Leotard and tights are the required base for every class, every time — no exceptions, no matter the style or the season. No jewelry of any kind, including small stud earrings or delicate necklaces — in partnering, lifts, floor work, and close formations, jewelry can catch, scratch, or snag, so it comes off before you walk in the studio. Cover-ups (a wrap, sweatshirt, or similar) must be worn when arriving at and leaving the building — this keeps our dancers comfortable and our studio a professional, family-friendly space in shared hallways and lobbies.

We know dancers love to express their personal style, and layers — warm-ups, skirts, off-the-shoulder tops, and the like — are welcome depending on the class style and your teacher's preference. Full guidelines by class type live on our Dress Code page. That said, a teacher may ask you to remove a layer mid-class if it's blocking their view of your alignment, turnout, or placement. This isn't about preference or singling anyone out — it's about your teacher being able to see and correct your technique safely. For ballet specifically, skirts should not be opaque, since teachers need a clear line of sight to hips and legs for alignment checks.

Hair must be fully secured in a bun before class starts — not half-done, not "good enough for now," and not something to finish once you're in the room. Adjusting hair during class (retucking flyaways, redoing a bun, taking it down and back up) is disruptive to the class around you and signals to your teacher that your attention is elsewhere. Please arrive with enough time to get hair done properly before you walk through the studio door, so class can start focused.

We never want to stifle your creativity or self-expression — cute nails are fun! But long, sharp, or fake nails meaningfully raise injury risk during partnering, hand-holds, lifts, and close formation work, both for you and for the classmates around you. We strongly encourage keeping nails short and skipping fake nails/tips during the regular season. If you choose not to, please understand that's a real safety tradeoff for you and your classmates, not just a style choice. For performances specifically — Holiday Tour, the years we present Momentum, and Recital week — fake nails and any nail polish are not allowed since performance choreography involves closer contact and higher stakes than a typical class.

We are a tech-free studio, meaning that all phones, smart watches, etc. are checked into a secure locker before class begins, for the entire class period. This isn't about distrust — it's about protecting a rare, distraction-free space where dancers can be fully present with their teachers, their bodies, and each other, without the pull of notifications or the temptation to film. We've found this small boundary makes a big difference in the depth of focus and connection in the room.

Life happens, and we don't want anyone to skip class over a late arrival — but how you arrive matters. If you're 5 or more minutes late, please complete a warm-up on your own before joining the class in progress, so you're physically ready and not jumping in cold. If you arrive more than 20 minutes late, it becomes your teacher's discretion whether you join class or complete an observation sheet instead, since at that point you may have missed too much foundational warm-up and instruction to safely jump in. However late you are, enter the room quickly and quietly and keep your arrival as unintrusive as possible — this includes if your path to the dressing room means cutting through another class in progress; move through with care and minimal disruption.

Please bring everything you'll need for class — shoes, water bottle, any props — into the studio with you at the very beginning, before class starts. Once class is underway, we ask that dancers not step out to grab forgotten items from the dressing room or lobby. This keeps the room's energy and focus intact for everyone, and it's one small way dancers can practice preparedness and ownership of their own class experience. If dancers need to exit the room for any reason, we ask them to ask permission from the teacher first.

Small physical habits say a lot in a dance space: leaning on the barre between combinations, crossing arms, yawning openly, or spending class checking yourself out in the mirror all communicate disengagement, even if that's not the intent. We ask dancers to stand tall, hands at their sides or in a neutral ready position, eyes attentive to the teacher rather than the mirror, and body language that's neutral-to-positive even on hard or frustrating days. This is how we show respect for our teachers' time and expertise, and honestly, it's contagious — the energy you bring to the room is often the energy you get back from your teacher and your classmates.

We ask dancers to address teachers, staff, and other parents/guardians in the Thrive community with the same warmth and respect they'd want shown to them — using the title and name convention like this: (for example, "Miss/Mr. [First Name]- Mrs. Taylor, Mrs. Lynn, Mr. Daniel, etc.") and not “Taylor” “Lynn or “Katie”.

Please clean up after yourself in every studio, lobby, and dressing space — no crumbs, spills, wrappers, or trash left behind for someone else to find. We keep courtesy items on hand (hair ties, bobby pins, gel, hairspray, personal hygiene products, electrolyte packets, emergency snacks, and water) for genuine forgotten-item moments or emergencies — we just ask that these be used only when truly needed, so they're there for the next dancer who forgets something too. Treating our shared spaces with care is a small, everyday way of practicing the community-over-competition mindset we build our program on.

Open to all Thrive dancers, our Holiday Performance Tour spreads joy through the community with festive performances at local events and venues in early December. This is opt-in — we don't assume a dancer is signed up — and there is a cost per dancer. We typically perform at 3–4 venues (retirement communities, local holiday festivals), and families can sign up for as many as they'd like at no extra cost.

For Company levels specifically, two styles per level are selected to participate each year — for example, Foundations might perform jazz, while Junior Company or Senior Prep might perform ballet plus one other style. We'll share which styles are participating at the time of registration, so families can make an informed decision before signing up. All choreography is learned during regular class time, so there are no outside rehearsals, and a costume rental is included (returned before holiday break).

Held every other season, typically in early February, Momentum is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for dancers to step into the role of choreographer, collaborator, and creative director — bringing their own vision to life on stage.

• Who can dance: Junior Company and up

• Who can choreograph: Senior Prep and up, with guided mentorship from guest artists and Thrive faculty through the full process — movement creation, casting, staging, and storytelling

• Volunteer roles are also available behind the scenes — marketing, tech and backstage crew, front of house, and rehearsal support

Every role builds real experience in leadership, communication, and production — not just choreography.

Our biggest show of the year, held over one weekend at the end of May or early June across multiple shows. This is opt-out — we assume every dancer will participate unless we hear otherwise in writing.

For Company dancers, each level is assigned two "home" shows, where they'll perform all their pieces, plus supporting roles in a few additional shows. Each company level should anticipate being in four total shows across the weekend. The final show — Sunday evening — is a home show for all Company-level dancers, and doubles as our Senior Recognition Show, celebrating our graduating dancers.

Costume fees are due in December, and this year, we're doing something new: hosting individual costume fittings for company level dancers in-studio in January. Each costume includes one pair of tights and is yours to keep.

Two special traditions have grown to be a meaningful part of recital week here at Thrive — both are optional, and either choice is completely fine.

Senior Dance: Started years ago by Mrs. Lauren and Mrs. Taylor as a gift to our graduating seniors, this one's on us — rehearsal time, teacher pay, and costumes are all covered by the studio. It's up to the senior class to get it started: email Mrs. Taylor and Mrs. Katie by September 15th, and we'll pair you with a choreographer and get at least six rehearsal slots locked into the calendar by January 1st.

Senior Sibling Dance: For seniors with a younger sibling also dancing at Thrive. Unlike the Senior Dance, this one isn't a studio gift — rehearsal time is billed at the teacher's private lesson rate, and the family covers the costume cost (teacher-selected, purchased through the studio). Same process and same deadlines: email Mrs. Taylor and Mrs. Katie by September 15th to be connected with a teacher, then get six rehearsals scheduled by January 1st.

Both traditions are entirely optional — some senior classes participate every year, others don't, and both are great options. But given how few rehearsal slots there are, once you commit, attendance at all scheduled rehearsals is mandatory, out of respect for your teacher's and classmates' time.

Open to Junior Copmany and up, this is a volunteer-based leadership opportunity for dancers who want to give back, grow their teaching skills, and help inspire the next generation of Thrive dancers. Assistant Teachers demonstrate correct technique, support instructors during class, help create a warm and empowering environment for our youngest dancers, and receive mentorship and training toward Thrive's future faculty. It's also a great way to earn community service hours (documentation provided upon request).

Senior Prep dancers and up are invited to join us for a weekend at a dance convention in Indianapolis, IN each January — a chance to take classes from some of the best teachers and choreographers in the country, in styles like ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, modern, hip hop, jazz funk, and musical theater, and to bond with dancers across levels. We've been attending this convention for over 20 years, and it's a highlight of the year for dancers and staff alike.

We host several events and performances throughout the season that we’d love having some extra hands for from our company dancers: Halloween in brown park, holiday tour/recital if you’re not performing, we’ll be having a few fun recital-related events for younger dancers in the spring, and of course our summer session with little kid camps. Any opportunities (along with sign up sheets) will be posted in Band as they become available.

We host a booth at Halloween in Brown Park every season - this is a free, community trick-or-treat event and we love having students either volunteer to help pass out goodies or come hang out at our booth and greet and encourage the kids coming by. We post info and sign ups for this event in Band.

A cozy, casual gathering to soak up the fall season together as a studio community, before the pace of the holidays picks up. We’re planning for a hike/picnic this season. Details and RSVPs will be posted in Band.

A festive celebration just for our company dancers to relax, connect, and enjoy each other's company as we head into the holiday break — a little joy and gratitude (and goofing) to close out December. Details and RSVPs will be posted in Band.

A week dedicated to spreading kindness and encouragement throughout our studio community — a sweet reminder of what Community over Competition looks like in action. We’ll be treating our community all week long! Details posted in Band!

Another special get-together just for our company-level dancers, giving this group another chance to connect and celebrate together mid-season. Details and RSVPs will be posted in Band.

One of our favorite traditions! Company dancers gather a few weeks before our annual recital week to perform their dances for each other and build excitement and encouragement for performance weekend. Details and RSVPs will be posted in Band.