(NEW INFORMATION POSTED BELOW, 6/20/11... Letter to students/families)

Thank you for registering for "So You Think You Can JAMZ!"  We're just one week out from an exciting Intensive unmatched by any other on the east coast!  I'm touching base with you now to go over the final schedule and what you can expect.

Every day, students should arrive at JAMZ at 8am.  Students should proceed to studio 3.  Studio 3 is in the mall portion of Long Point Mall (NOT the storefront studio).  The entrance is located between the dry cleaners and Glenn's Gourmet Bakery.  Studio 3 is located upstairs (you can't miss it!).  Plan on picking up students at 5pm.  JAMZ will be closed immediately after the intensive each day, so we cannot provide after care services for the students.

The first half of Monday, students will be evaluated and placed into one of three groups.  Evaluations will be conducted by JAMZ staff in addition to the So You Think You Can JAMZ (SYTYCJ) faculty.  After evaluations, we will break for lunch.  Classes will be conducted the latter half of the day.

From Tuesday on, students should continue to arrive at 8am for a group warm up, breaking from there to take classes.  Students will have 6 classes each day, one with each instructor.  Lunches will be 45 minutes, starting near 12:30 (12:25 per the schedule).

FOOD/BEVERAGE INFORMATION

-Please make sure you eat a good breakfast!

-No food or drink is allowed in the studios (with the exception of water, and lunch).  I would advise bringing healthy snacks, such as granola bars or the like to munch on quickly between classes if you need a boost.

-ABSOLUTELY NO PEANUT PRODUCTS due to some students having severe allergies.

-There is a Subway in the plaza.  We will have a preorder form available from the desk staff to place orders during the morning.  45 minutes isn't a lot of time for lunch to spend part of it standing in line, so please use the service.  CASH ONLY when placing a preorder.

-Bring water, a water bottle, etc.  We do have a vending machine that sells Disani water for $1.25 per bottle, and there is also Pop's Grocery (a 7-11 type store) located immediately next to the studio.

With several styles of dance, please be properly prepared and dressed.  A majority of the Intensive is contemporary/jazz, but there is also Hip Hop and Ballet.

DANCE ATTIRE:

-bring ballet shoes, though dancing in socks and/or foot undeez is acceptable

-bring tennis shoes for hip hop.  NO BLACK SOLED shoes please (they mark up the hardwood floors).

-NO JAZZ SNEAKERS will be allowed.  Period.

-bring a change of clothes (such as another pair of sweats, shorts, tshirt, or something appropriate for ballet (see next))

-BALLET: Melissa is not requiring leotards and tights.  However, she requests that students wear form fitting attire (so she can see lines), and for hair to be up and out of the face (preferably pinned up tight, so as not to cause injurty to selves or other students)

On a final note, the studios will be closed to parents/families/friends during the intensive.  No photography or videotaping is allowed.  On Friday, we will provide the opportunity for pictures and autographs; JAMZ will also be providing a group photograph of the instructors for this occasion at no charge.  JAMZ also has hired a professional photographer and videographer to document the week.  Photos will be posted for free on our website.  The video may be used internally or provided for sale at a later date (it will also be dependent on which talents will allow videotaping).  We will provide an update to you regarding how the Friday session will be run.

Monday morning the JAMZ staff will go over additional rules of conduct and what is expected of the students during their time this week.  Please email us with any questions (info@jamzdancecenter.com).  We look forward to a fabulous week of instruction with these talented stars.  Again, many thanks for registering for So You Think You Can JAMZ!

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How much does it cost?  How do I register?

The cost of the event is as follows:

$449.00: students not currently enrolled at JAMZ

$399.00: JAMZ students currently enrolled (actively taking classes now) for the

             Fall 2010-Spring 2011 school year

You may register by clicking the “register” tab on the top of this page to be taken to our SECURE registration site.  Please follow all the instructions on that page, and a credit card is required.  You may also stop by our studio, or call us to register (410-255-0204).  A credit card is required for phone registrants.  You may pay by cash or check if you stop by the studio, providing we have sufficient time for the check to clear (two weeks from the date of the intensive, June 13th).  A credit card is required to process payment for anyone registering with under two weeks remaining before the intensive starts.

Do we have to register for the full week?  Or can we just sign up for one day?

We are only accepting registrations for the entire week.  While we entertained the idea of offering single day passes, it just would not be practical nor fair to the students.  Since the instructors will be here all week, we would expect there will be times where they build on the lessons of the previous days (perhaps even choreography if they work on a routine the whole week).  Joining a class mid-session would only frustrate a single day student.

My child is 7, and has been dancing since she was 3... can I sign her up?  She's really good!

While there is no doubt in our minds that some children under the age of 8 can "hang" with kids much older than them, we are contractually bound with the talents' management/agencies to only provide classes to children ages 8 and over.  This is standard in the industry.

How will the week work exactly?

Plan on each day being from 8am til 5pm (warmup the first 1/2 hour, classes starting at 8:30).  A final schedule will be posted and/or mailed to you.  Students will be divided up and placed into groups (more information further down).  There will be three groups, as there will be three classes going on at the same time.  Each group will have five different classes each day (with all five different SYTYCD talents, please click on the faculty tab for more information on each).  There will be an hour break for lunch.  There will be contests and prizes held throughout the week.  We hope to have a “showcase” of sorts on the last day, Friday afternoon.  We will update with more exciting details the week of the intensive.

Does my child need experience to take the intensive?

We are billing this event as for intermediate and advanced dancers.  Inexperienced or beginner dancers are welcome, but will find the classes extremely challenging.  Class instruction will move at a rapid pace, and will not be slowed down.  Beginner level students may feel overwhelmed.  Please keep this in mind when registering a student with little experience, as we will not be offering refunds simply because class material is too hard.

How are students going to be grouped?  Is it by age?  Level?

Students will be broken up into three separate groups each day.  Each group will have each SYTYCD talent instruct them each day (5 teachers, therefore 5 classes).  As students begin to register, we will get a better idea of our student base in order to make a final decision on how to group.  Groups may even be changed daily in order to provide variety, or to move a student to a group that better fits their skill level.

What is your policy on refunds?

Refunds will be given up until four weeks prior to the date of the intensive (last day to drop would be Monday, May 30th).  If you enroll after this time, no refunds will be given.  Space is limited.  We may end up selling out this event, and turning other potential students away while holding a spot for your child, therefore we cannot give out refunds so close to the date of the intensive.

We will only provide refunds after this date in the unlikely event the Intensive is cancelled.

What if a particular teacher is unable to make it?

We have all five talents under contract, for the entire five day period of the workshop.  That said, in this industry, sometimes unfortunate scheduling conflicts do occur.  A talent may get booked on a TV show, or a tour they are on may be extended.  Of particular concern is this summer's all-star cast for season 8 of SYTYCD has not been named yet.  Fortunately, we have great relationships with multiple agencies that represent talent from the show.  In the event of a scheduling conflict, the talent agency is under contract to provide us with a suitable replacement.

Does my child need to bring a lunch?  Do you have water available for sale at the studio?

We do not provide lunch.  Students are welcome to bring a lunch (no peanut products please!), or place an order in the morning before classes start to have Subway delivered to them that day (you should have received an order form, if not we will have one available to print out shortly, as well as have them in the studio when you drop off your child).  Subway orders need to be paid for up front, in cash.

Water is available via a vending machine in our studio, 16 oz Disani bottles, for $1.25.  There is also a convenience store located immediately next to our storefront facility for students to purchase drinks.  However, students must be accompanied by a member of the JAMZ staff, and may not leave the studio unattended for any reason.

Lunch will be scheduled for one hour every day.  We will provide you with the time closer to the date in case you would like to bring a student their lunch.

Can we take pictures?  Get autographs?

We ask that you refrain from taking pictures and asking for autographs while instructors are in the studio/lobby for the first four days.  Absolutely NO pictures or Videotaping will be allowed once on the dance floor.  This includes videotaping or taking pictures through an observation window.  We are under contract with the talent to not videotape without their permission.  Some allow it, some don’t.  Some will allow us (JAMZ) to be the only ones to videotape, and may not allow us to videotape any part of their choreography.

Please do not put us in a position of having to ask you to stop taking pictures or leave.  Often times the talent is extremely protective of their work, and don’t like it popping up on youtube.  JAMZ staff will be taking pictures throughout the week and posting pictures to our website, and any videotaping we are allowed to do will be posted on youtube with the talents’ permission.

The last day of the intensive, we will allow you in to take pictures of your student with the faculty.  We will also be providing (at no expense) pictures of the faculty as keepsakes for students to have autographed.

Will there be security at this event?

There will be uniformed Anne Arundel County Police working the event at all times while it is in session.

How did you put together so many names, and in Pasadena, Maryland of all places?!

As stated earlier, we have a great relationship with not only the talent agencies in Los Angeles where many of the artists are based, but a great relationship with the talent as well.  We have had the honor and privilege of bringing in the brightest and best names from the show (including tWitch) to work with students at our studio.

JAMZ has quickly gained a reputation as being one of the best studios to work for.  We treat the talent first class all the way, and they respond by bringing their A-game, and WANTING to work with us and our students.  Brandon Bryant has been flown out multiple times to our studio, and we have even used him to work exclusively with our competition team in closed sessions.  There are many many benefits of enrolling your student at JAMZ… and getting to meet talent from SYTYCD is just one of them!

Please feel free to click the “About JAMZ” tab to learn more about our studio.

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