Term dates, uniform & policy
The calendar for 2026/27, what your dancer wears to each class, and how the studio runs. Everything a family asks us in the first week is on this page.
Term dates 2026/27
The year runs in six blocks. Each one is a block of teaching weeks, paid in advance: the fee for the next block is due while the current one is still running, and the date is on every card.
🏖️ When there are no classes
- Halloween: Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026.
- Christmas: Wednesday 16 December 2026 to Sunday 10 January 2027. Classes resume Monday 11 January.
- Easter: Wednesday 17 to Monday 29 March 2027. Classes resume Tuesday 30 March.
- Bank holidays inside a block are normal class days, the May bank holiday included.
🎭 Dates for the diary
- Sat 31 October, 11am: free contemporary workshop for teens.
- Sun 6 December: Laois Dance Platform, our dancers perform at the festival.
- Sat 19 June 2027: Annual Showcase at the Dunamaise Arts Centre.
€ The three extras, and when they are due
- €10 festival fee, paid with the Block 1B fee, for the dancers performing at Laois Dance Platform on 6 December: Grade 3, Urban Jazz, Hip Hop 2, Ballet Teens, Contemporary 5 and Lyrical Contemporary.
- €20 showcase fee per dancer, due on or before 10 February. It covers the extra rehearsals, costumes, administration and chaperones.
- €25 mini term (Block 3B), due 20 April, and only for the dancers taking part in the showcase.
Attendance, illness & injury
Turning up matters for your own dancer and for the class as a whole: choreography, exams and the showcase are built together, week by week.
📅 Letting us know
- If your dancer will miss a class, please contact the Academy before it starts.
- If you already know about an absence, tell us as early as you can.
- Missed classes are non-refundable, but we always try to arrange a catch-up.
🤒 Unwell or injured
- A student who is unwell should stay at home and rest.
- Injured but well enough to come? With the teacher's permission she can watch the class.
- Watching is real learning, and it keeps her part of what the class is building.
⏰ Arriving
- Come on time and ready for class.
- If you cannot avoid being late, come in quietly and wait for the teacher before joining.
🚪 Leaving
- Students stay in the studio for the whole class.
- If your dancer needs to leave early, tell the teacher beforehand.
- Going out and coming back mid-class breaks the flow for everyone.
Studio etiquette & safety
Small things, and they are what keep the floor safe and the room calm.
💃 In the studio
- No jewellery. Anything large can injure the wearer or someone else.
- No chewing gum, food or drinks. Water bottles are welcome.
- Street shoes never go on the dance floors.
🏠 In the building
- Smoking, alcohol and drugs are not permitted anywhere on the premises.
- Keep the studios, bathrooms and waiting areas tidy.
- No running, rough play or shouting: a calm building helps everyone focus.
🎒 Belongings
Please leave valuables at home. The Academy is not responsible for lost or stolen belongings, and labelling dance bags, shoes and personal items saves everyone a lot of searching.
Respect & behaviour
Students, parents, teachers and visitors treat each other with courtesy, kindness and respect. That is the short version, and it covers most of it.
🤝 What we expect
- Bullying, intimidation, aggression or discrimination of any kind is not tolerated.
- Disrespectful, uncooperative or excessively competitive behaviour is not acceptable.
- Parents and students help keep the room encouraging for every dancer.
👐 Hands-on corrections
Dance training can involve appropriate physical contact. Teachers may use hands-on corrections to support alignment, technique and safe movement, and they always do it professionally and appropriately.
📋 If behaviour disrupts the class
Clear and consistent boundaries make a better place to learn. Where appropriate we take these steps, in order.
Serious incidents, including bullying, aggression or anything that puts others at risk, may need immediate action outside these steps.
Photography & filming
For the privacy and comfort of our students and teachers, photography and filming during class are not permitted without the teacher's prior permission.
Parents & visitors
🤫 While the class runs
- Watching is welcome. Please stay quiet and keep conversations for the lobby.
- Take phone calls in the waiting area rather than inside the studio.
- Please do not talk to your child or wave at her mid-class: it pulls her out of the room.
👋 Collection
- Parents and guardians collect children promptly at the end of class.
- Dancers wait inside the Academy until their adult arrives.
Class uniform
The right clothing lets the teacher see alignment and technique, and it helps your dancer feel prepared and part of the class. Hair tied back and off the face for every class, and secured properly for ballet.
Ballet Pre-Primary
- Pink leotard
- Ballet tights
- Ballet skirt
- Ballet shoes
- Cardigan
Ballet Primary
- Lilac leotard
- Ballet tights
- Ballet skirt
- Ballet shoes
- Cardigan
Ballet Grade 1
- Light blue leotard
- Ballet tights
- Ballet skirt
- Ballet shoes
- Cardigan
Ballet Grade 2 & Grade 3
- Navy leotard
- Black leggings
- Ballet shoes
- Hair neatly tied back and off the face
Ballet Grades 5 & 6
- Black leotard
- Footless ballet tights
- Ballet shoes
- Wrap skirt
- Cardigan
Contemporary
- Black leotard
- Black leggings or shorts
Hip Hop 1 & 2, Urban Jazz
- Plain black leggings, shorts or joggers
- Plain black T-shirt or top
Modern Dance
- Black leggings or shorts
- Close-fitting black top
- No prints or patterns
Killenard Pre-Primary / Primary
- Pink leotard for Pre-Primary, lilac for Primary
- Ballet tights
- Ballet skirt
- Ballet shoes
- Cardigan
Boys
Navy shorts or plain joggers, a plain white T-shirt or shirt, white ballet shoes and white socks.
Where to buy
For leggings, tops and general classwear, Penneys, Dunnes Stores and H&M do the job. For ballet and specialist dancewear, these two are the closest to us.
Studio Dancewear
Unit 4 Castle Gate, Kennedy Avenue, Carlow, R93 KD32
087 220 0131
Kidstuff
George's Street, Newbridge, Co. Kildare
045 486 445
Ready to join us?
Registration takes about two minutes, and you can pick your class from the timetable.