ArtWorks Academy dance classes all have specific dress codes that are enforced to benefit the movement of the dancer and their safety, as well as promote discipline, ensemble awareness, and help better assist the teacher in giving corrections and maintaining uniformity within the studio.
Always remember to wear the correct dancewear and shoes to class. Please arrive on time and ready to begin class. It is best to arrive with your dance clothes on, if possible.
Girls hair should be secured and pulled away from their face and off of the neck. Hair must be worn in a ponytail or bun. Boys hair must be short enough (or in some way secured) so it does not hang over their face and cover their eyes, as that can be a safety concern in class.
Please remove jewelry before class. Most jewelry can be a potential hazard should the dancer catch it on their clothing, hair or other dancer. Small studs or non-dangling earrings are allowed.
Dance shoes are for use in the studio only and should NEVER be worn outside. Please come in street shoes and change in the lobby. Dirty dance shoes can damage our dance floors. Dance shoes must be purchased through ArtWorks Academy. See required dance shoes below.
As mentioned above, our dress code was developed to benefit the movement of the dancer and their safety, as well as promote discipline, ensemble awareness, and help better assist the teacher in giving corrections and maintaining uniformity within the studio. See the required leotard color for your child’s level below.
All shoes MUST be purchased from ArtWorks Academy. We have selected shoes we feel are best for each level and also want all shoes to match for the dance recital. Leotards are available to purchase at the studio or can be purchased at a dance store, as long as the color matches the required color for your child’s level
PARENT AND TOT
Shoes are not required for Parent and Tot. However, if you want them to have ballet shoes, you are welcome to purchase them at ArtWorks Academy. Girls will wear pink and boys will wear black. Shoes are generally not available for children who wear smaller than a size 6 toddler shoe.
BALLET and TAP COMBO
Females in Ballet and Tap Combo wear the following shoes, which must be purchased through ArtWorks Academy:
Ballet: Pink Stretch Ballet Shoe
Tap: U-Shell Black Tap Shoe

Males in Ballet and Tap Combo wear the following shoes, which must be purchased through ArtWorks Academy:
Ballet: Black Stretch Ballet Shoe
Tap: Black Intro Stretch Tap Boot

HIP HOP and TUMBLE COMBO
Students need tennis that are NOT worn outside of class. For recital they should be black Converse style shoes. During the year, they can be any clean tennis shoes that are just meant for dance. These are worn during hip hop. For tumble, they are barefoot.
PARENT AND TOT
Students should dress in something comfortable that allows for ease of movement. Girls are welcome to wear leotards, but they are not required. ArtWorks Academy does sell leotards.
BALLET and TAP COMBO

All females in Ballet and Tap Combo must wear leotards and tights. There are several styles of leotards available to purchase at ArtWorks Academy. Girls in this level are allowed to wear a dance skirt (NO tutus).
All males in these levels must wear the following:
Black pants or shorts with a white or black t-shirt
HIP HOP and TUMBLE COMBO
Girls should wear a leotard and shorts. Boys should wear shorts and a t-shirt.
Females in Children’s Level classes wear the following shoes, which must be purchased through ArtWorks Academy:
Ballet: Pink Stretch Ballet Shoe
Tap: U-Shell Black Tap Shoe
Hip Hop: Black converse style shoes (can be purchased at your local shoe store)

Males in Children’s Level classes wear the following shoes, which must be purchased through ArtWorks Academy:
Ballet: Black Stretch Ballet Shoe
Tap: Black Intro Stretch Tap Boot
Hip Hop: Black converse style shoes (can be purchased at your local shoe store)


All females in Children’s Level classes must wear leotards and tights. There are several styles of leotards available to purchase at ArtWorks Academy. Girls in this level are allowed to wear a dance skirt (NO tutus). Spanx style shorts or leggings may be worn for hip hop only.
All males in these levels must wear the following:
Black pants or shorts with a white or black t-shirt
Junior, Intermediate and Senior Level dancers wear the following shoes, which must be purchased through ArtWorks Academy:
Ballet: Stretch Canvas Ballet Shoe (females wear pink and males wear black)
Jazz: Premium Slip-On Jazz Shoe (females wear tan and males wear black)
Tap: Black Intro JT Shoe (females and males) – a more advanced tap shoe may be purchased
Lyrical: Canvas half-sole
Hip Hop: Black converse style shoes (can be purchased at your local shoe store)

All females in Junior, Intermediate and Senior Levels must wear the following:
Ballet: leotard, tights (skirts or fitted dance shorts will be allowed, no leggings)
Jazz and Tap: leotard and tights. Optional – fitted dance shorts or leggings
Hip Hop: same as Jazz and Tap, but you may also wear a fitted tank over your leotard
There are several styles of leotards available to purchase at ArtWorks Academy.
All males in Junior, Intermediate and Senior Levels must wear the following:
Ballet, Tap and Jazz: black dance pants (please wear dance belt underneath), white or black fitted t-shirt
Hip Hop: workout pants with fitted shirt
The following shoes are required for each level:
Beginning Musical Theatre: Black ballet shoes (girls and boys) or black jazz shoes (boys)
Junior Production Company and Junior Players: Tan Grecian sandals (girls); black jazz shoes (boys)
Senior Production Company: Tan character shoes (girls); black jazz shoes (boys)/black dress shoes for shows (boys).
ArtWorks Academy sells the black ballet shoes, jazz shoes and tan Grecian sandals. We do not sell the tan character shoes. You can purchase them from a dance store or online.

It is important that students in musical theatre wear clothes they can dance in. We do not require certain colors for each level, as we do for the dance classes.
Guidelines for females:
Guidelines for males:
All females must purchase tan dance tights and a nude camisole leotard (pictured below). This will be worn under their costume during the performance. It can be purchased from ArtWorks Academy.

For some musicals, we do require the boys to provide black slacks, black socks and a white button up shirt. We will let you know each semester if this will be needed for their costume. We will provide all other elements of the costumes.
“The staff is extremely nice. They treat everyone like family and even adapt to invite kids that are different. This place has been amazing for my special kiddo and have never excluded her. We are extremely grateful for an awesome company.” -Caitlyn S.


