Assistants
Strive assistants SET the bar for our dancers -aim to set it HIGH!
Welcome to our 2023/2024 Assistants
Assistants Information:
Assistant Tiers and Roles:
+ Demonstrator
Dancers must be at least 10yrs of age to apply to be a Demonstrator
Demonstrators are dancers who are volunteering to be an example to younger students.
They will dance at the front of the room, across the floor and in demonstrating choreography.
Demonstrators may be asked to tie shoes of younger dancers or escort young dancers to the bathroom but are not responsible for class instruction, warm ups, playing music or any other tasks associated with assisting. Demonstrators will not be left to teach younger dancers without teacher supervision. They may be asked to supervise younger dancers for short periods during teacher switch over.
+ Volunteer Assistant
Dancers must be at least 12yrs of age to apply to be a Volunteer Assistant
ALL assistants must work at least one year of voluntary assisting, 1class per week, before they may become a paid assistant. After one year of voluntary assisting a dancer may be offered a paid position or they may be offered further volunteer assisting based on their success as an assistant, their level and their age. Some dancers may not be a good fit for assisting and this will be discussed. Assistants below Pre-Intermediate 3 ADAPT may assist on a volunteer basis but dancers will not be eligible to be paid until they are at least 13yrs of age and training in the Pre-Intermediate 3 ADAPT syllabus or higher and demonstrate competency in the skills required.
As a Student assistant, you will be required to wear many hats. You are an organizer, a DJ, a second pair of eyes, and a mature presence in the studio. But above all, you are the prime example of how the younger dancers should act in class. You will be expected to represent yourself and the teachers in a positive way and should be punctual, prepared, positive and professionally dressed.
+ Paid Assistant
Dancers must be at least 14yrs of age to be a Paid Assistant.
Dancers may be offered a paid position after at least one year of voluntary assisting, 1class per week. They must meet the criteria for age, level, experience and competency to qualify for a paid position. Assistants should be training at or above Pre-Intermediate 3 to be eligible to be paid if they demonstrate the skills required.
As a student assistant, you will be required to wear many hats. You are an organizer, a DJ, a second pair of eyes, and a mature presence in the studio. But above all, you are the prime example of how the younger dancers should act in class. You will be expected to represent yourself and the teachers in a positive way and should be punctual, prepared, positive and professionally dressed.
+ Senior Assistant
Dancers must be at least 18yrs of age to be Senior Assistant
Senior Assistants are dancers that have graduated from Strive and would like to take on increased teaching responsibilities and training. We require our Senior Assistants to be 18yrs of age, provide a criminal record check and we may ask that you participate in first aid training if you do not have that already. We expect Senior Assistants to be committed to their teaching/assisting hours and time off must be requested with due notice in the format of a vacation request form. We are looking for applicants that have an interest in teaching dance and experience of assisting and want to develop their teaching talents under the mentorship of our Strive staff. Options for Professional development support may be provided to the right candidate.
As a Senior Assistant, you will take on further responsibility than our student assistants. You will be required to assist in the teaching of classes, run warm ups, execute class plans set by your primary teacher when they are absent and be able to manage class on your own and work with student assistants when needed. During conventions, workshops, courses and competitions you may be responsible for teaching Pre-competitive classes. You will be expected to represent yourself and the teachers in a positive way and should be punctual, prepared, positive and professionally dressed.
Assistants Responsibilities:
We hope that as an assistant you will show that you care about the dancers that you are assisting by giving your best effort throughout class. You are being a role model and a great citizen by giving back to your studio and by being a wonderful assistant.
Small things can make a big difference in developing professional behavior. We encourage you to be approachable, smile often, making eye contact with the dancers and calling them by name. Make sure that you come in on time, warmed up and ready to share your energy with the dancers. You should be dressed professionally and appropriately for your class and the genre you are assisting. When assisting please don’t sit unless invited to by the class instructor, set the best example you can to the younger students by being fully engaged.
Always represent yourself and the teachers in a positive way. Try your best not to undermine their authority in the class – they may have something “up their sleeve”. If you have a question, ask the teacher directly, away from the students. It is not appropriate to air grievances or “gossip” about the class, it’s students, or the teacher, to others.
Each teacher is different, and will therefore require different things from their assistant. The best way to know, is to ASK. Meet with the teacher prior to your first class and ask what the teacher expects from you as an assistant. You may be gathering students from the waiting room, directing traffic, stopping and starting the music, demonstrating or even correcting the dancers. It is the responsibility of the assistant to simplify the job of the teacher. Be one step ahead: arrive 15 minutes early where possible and especially for younger dancers and be ready and warm. If you have any questions about your role throughout the season please don’t hesitate to ask the teacher.
Please note: This is a job. Like any other job if you are not fulfilling the requirements of the position you will be asked to step down and may not be invited to assist again in following seasons. With such a growing interest for assisting, teachers will be seeking out the most supportive, positive and effective assistants to help them with their classes. If you are not taking the role seriously the role may get taken from you.
PRESENTATION
Looking the part is the first step toward being a successful assistant. The younger dancers will inevitably look up to you, and you should set a strong example of how a dancer should show up to class. Come prepared with the dance shoes specific to the class you are assisting. Wearing ballet shoes to a tap class is ineffective. Socks are not appropriate teaching attire, and they set the wrong example for the students. If you are unsure of what footwear you should wear, ask the teacher.
Hair tied back and swept up off the face means you can see the students and they can see you. If you have to bend down to correct a student’s posture, you do not want your hair falling in your face. This could mean a low bun, a tight ponytail, a ballet bun or braids. If you have short hair, it should be secured with pins or a headband – just as if you were dancing.
Your appearance says a lot about you. As a young lady or gentleman, how you dress as an assistant is significant for you as well as your studio. Each teacher may recommend specific attire, when in doubt, ask. Whatever it is, it should be clean, tidy, and close to the body. Sweats and baggy clothes make it difficult for the dancers to see what you are doing.
As a Strive Assistant you are setting the bar for future students – aim to set it HIGH.
confidentiality
You, the teacher, and the studio are responsible for the dancers in your class. This means that confidential information may be shared with you. This is not to be shared with others. Whatever happens within the dance class should also not be shared. This falls into the category of “gossip”. If you are assisting a younger class, toilet training and crying are common. It is not something to make fun of or to share with others. Please keep the information you know about the students (allergies, behaviors, attendance, exam results, opinions) between yourself and the teacher.
Absences
You are an ESSENTIAL support to every teacher and every class. For that reason, if you are to be absent from a class, please give the studio ADVANCE warning. This is best through an email to info@strivedanceacademy.ca, call the office at 403-346-0004, or through the JackRabbit Portal. When you return, ask the teacher to quickly go over what you missed so you can be the greatest help to the students.
We ask that if you are going to be absent that you find a substitute assistant in the same tier as you from our current assistants at Strive. Once a sub is found please advised the teacher in advance of the switch. If you cannot find an Assistant to sub for you please let your teacher know in advance so that they may try to find another assistant if needed. All assistants are encouraged to share their contact information with each other at the beginning of the season so that you can try and find a sub with ease and are not trying to go through the studio email/office administrator.
timesheets
All assistants paid and volunteer, need to please keep track of your hours. They are to be submitted to the studio in a specific format in our JackRabbit Portal. We will cover how to do this in our first meeting of the season. If at any time you are not sure how to do this, email questions to accounting@strivedanceacademy.ca
Keep a copy for yourself of any documents you send.
Inputting your hours is part of your job. If you are late with your timesheet you will not get paid. Please ensure that we receive your timesheets in a timely fashion.
Feedback Sheet Example:
At the end of the season each assistant will be provided with a feedback sheet providing a review of their season as an assistant that highlights their strengths and areas for growth.
We hope that maintaining open communication between parents, students and teachers will help to ensure a positive experience for all. Assisting is now an in-demand position and dancers will need to demonstrate skills and passion in this area to continue assisting in future.
