The season is finally upon us and we can't wait to welcome 200+ young dancer families into the 2024-25 year of dance at eXit SPACE. This month's newsletter is intended to arm you with important dates and resources to feel confident heading into the upcoming season; please review the following sections in entirety before your dancer's first class:

• August Welcome Letter
• 20th Anniversary Updates
• Fall Important Dates
• Family Watch Week
• Tuition Reminder
• Separation Tips & Tricks
• Class observation guidelines
• Social Story
• New Faculty
• Free Trial Classes

Please Review the Season Welcome Email

ACTION ITEM: If you have not already done so, it is critical that you have read through the

Welcome to Season 2024-25! | YDP August Newsletter, which was initially sent to families on August 6 and again to newly enrolled families on August 16. This email includes essential details about the upcoming season, including: studio culture and code of conduct, parent portal, full season calendar, dance studio pro, tuition and autopayments, email communication, studio locations, drop-off & pickup, dress code and buying supplies, COVID-19 policies, absences and makeups, contact information, and more. It is also available as a link to view through your dancer's Dance Studio Pro account under "files."

20th Anniversary Updates

eXit SPACE was founded in 2005 by Marlo Martin and Veronica Lee-Baik out of an observed need for a professional dance hub in the Northeast Seattle Area. Initially a single studio on NE 72nd St where Martin and Lee-Baik could often be found dancing alone or one to two students, eXit SPACE has since grown, under the sole-direction of Ms Martin, into a multi-tiered program with over 200 young dancers and over 1,500 unique adult students each season, 15-20 esteemed faculty, a pre-professional division, a professional artist in residence program, five studio floors, and a fully operational dancer's theater. This upcoming season alone, eXit SPACE will produce 10+ unique productions and host dozens of shows produced by community members from Seattle and beyond.

Please join us in celebrating the remarkable community that we have created together by attending our 20th Anniversary TakePAUSE family matinee on Saturday, January 18 featuring most of the eXit SPACE Faculty and Staff as performers and choreographers. Ticket sales will open closer to the New Year so stay tuned and mark your calendar!

Fall Important Dates

Full season calendar available in the Parent Portal

• September 9 – First day of classes + first tuition installment (autopay)
• November 4-9 – Family Watch Week #1
• November 11 – Second tuition installment (autopay)
• November 28-30 – Thanksgiving Break (no YDP classes)

About Family Watch Week:

Twice a season, families are invited into the studio to observe their young dancers in class. This is an opportunity for dancers to share their learning, but also an opportunity for caregivers to learn more from the educators about their methodology, intentionality, and classroom goals.

Tuition and autopayments:

As a reminder, tuition covers the cost of your dancer's class for the entire season. Our season is 36 weeks long and we provide installment payments as a convenience, broken into periods of nine weeks who choose to pay over the course of the season. For those paying in full, your tuition will be charged on September 1. For those paying in installments, your first installment will also be charged on September 1 with subsequent charges on November 11, January 13, and March 17. You can always see your unpaid balance in your Dance Studio Pro account.

Separation Tips & Tricks for Pre-K Dancers

For quite a few children, the first week of dance class may also be their first time separating from a caregiver for an independent experience. We recognize that this can feel overwhelming and scary for both the children and their caregivers! As teachers and administrators, our goal is to make this process as smooth and as comfortable as possible for everyone by both challenging dancers and respecting their agency to make choices for their bodies. We encourage caregivers to prepare for a variety of scenarios on the first day of class and help prepare their dancers in advance in order to ease transitions as much as possible.

Set the stage in advance

• Read our social story: Social Stories, developed by Carol Gray, help children understand the events and expectations in their lives.
• Talk it through. Where will they go? How will they get there? What will they wear? What will the dance studio look like? Who will they meet? How many people will there be? What are some of the feelings they might have? Will they be able to bring their grownup into the classroom? How long can their grownup stay? What will they do in dance class? When will they get picked up?
• Look at pictures of the studio – Photos of each of our spaces can be found in the Rentals section of our website. You can also see more photos and videos of our spaces on social media @exitspacedanceseattle!
• Learn about their teacher – Faculty headshots and bios can be accessed here.

First day tips

• Remind your dancer that they will have class later in the afternoon/evening. Also remind your dancer that that class is for kids not grownups, so after the first few minutes, you'll be waiting for them to finish outside of the studio.
• Arrive early to give your child time to acclimate
• Connect with the teacher and support your dancer in connecting with peers before class
• As much as possible, avoid entering the classroom yourself to reinforce that dance class is for kids not grownups.
• Communicate directly with the instructor if there are ways they can best support your individual child with separation, whether it be a visual timer, making a clean break, or staying in the doorway on the first day.

Observation rules

• The eXit SPACE Young Dancer Program is independent participation only, with the exception of the Caregiver & Tot class.
• Caregivers are permitted to be in the classroom as needed on the first day, but not in subsequent weeks unless an accommodation has been explicitly made with the instructor based on an individual child's support needs.
• There are two designated Family Watch Weeks during which you may observe from inside the classroom, take photos, and videos! Those weeks are November 4-9 and March 3-8.

Introducing Miss Ashlynn & Teacher Nikki!

Ashlynn Rodriguez (she/her)

Classes: Creative Movement, Combo, Jazz, Progressions, Modern

Ashlynn Rodriguez (she/her) is a multi-disciplinary dancer, performer, choreographer and dance educator with roots in contemporary, jazz and pom squad dance. She began her dance journey in Dallas, TX where she trained at Next Step Performing Arts Center, Contemporary Ballet Dallas, and the University of North Texas. While residing in Texas, she was a member of the Texas Legends Dancers, directed Odyssey Dance Collective, and toured with the Jordan Kahn Music Company.

Ashlynn moved to Seattle in 2021 to perform with the Seattle Seahawks Dancers and has continued to work in commercial and concert spaces. Ashlynn has been teaching for seven years and her undeniable strength is the ability to ignite fierce passion and creativity within her students. She shares a love for dance that is infectious to all, cultivating an environment which has allowed her students to truly enjoy the art of movement

Nicole Cardona (they/she)

Classes: Ballet & Conditioning

Nicole Flores (they/she) is a movement artist from Chicago Illinois. Holding a BFA from Columbia College Chicago, their midwest roots are sunken greatly into finding spaces where community can grow and flourish. After graduating in 2017, Nicole lived in Los Angeles full time, receiving secondary training from The American Musical and Dramatics Academy (AMDA). As her budding career continued to grow, Nicole was a scholarship recipient for the LA contemporary Dance Company's 2019 and 2021 Summer intensives, giving her the opportunity to perform as a Guest Artist in Genevieve Carson's work; "Ebba". Nicole joined Psychopomp Dance Theater in 2019 as a performing artist. They have been a co-facilitator for their 2021 and 2023 summer workshops as well as a close collaborator with Artistic Director, Shenandoah Harris. Now in bloom in Seattle since 2021, Nicole has truly found a home in the dance community here. Nicole has performed works by Dance Undercurrent, Coriolis Dance Collective, and Badmarmar DANCE, among others. Nicole was granted two residencies in January of 2023 through Velocity Dance and Coriolis Dance Collective. During these two separate but simultaneous residencies, Nicole created two iterations of "These Heavy Bones" - a work that deals with the weight that depression and anxiety holds on our bodies. Nicole hopes to combine these two iterations in the future, culminating in an evening length immersive experience. When Nicole is not dancing or choreographing they are also a certified personal trainer and is very passionate about how we can bring functionality and strength into our dance practices.

FREE Trial Classes – Bring a friend!

All Caregiver & Tot (2-3 yrs), Creative Movement (3-4 yrs), Combo (5-6 yrs), and Level 1 (7+) classes will be open for free trials beginning September 9. If your dancer is 3-8 yrs interested in dance but unsure about enrollment, take a free trial! If they are 9+, please reach out to miranda@exitspacedance.com for a placement and she will help you to book an appropriate trial class.

Questions?

Don't hesitate to reach out! You can reach our YDP Director at miranda@exitspacedance.com or send general inquiries to info@exitspacedance.com.