ANNOUNCING OUR NEW KIDS COMP Team! (Ages 8 - 14)

Rehearsals: September - February (See below for performances)

For years now our staff has been so taken with the talent of our younger performers that we have wished there was a way to make space for all of them in our advanced competition teams. So we created something inspired by those amazing kids. This is the perfect way for your kids to dip a toe into the next, more advanced levels of performing without all the commitments of a full comp team.

This group will focus on one big flashy number, working on more advanced techniques and skills adding harmonies and big choreography as the group sings and dances through developing one excellent number. Then we will take this number and perform it alongside all the big kids in our most exciting shows of the year. We will go to one local competition in San Francisco for a fun and welcoming introduction to the world of competition. Fees include Tuition, Tee Shirt, Costume (they get to keep it!), and competition entry fees. Required purchases that are not included: black jazz shoes and team jacket.

All performers on the Kids Comp Team will have priority in future auditions to join our advanced teams when they are old enough!

IMPORTANT: All performers MUST also be enrolled in one of the following to be considered:

Kids Theatre (101 Dalmations AND Aristocats)

Dance Team or Junior Comp Team or Junior Theatre Co

Sundays 10:30AM - 12:00pm

Directors: Teacher Gemma and Teacher Jaimee

AUDITION INFO

Welcome to Kids Comp Team Auditions!! Here's everything you need to know about the Fall auditions!

WHEN: September 27th, 10:30 - 12:00

WHERE: Starlight's Temporary Space at 15 Crescent Drive Pleasant Hill

WHAT TO WEAR: Comfortable form fitting clothes you can dance in, leggings, tank tops, leotards, tights, dance shorts etc. HAIR should be neatly pulled up and out of place.

WHAT TO BRING: A water bottle, Jazz shoes or ballet shoes.

WHAT TO PREPARE: Nothing! We will teach you everything when you get there

WHAT TO EXPECT: Parents will sign you in then a teacher will answer parent questions in lobby while students head into audition. Dancers will be given a few minutes of time to warm up then Coaches will teach the students audition material and have them run the material multiple times for teachers. It will be fun but expect to work hard.

AUDITION FAQ's

WHAT AGES ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? : All students must be at least 8 years old before January 30th of 2026. Upper limit is 14 years.

I’M NOT 8 YET BUT I WILL BE SOON, CAN I AUDITION? : YES! As long as you turn 8 BEFORE January 30 you are welcome to audition!

WILL EVERYONE MAKE IT ON THE TEAM? : Maybe not, but we do have a lot of exciting programs and we are excited to help you find the spot that is perfect for you. We are all here to learn, whether you are an advanced dancer or brand new we want to see what you've got!

CAN PARENTS WATCH THE AUDITION? No sorry, auditions are nerve-racking enough as it is. We work hard to make these kids feel safe and comfortable but an audition is not the time for an audience. Besides, we will have a teacher in the lobby teaching you everything you need to know about team and then giving you time to get to know the other parents. We will also have a few veteran dance parents in the group there to give you their perspective and answer all your questions.

REQUIRED MEETINGS * Mandatory attendance for performer and at least one parent

All enrolled students and 1 parent required to attend the first rehearsal for a parent informational meeting
- Sat Oct 4th 10:30 - 12:00 * Mandatory attendance for performer and at least one parent

REHEARSALS AT STARLIGHT (Note: Attendance for the last 3 rehearsals before before any performance are mandatory to be allowed to perform)

SATURDAYS 10:30 - 12:00 10/4, 10/11, 10/18, 10/25, 11/1, 11/8, 11/15, 11/22, (no class 11/29 Thanksgiving break) 12/6, 12/13, 12/20 (No class 12/27, 1/3 Winter Break) 1/10, 1/17, 1/24

PERFORMANCES / COMPETITIONS (Attendance is mandatory)

Holiday Cabaret Performance
- Sun Dec 21st at 3:00 at the Starlight Theatre (call time 12pm)
Showcase Performance:
- Saturday March 28th at 2:00 pm at the Starlight Theatre
Local Competition: Platinum Competition in San Francisco
- January 30th - Feb 1st (You will not be called the entire time but we will not know details until MUCH closer to the event. Do not join the team if you cannot commit to all the dates) Parents are responsible for children’s transportation and for supervising their children throughout the event.
Required: Black jazz shoes, Team jacket

Tuition $499 *Price will be bundled with Comp fee, payment plans available

Comp Fees Package: $159 (Includes Competition Entry Fees, Team Tee Shirt, and Costume)

Not included but required: Black Jazz shoes, Team Jacket
Please note, tuition does not include the price of tickets to the Holiday Cabaret/Showcase performances, which are sold separately or optional photo/video packages sold by the competition. Note the competition does not charge entry fees for parents/audience.

What to wear to rehearsals: Black jazz shoes and comfortable clothes they can move in (no jeans). Hair pulled up out of face. Please pack a water bottle. (Jazz shoes can be purchased through us on site, or through any dance wear store or on Amazon)

What to wear to performances: We will provide the majority of your costumes. Students costumes will vary but performers will be required to wear black jazz shoes and full stage makeup and hair tbd. Dependent upon the costume student will probably be asked to wear their own black pants or leggings or tights or may be asked to provide simple basics such as plain tank tops, pants or tee shirts.

What to Wear

What to wear to rehearsals: Black jazz shoes and comfortable clothes they can move in (no jeans). Hair pulled up out of face. Please pack a water bottle. (Jazz shoes can be purchased through us on site, or through any dance wear store or on Amazon)

What to wear to performances: We will provide the majority of your costumes. Students costumes will vary but performers will be required to wear black jazz shoes and full stage makeup and hair tbd. Dependent upon the costume student will probably be asked to wear their own black pants or leggings or tights.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

Theatre is the ultimate team activity. It is so important that everyone is at all their rehearsals. It is impossible to adequately rehearse a scene or teach choreography when some of the cast is missing. Please list ALL of absences/conflicts on the conflict sheet. All conflicts must be turned in BY orientation to be considered excused. No new conflicts will be accepted. Please take the time to check all schedules sports, school conflicts, family activities, etc. when listing your conflicts.

HOW TO REPORT AN ABSENCE

ALL absences, whether excused or not, must be reported in the conflict sheet through our website EVEN IF you told the teacher in person. If it is not reported on the sheet BEFORE the class starts you absolutely will be removed from the material addressed in class at that time.

EXCUSED ABSENCES

Anything (up to 3) that is turned in on the conflict sheet by Orientation
Medical Emergency or severe illness reported at least an hour before class starts (must have a doctor’s note)
Family Emergency reported at least an hour before class starts (Requires a phone call from parent to teacher and detailed information)
Unavoidable School Conflict that will impact your grade (requires a letter from the teacher on school letterhead that details the time and day of the conflict, the fact that missing it will hurt the student’s grade and the date the student was informed of this conflict. Note that the date must show that student alerted Starlight teacher of the conflict as soon as possible. (We simply do not believe that you found out two days before your Christmas concert that you had a Christmas concert and the teacher won’t let you miss it.)

UNEXCUSED ABSENCES

Everything in excess of 3 excused absences
Non-emergency Doctors/Dentists/Orthodontist appointments (please schedule them on a different day)
Spontaneous family vacations or dinners (please schedule them in advance)
- Any student with more than 3 Late/Unexcused absences may be benched from performances or competitions and understudies assigned to your role.

NOT ACCEPTED

Any absence in the 7 days before a competition or performance (this are mandatory, no exceptions)
Any absence during a competition or performance

REPERCUSSIONS

After 1 unexcused absence, your child may be removed from the scene and/or song that was rehearsed on that date and or their role in that song reduced, lines in that scene redistributed or their placement moved to the back.
After 2 unexcused absences, your child will be removed from scene and/or song that was rehearsed on that date AND they are required to write an essay, topic given by Director.
After 3 unexcused absences, your child will be removed from the show/program.

WE ARE NOT MONSTERS

We are imperfect, and we understand that you are too. We will work with you and we do not punish or hold to strict rules for fun. Respect our time, communicate early and often and we will do our best to help and understand. We understand that unavoidable things will come up and we will try to make them work when you come to us early. But please, treat us with respect and treat the program like the serious, pre-professional program that it is. Do not wait until the last minute to communicate a conflict you have known about for ages, do not lie about conflicts or schedule other events or trips during our rehearsals. They are precious to us.

MAKING UP FOR MISSED MATERIAL

Regardless of excused or not, if you miss a rehearsal it is your responsibility to reach out to your peers and learn the missed material BEFORE the next rehearsal if you want the teacher to consider keeping you in the numbers or scenes that were rehearsed in your absence. If you know in advance that you will be out of town, reach out to a peer and make sure they record the material for you.

MEDICAL AND/OR MENTAL HEALTH POLICY

If a medical, emotional or psychological emergency of any kind occurs in the 90 minutes before a performance is scheduled to start (meaning if at any point, however briefly, during said 90 minutes, that performer is incapacitated or would have been incapable of executing their role onstage) then the following will occur.

Regardless of whether the performer deems themselves ready by the time the show is scheduled to start, the performer WILL NOT be allowed to perform in that performance.
The performer may rejoin the cast for (if some remain) any remaining performances in the run of the show if they are in good health.
For all performances, there will be one staff member designated to be the “Emergency Lead” during any such an event. That Emergency Lead shall have the ONLY and FINAL say over a performer’s eligibility to perform and cannot be overruled by staff, performers or parents.
The Emergency lead may choose to make a reasonable exception to the rule ONLY if the student is absolutely 100% fully recovered and a medical or mental health professional unrelated to the performer has assessed the performer and given approval.
If an understudy is available or accommodations can be made to allow the performance to continue without the performer then all best attempts will be made to do so, but in the event that the performer is irreplaceable, it is Starlight’s firm policy that the health and safety of our performers is more important than any performance and we will cancel a performance if necessary.
If a student/performer has a known condition that may interfere with their ability to perform, Starlight invites them to develop a plan in collaboration with staff in advance of any performance or event and that any accommodations or plans negotiated in advance and approved by the studio owner will be shared with staff and the emergency lead and may supersede this policy.

BEHAVIOR/SAFETY/BULLYING POLICY

Starlight is, above all, a SAFE PLACE and we take any violations of that safety very seriously. We do not tolerate bullying, violence, cruelty or slander of our students, staff, community or studio.

UNACCEPTABLE BEHAVIORS

Physical violence or agression - pushing, poking, kicking, hitting, biting, pinching etc.
Verbal abuse - name calling, sarcasm, spreading rumors, threats, teasing, belittling.
Emotional abuse- isolating others, tormenting, threatening gestures, ridicule, humiliation, intimidating, excluding, manipulation and coercion, homophobic comments
Sexual abuse- unwanted physical contact, inappropriate touching, abusive comments, exposure to inappropriate content
Online /cyber bullying - posting cruel things on social media, sharing photos, sending nasty text messages
Vandalism/Theft/Intentionally damaging property
Slander - sharing information whether online, text, social media or in person that is intentionally cruel or damaging to others or the studio.

REPERCUSSIONS

First offense:
- Student is spoken to by teacher and asked to sit out.
- Parent is informed, a formal note is sent home and must be returned, signed by student and a parent before participating again. Note includes clear explanation of what happened and requires student to write out their version and exactly what they promise to do moving forward
Second offense
- Student is spoken to by teacher and asked to sit out.
- Parent is informed, a formal note is sent home and must be returned, signed by student and a parent before participating again. Note includes clear explanation of what happened and requires student to write out their version and exactly what they promise to do moving forward
- Student must write an essay about what Starlight community means to that student, why their behavior is a violation to everyone in the community and how it impacts the others in their. community. Essay may be required to be read in front of the class
- Parent is called to come in to speak to the teacher and studio owner to discuss the behavior in person.
Third offense:
- Student is benched from performing at next event (but still required to attend, in uniform)
Fourth offense:
- Student is dismissed from company and ineligible to return
***At Teachers/Dance Director’s/Studio Owner’s discretion depending on the severity of the offense, several of these steps may be skipped. NOTE: ANY behavior involving weapons, serious bodily harm or sexually exploitative behavior/touching will result in immediate expulsion.