Irish dance classes in Richmond, VA

"Dance with your heart and your feet will follow."

- Author unknown

Policies - Downloadable PDF here

Tuition & Fees
Our school year runs from July 1 to June 30.  Registration fees are assessed each year and are valid through June 30 of the current year.

Annual Registration Fees – New Students (Between July 1 and Dec. 31)
$25/individual $40/family
Annual Registration Fees – New Students (Between Jan. 1 and June 30)
$12.50/individual $20/family
Annual Registration Fees – Continuing Students
$15/individual $25/family

Group Classes – Progressive Track
30-minute class $30/month
60-minute class $60/month
90-minute class $85/month
Private Lessons
$20/half-hour, $35/hour
Group Classes – Adult 4-week Sessions
4-week session $40/session

Tuition Payments

  1. Students are registered for the duration of the year (July 1 – June 30). The student’s parent or guardian is responsible for tuition and fees through the end of the season. The studio must receive a letter of withdrawal 30 days prior to a student leaving the program in order to void this contract. Payments continue to be due until withdrawal is complete.
  2. Classes meet weekly. Tuition remains the same if there are 3, 4, or 5 lessons, rehearsals, or shows in a calendar month.
  3. For regular group classes (excluding adult 4-week session classes) tuition is due by or on the 1st of each month.  We offer automatic monthly billing to your debit or credit card if you wish to take advantage of this payment option.
    4.   A late fee of $10 will be charged for all tuition not received on or before the 1st of the month. The fee will still be applied when a payment is missed because a student is absent or class is canceled due to inclement weather.
  4. Payments may be mailed to the office at: Heart of Ireland School of Dance, LLC, 3219 Fortunes Ridge Road, Midlothian, VA 23112 (allow ample time for your tuition to be delivered by the 1st; do not mail cash).  Payments may be made via cash, check, credit card or PayPal.  Send PayPal payments to info@heartofirelandschool.com.  If payment is made by check, please include on the memo: student’s first and last name, month of tuition, and any other explanations. Receipts are given upon request.
  5. There is a $50.00 charge for returned checks. After one check is returned, only cash, money orders or cashier’s checks will be accepted.
    Unless otherwise noted, classes will be held during single-day holidays (for example, Veteran’s Day).
  6. To cancel the studio contract (i.e. cease responsibility for paying tuition for the class season in the event a student wishes to drop out of class), a 30-day advance written notice must be provided. Students are welcome to complete their class schedule during their 30-day withdrawal notice period. At the end of 30 days, the student will no longer be enrolled and will not incur additional fees.

Family and Multiple Class Discounts
First family member/student pays full single tuition rate for first hour of class per month. (The first family member is the student with the highest monthly class rate.) All additional family members/students deduct 10% from their tuition rate. If a student registers for multiple classes, deduct 10% from their total tuition rate.  In addition, all military families with valid military ID receive a 10% discount on their first hour of class.  Discount does not apply to adults in our 4-week session classes.

Bringing & Picking Up Students
To minimize disruptions when dropping off students, please do not arrive more than 10 minutes before scheduled class time, and make sure to pick up students within 5 minutes after class has ended.  Parents must come inside the building to pick up young children; please notify the instructor or send in a note if someone other than the parent will be driving students home.  Students who are allowed to arrive and leave the Heart of Ireland studio independently, without a parent’s supervision, are their parents’ responsibility.  Heart of Ireland is not reponsible for the safety of students who arrive at the studio before the studio doors are open.

Inclement Weather
If the weather is at all inclement, you can find out if the studio is open by checking any of these sources: the studio voicemail, our Facebook page, our Twitter page, your email and nbc12.com.  For those who have selected to receive updates via text, you will receive a text message of any class cancellations. Heart of Ireland may be open even if school or other activities were canceled. Students may take a make-up in the closest-level class within the next 30 days following a cancellation due to weather conditions (tuition will not be adjusted in the event of cancellations).

Attendance
Please make an effort to attend all scheduled classes, as this is important to the student, teacher, and classmates.  Participation in special programs & events has specific attendance requirements; see information pertaining to each event or program. Regular attendance in class is especially important from February through June when classes are working on recital choreography!

In the event of serious injury: A doctor’s note must be sent to the studio explaining the nature of the injury and when the student can expect to return to class. The student will receive make-ups only in the month(s) following his/her return to classes, within that calendar year. Tuition must be kept up to date during the absences in order to hold class placement and cannot be refunded.  Tuition payments/credits may be transferred to another student in the event of an injury. A doctor’s note is also required stating that the student is able to return to class. Non-infectious students may observe classes until they are able to participate fully.

Class Placement
All students are individuals with very different ability levels and will not all progress at the same rate. Students may be moved at any time if a different class would better suit their needs and talents. The instructor will have final judgment concerning class placement. Students may spend a number of years in a level before moving up. Regular practice is necessary to master the material taught in class. Students who are not progressing at the level of their class must work on their own to catch up and/or will be moved into another class that better suits their needs and ability level.

Transfer Students
Students transferring from another Irish dance academy will undergo a three-month retraining period during which time they will be suspended from competitions. Transfer students may also need to be assessed within a class to determine their best class placement.  To protect the integrity of steps proprietary to your previous school, students may not teach steps learned at their previous school, nor are they allowed to use those steps in competition.

Class Behavior
Studio classes are a social activity and we want students to feel at ease and have fun, but also to leave class having learned something new. Here are some guidelines to follow (please share them with younger students):

  1. Students must be ready to participate as soon as their class begins, and are allowed to leave class only in an emergency.  Please limit late arrivals as they reduce learning time for your student and disrupt the environment for the other students.
  2. Accept corrections as a gift; corrections will make students grow as artists. This includes both personal corrections and those given to the class as a whole. Be attentive while corrections are being given to others.
  3. Be respectful of fellow classmates. Watch and learn from their triumphs as well as their mistakes.
  4. Students should be watching, counting the music, or working out material to be prepared for their turn while others are working with the instructor.
  5. Support and praise fellow class members.
  6. No talking in class! No running, screaming, swearing, or other rambunctious or disruptive behavior in class or at performances, rehearsals & competitions. Heart of Ireland School of Dance, LLC, is not liable for any damages or injuries as a result of such behavior.
  7. No cell phone usage during class; this includes phone calls, texting, emailing, game playing, etc.  All cell phones, iPads, iPods, and other technology ‘toys’ should be left at home or kept in the student’s dance bag.
  8. Heart of Ireland School of Dance has zero tolerance for bullying. Every student has a right to a safe and productive learning environment. Heart of Ireland reserves the right to dismiss, without recourse, any student or family who does not adhere to these behavior policies by disrupting the learning environment, without refund.

Class Attire/Dress Code
Please take note of our dress codes! What looks great on stage starts in the classroom. Extra clothing obscures alignment, muscle tone, and faulty technical habits and can be a safety hazard. Failure to dress appropriately for class can result in a student observing, not participating in, that particular class (no make-ups will be given). Ordering information is available on the studio website’s Online Retailers page.

Girls age 7 and older: close-fitting t-shirt or leotard, shorts and tights or poodle socks; ghillies, jig shoes. Hair secured back from face.
Boys: close-fitting t-shirt, shorts, socks; black split-sole jazz shoes (beginners) or men’s reel shoes (Intermediate & up), jig shoes. If hair is long, it must be secured back from the face.
Girls under age 7: Black leotard (no attached ruffles or skirts), tights, black leather ballet slippers (or ghillies if desired). Hair secured back from face.

Shoes for Dance Classes
ALL Irish footwear should be approved by the instructor.  Our preferred brands are: Corr’s (available at the studio), Rutherford, Fay’s and Capezio (for Sprites’ ballet shoes, boys’ jazz shoes & reel shoes ONLY).  DO NOT purchase Capezio or Sansha ghillies or jig shoes as these are not true Irish dance shoes. You can also find a list of preferred retailers in the Online Retailers section of our website.

Dance footwear must be clean and worn in the studio ONLY to protect the flooring and the students’ safety. Dance shoes should not be worn outside.

Please label all shoes and clothing with student’s name. For safety, only minimal, small, secured jewelry may be worn in class. Please, no inappropriate attire. Cover class attire with appropriate outerwear whenever outside the studio. Please discuss deodorant with your child if he or she is over the age of nine.

Snacks
If sending snacks for students who have consecutive classes, please include a baggie for trash.  Heart of Ireland cannot accommodate perishable garbage in our waste receptacles.  Please bring perishable waste home with you.  ONLY WATER is allowed in the studio.  All other snacks and beverages must be consumed in the waiting area.

Fitness & Allergies
Parents or guardians must give written notice of health concerns or allergies on the Heart of Ireland Emergency Contact Form (Children and Adults).  Irish dance is an active sport.  Heart of Ireland School of Dance, LLC, its employees, instructors and/or agents are not liable for injuries resulting from participation in classes, lessons, workshops, rehearsals, performances or other studio activities.

Medications
Parents are solely responsible for their child’s medication.

Waiting Area
In order to keep things running smoothly, we ask that you respect the following:
  1. Parents should not speak to their child while class is in session. In addition, please keep noise/talking in the waiting area to a minimum.
  2. All parents and other siblings and guests must wait in our waiting area.  Our studio waiting area is divided from our instruction space by a curtain. Please do not peek through or around, or allow your accompanying child to peek through, the divider curtain.  Such behavior distracts not only your student, but also the other students in the class, and causes lost class time due to redirecting the students’ attention.  Observation weeks will be held at announced times, at which time we will open the curtain and family & friends will be welcome to observe class.
  3. For the safety of class participants and to protect the floor, street shoes are not allowed inside the studio.
  4. When possible, refrain from eating and drinking in the lobby. If a beverage is being consumed, please hold the container at all times. Please bring perishable waste home with you.
  5. Smoking is not permitted inside the building, on studio property or on the sidewalk in front of the studio.
  6. For safety and to keep our facility enjoyable for all, we ask that children in the lobby are monitored closely and not be allowed to climb on furniture or block the windows and doors.  We also ask that if you have a young child waiting with you who has a hard time sitting quietly or who insists on peeking through our divider curtain to please take him or her for a walk up and down the sidewalk so that their lively young personalities do not disrupt the learning in progress. Thank you!
  7. Heart of Ireland is not responsible for lost or stolen articles. Please only bring class supplies into Heart of Ireland School of Dance.
  8. Parents with infants or small children must bring dirty diapers home with them. The studio cannot accommodate used diapers in our trash receptacles. Please take care of all private needs of young children in the bathroom.

Summer Sessions
Irish Dance is a year-round sport. Classes continue during the summer and new material will be covered during these classes, as well as review of older material.

Additional Programs, Feiseanna, Performances
There are a number of performance programs & competitive opportunities available to dedicated students at the Heart of Ireland School of Dance. Students must meet certain requirements (practice time, class levels, attendance, etc.) to participate and may need to audition for placement. Additional fees may be required to cover additional expenses (travel, costuming, competition fees, etc). Students may not participate at any level unless all Heart of Ireland accounts are current.

Performing Companies
Heart of Ireland sponsors 2 performing companies, Celtic Beats and Celtic Pulse.  Both companies rehearse on a weekly basis throughout the year and compete at regional and National events.  Dancers are selected for our companies by teacher recommendation.  Membership in an HOI company is a privilege and is subject to additional conditions, including regular class attendance, regular attendance at company rehearsals and outside performances, and demonstrating behavior consistent with being an ambassador of our school.

Recital
Each year we hold a recital near the end of June.  We announce the date as soon as the venue is finalized.  All classes participate in our annual recital. Recital dances are learned from February through June.  During those months, it is especially important that your dancer be at class on a regular basis.  Private lessons are not useful to make up missed class time when working on group choreography. 

All Sprites through Advanced Beginner students will need to purchase the HOI school costume for recital. The basic school costume consists of a blouse, skort, poodle socks and hair bow and costs approximately $50.  Used costume pieces are occasionally available for sale.  See our School Costumes page for more details and other costume options.

Policies & Behavior Outside of Class – at competitions, performances and in the community
No student at Heart of Ireland School of Dance is permitted to perform or teach material learned in class without the express permission of one of the instructors. Material is proprietary to and copyrighted by Heart of Ireland School of Dance, LLC.

To ensure the instruction of proper technique and to protect the integrity of Heart of Ireland’s copyrighted steps, students may not be enrolled in classes at more than one Irish dance school simultaneously, nor may they be enrolled in Irish dance classes offered at a multi-discipline dance studio. 

Students and/or families may not videotape or record in any manner competitions, dances, performances or steps performed by any other school or group, unless given express permission by that school’s or group’s instructor.

We appreciate your compliance with these policies to protect both our and other Irish dance schools’ intellectual property and copyrighted material. Heart of Ireland School of Dance reserves the right to immediately terminate, without refund, any student’s enrollment should she/he violate the policy regarding the teaching of Heart of Ireland steps.

Thank you!
Your cooperation with Heart of Ireland School of Dance, LLC, policies is greatly appreciated. We thank you for your patronage and wish you an enjoyable season. Heart of Ireland School of Dance, LLC is honored to be your choice for Irish dance education.