Welcome Back and Encore Newsletter- Sept 2026

ENCORE 2027

COSTUMES

IMPORTANT! There will be a costume for each Dance that your child is in. Costume prices usually vary from £25 – £55 – normally towards the bottom end for the little ones and the top end from juniors up. Over the next term you will start receiving communication re. costumes. We are doing it a bit differently for some classes this year so please bare with us :-). You may receive a link to a dance catalogue website to purchase the specific costumes. For most of the classes in the Lower School you will still receive Invoices for your child’s costume. Once the costumes are paid for we will start handing them out. Every class your child takes will have a dance in the show eg. Mini’s children will be in 3 dances, Ballet, Tap and Jazz. 

Before sending out details we will make sure the children are correctly sized for the costume so don’t worry about selecting costume size.

It goes without saying once costumes are received they must be labelled with your child’s name, hung on a named hanger and stored away until the Dress Rehearsal. From experience storing costumes in a dance costume bag protects them the best and makes it easy to transport back and forth from the Theatre. These can be found on Amazon or eBay. Any questions myself or Miss Harriet are happy to advise. I’m afraid I can not take responsibility for any costumes damaged at home this includes dirt marks unless it is a fault on arrival.

CHAPERONES

It is a must that for the show to go ahead we will need chaperones to help in the dressing rooms. In previous shows Mums/ Carers even Nans or Aunties 🙂 would watch one show and help at the other. We will soon start organising backstage so if you are able to commit to this please let Miss Harriet know. It would also be great if you could give us a rough idea of which show you plan to help at. Afternoon or Evening?

We do have a few requirements/ requests:

• Female only chaperones in the dressing rooms.
• Unfortunately you will not be able to bring other children/ dependents backstage during show time. Only authorised people will be allowed backstage for the safety of your children.
• All chaperones will need to purchase a ticket to watch the show.
• You will not be placed in your own child’s dressing room, from experience this has had a negative impact on not only your child but the rest of our dancers who will be relying on your help. Many children are in multiple dancers so will need alot of attention.

TDC Uniform

This is a little reminder that all students should be wearing the bespoke TDC uniform. If you are unsure of how to order the black TDC uniform please pop us an email. The Black TDC Iris Leotard is for all students from Tiny Tots to our Seniors, Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Conditioning and Acro inclusive. Street Dance uniform includes the compulsory TDC T-shirt, TDC Joggers and TDC Zoodie.

The ordering information for each class is in the Uniform section which includes the links to the online stores.

The Black TDC Iris Leotard can be purchased from squaddancewear.com. You will have to register for an account to access the TDC page and don’t worry this page isn’t just for the Elite Team uniform, any student can purchase the TDC T-shirt, Zoodie, Bag, Leggings or Shorts (only the Crop Tops, Pants and Jacket is exclusive to the Elite Teams). Squad Dancerwear have recently updated their website so if you already have an account you may need to reset your password, for any new orders/ customers you will need to create an account to see TDC items.

All other uniform for Ballet and Tap classes are to be purchased from tdo.mydancestore.co.uk. Please refer to the menu drop down on the left for your child’s class. (link below)

Correct uniform should also be worn in particular when we have guest teachers and cover teachers shouldn’t have to keep nagging about this.

Sadly I have noticed Juniors onwards uniform standards have started to slip. Maintaining correct uniform is important for safety, discipline, and proper technique and we appreciate your support with this. Well done to the Lower School who have been amazing with their presentation, FAB!!

Ballet Uniform Requirements

Ballet uniform is the TDC Iris Leotard with ballet tights for all students from Grade 1 and up. Lower School students may wear either ballet tights or ballet socks with their TDC Iris Leotard (Tiny Tots and Mini’s). For boys, please see our ‘Boys’ section on our online Dance Store (link below). 

We have found a fabulous brand that offers ballet tights and shoes in a wide range of skin tones. If your child has a darker skin tone and would prefer tights and shoes that better match their complexion, we will include the link below. Students are absolutely welcome to continue wearing pink ballet tights and pink ballet shoes if they wish. 

Please note: If students choose to wear skin-tone matched tights, they must wear matching Ballet Shoes.

Hair Requirements

All classes except for Street Dance hair should be in a secure bun with enough pins to last the entire lesson as well as loose hairs and fringes pulled back off the face and secured. Street Dance hair should be in a high pony tail with loose hair and fringes pulled back away from the face. 

Exciting Senior Uniform Update

After chatting with our senior students and listening carefully to their feedback, we are excited to share that we will soon be introducing a more supportive TDC leotard, designed especially for senior students only (Senior Ballet & Senior Jazz). 

This new Leotard is available to purchase via our Squad Dancewear site. Senior students are more than welcome to continue wearing the original TDC leotard if they prefer, however we want to ensure all of our dancers feel confident, comfortable and supported in their uniform while still looking smart and professional. 

Thank you for helping us maintain a polished and consistent standard across all ballet classes. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. 

Links: 

 Our online Dance Store for: Footwear and Tights – organised via Grades: https://tdo.mydancestore.co.uk 

 Our TDC logo uniform – https://squaddancewear.com/collections/the-dance-company 

 For families looking for Tights and Ballet Shoes in darker skin tones, we recommend Shades Dancewear: https://shades-dancewear.com 

TDC Elite Teams

As well as it being Show Term it is an exciting time for our Elite Teams. All 3 teams have been working hard on their group dances, solos and duets for their next competition ‘SUPREME DANCE COMPETITION‘ in Aldershot, Hampshire in October. Results and pictures to follow. 

I am so proud of the girls commitments and thank you to all the dancers parents!

Communication at TDC

It is very important we have a correct contact number for you as WhatsApp is currently our preferred choice of communication especially for urgent messages and group messages. We have definitely had more success in reaching parents using this direct messaging service. If you haven’t been receiving any kind of communication from TDC please speak to myself or Harriet.

If we have to suddenly cancel classes for any reason, ie. weather, natural events, illness etc you will receive direct communication from us or always check the website.
Please save our mobile number to your contacts: 07376 397748.

We have decided to start sending Invoices and Newsletters via email so please make sure we have an up to date email address for you.

Tap Exams

Well done to the Grade 1, 3, 4 and 6 girls who took their Tap Exams back in July. I am so proud of you all, fab results.

Appropriate Communication at TDC

We wanted to send a quick note regarding communication between our teachers/studio team and dancers under the age of 16.

Over recent months, we have received a number of enquiries from teenagers wishing to join the school. Once registered, we have also had instances where under-16 dancers have contacted teachers directly via WhatsApp to request changes to classes, timetables or other arrangements.

On some occasions, the parent/carer has not been aware of the request until a teacher has contacted them to clarify what has been asked.

To ensure that everyone is kept informed and, most importantly, to maintain appropriate safeguarding and professional boundaries, we will not accept or action requests made directly via WhatsApp by dancers under 16.

All communication regarding classes, timetable changes, attendance, fees, performances*, costumes* or any other studio arrangements must come through the parent/carer. * this does not include those in the Senior Elite Team in which we have a prearranged communication agreement with parents. 

We would therefore ask all parents/carers to please remind their children that they should not use WhatsApp to contact teachers or studio staff directly, especially if they want to request a class change.

This does not mean that our pre-teens and teenagers cannot speak to their teachers. We want every dancer to feel safe, supported and comfortable approaching our teachers if they have a question, concern or need some help. They are always welcome to speak to us within the studio environment, and we will involve a parent/carer where appropriate.

Our aim is simply to make sure that parents/carers remain informed about decisions relating to their child, while maintaining clear and appropriate boundaries between dancers and staff.

Thank you for your understanding and for helping us create a safe, supportive and professional environment for all of our dancers.

Finally

Thank you for all your continued support.

Meg x

Meg Edmonds
I.S.T.D. DDE Ballet & Tap, Associate Street Dance, First Aider
All staff hold DBS certificates
07376 397748
www.the-dancecompany.co.uk
E-Mail: thedancecompanyteddington@gmail.com