of the below themes your work MUST follow our AUDIENCE CARE POLICIES. 

  • ABUSE (physical, sexual, or verbal)

  • MENTAL ILLNESS

  • GUNS AND VIOLENCE

  • MATURE CONTENT (physical movement or in music theme)

  • SUBSTANCE ABUSE

  • USE OF MAKEUP THAT SUGGESTS ANY OF THE ABOVE

  • USE OF COSTUMING THAT SUGGESTS ANY OF THE ABOVE

COSTUMING:

We encourage studio owners, teachers, and choreographers to outfit their performers in costumes and attire that THEY FEEL THEIR VERY BEST IN! We understand that everyone has different levels of comfortability, and that there is “no guideline fits all” in how to costume a dancer. SDS also believes in empowering dancers in their body and we encourage dancers in our classrooms and on stage to wear clothes and costumes that make them feel confident, comfortable, and like themselves. We ask and trust that there has been great care by the studio leadership team in making dancers feel safe on stage, and that dancers are invited to our stage with awareness of their comfortability and thoughtful vigilance of child development and combating the hyper-sexualization of kids in dance.

In order to keep our dancers safe AND spaces safe, SDS has a ZERO TOLERANCE policy for nudity or costumes with partial nudity. 




PROPS:

We encourage every choreographer to work and create stories that are meaningful and age appropriate. We understand that we do not have the capability of accessing what is too “mature” for studio teams, and we trust our clients' intuition and wisdom in setting pieces that are appropriate for their dancers. We also understand that what is “too mature” for one group, does not mean it’s “too mature” for another. We want to honor all stories and creative processes on our SDS stage, as we believe the creative process is powerful and medicinal, and an important component to moving through difficult and challenging life experiences. However, should your work include or address, in part or in large, to any of the below themes your work MUST follow our AUDIENCE CARE POLICIES. 

  • ABUSE (physical, sexual, or verbal)

  • MENTAL ILLNESS

  • GUNS AND VIOLENCE

  • MATURE CONTENT (physical movement or in music theme)

  • SUBSTANCE ABUSE

  • USE OF MAKEUP THAT SUGGESTS ANY OF THE ABOVE

  • USE OF COSTUMING THAT SUGGESTS ANY OF THE ABOVE

SUGGESTIONS FOR CLASS SUCCESS

we encourage dancers to wear what makes them feel like themselves! we encourage dancers to wear clothes and apparel that will support them throughout the weekend, and we know this looks different for every dancer. at soul de soul, we want every dancer to feel uniquely them.

we encourage dancers to share their pronouns on their name tags if they wish!

we offer transition periods between classes. this is to make sure dancers have some time for bio breaks and fueling their bodies so they have moments to care for themselves throughout the weekend!

morning jam is our warm up! it’s important for dancers to be there during that time so they can warm up their bodies for the long dancing day.

dancers may choose to wear genre specific shoes, or modify as they need. we encourage dancers to bring all styles of shoes, so they feel equipped to jump into each style.

please bring snacks, water bottles, and layers of clothes to put on between classes so dancers bodies stay nice and warm!