How do I register for weekly classes? You don't, really. You just need to show up before your class start time to purchase your class(es). How early should I come? Fifteen minutes will be sufficient, so for example try for 5:45pm if you'd like to take the 6pm class, 7pm for the 7:15pm class or 8:15pm for the 8:30pm class. Cost? At any time you may decide to buy just 1 class for $15, or buy a 5-class punch card for $70 ($14 a class) or two 5-class punch cards for $120 ($12 a class). Unlimited access to all Arabesque's classes is $250 for 1 month/30 days, a great deal if you take 5 or more classes per week. How do I pay? If purchasing multiple classes (that do not expire!) you may do this on location with cash or any major credit card (no checks please!), over the phone with your credit card information (full number, expiry & billing zip), or online through PayPal.com - bring your printed receipt to the studio if paying online. See the General Info page for more details on payment... So there's no need to call ahead? Right-you just need to be one of the 1st 12-16 students to show up, sign in & pay. Note: When 2 classes are scheduled to run at the same time, it is decided just before the start time (by # of students present) which class gets the bigger studio (west/purple room) but for an idea on how it usually runs please look at the Class Schedule page, which is sectioned off in 2 grids, one for each room. The session dates on the Class Schedule page will show you where we are in our lesson plan at any given time throughout the year, giving you a better idea of what the classes content may be like-have you already missed too much? If in doubt, call Sonya.   How do I pre-register for a workshop? You have 3 choices to pre-register for a special workshop; you may do this on location with cash or any major credit card, over the phone with your credit card information (name/phone, full number, expiry & billing zip), or online through PayPal.com - bring your printed receipt to the studio if paying online. You will also receive an email from Sonya to confirm payment. You'll be registered on a master list, so please check in when you arrive for the workshop. What if I want to pre-register for more than 1 workshop? When you pre-register 2, 3 or 4 workshops of the same price or with the same instructor you get quite a deal-however, please be aware that Tuition once paid is non-refundable, however you're welcomed to try & find a replacement to take your spot (transferable) for that workshop.   How much does it cost for a session? Depends on many things, and is different for everyone. You are paying per class, not per session, and the more you pre-pay (to a point) the less it costs you per class. At any time you may decide to buy just 1 class for $15, or buy a 5-class punch card for $70 ($14 a class) or two 5-class punch cards for $120 ($12 a class for any 10 classes). If you're coming to 1 class a week, you'll buy 10 classes, but the choice is always yours on how to pay; example, you may have paid $15 each week, or perhaps you bought a 5-class card at week 1 & again at week 6, or perhaps you went the best way & paid $120 upfront for all 10 classes-the great thing is if 10 classes are bought but not all are redeemed, you don't lose the unused punches/classes. So class punch cards do not expire? No they don't, nor are they attached to any specific dance class or time, they're good for them all! Many students come more than 1x a week & therefore buy cards more frequently than others. What if I lose or forget my card? Your card is numbered so if it is stolen it can be returned to you, however we do NOT keep track of how many times a card gets punched; so if you do not have the card in your hand, you do not have the classes.   How can I pay for my classes, workshop registration or merchandise? That's easy, you may do this on location with Cash or Visa, MasterCard, Discover or your American Express card (sorry, no checks accepted), or over the phone with all your credit card information (name/phone, full card number, expiry & billing zip), or if you prefer you can make payment online through PayPal.com (to paypal@arabesquechicago.com) - Please bring your printed receipt to the studio to pick up the card(s) if paying online, as the card should be awaiting to at the front desk. This info can also be found on the General Info page.   What exactly am I paying for? You are buying actual class hours (1 per punch) on a punch card that you keep. These classes do not expire & can be used for ANY of our dance classes, any day or time of the week. These punches are how you pay for your class, so please ALWAYS bring your punch card with you to take a class. The punches have no dollar-value & cannot be used to purchase anything other than the weekly class offerings. These classes are good for the purchaser only-1 student buys 10 classes for $120 for example, not 1 student & her friend each pay $60, nor is it useable for her & 9 of her friends. What if one week Tuesday is good for me but next week I'm free on Wednesday? Come to which ever class is best for you, just be one of the 1st 12-16 to show up (see class size below). While most dance schools are typically selling you a 1-hour class time for X-amount of consecutive weeks called a session, we structure it differently. We do alternate a 3 week session we call "Buffet" with a 10 week session we call "Dedicated" however this is to keep you in the know about what style of classes are being offered at any given time (session descriptions are on the General Info page) but the classes you purchase do not have an expiration date-you buy what you can afford to (for the best price per class). Feel free to start anytime during a Buffet session or in the 1st few weeks of a Dedicated session for best results. We understand, as a dance school by/for adults, that things happen; baby sitters back out, overtime opportunities arise & just life in general can get in the way of what makes us happiest--DANCE. We love our regular students whom we see every week, but we get it--not every week goes how we plan. We've found this system works really well for the student, but DON'T lose the punch card; this is the only way you can lose those classes!   When can I or should I start taking classes? Start anytime, however for best results, aim for starting anytime during a "Buffet" session or within the 1st few weeks of the "Dedicated" session (session descriptions are on the General Info page). Our lesson plans are geared to be 3 weeks of technique-based stand-alone classes (aka "Buffet" session; February, May, August & November) which works some of the good stuff you need to know for the following routine, alternated with 10 weeks of classes that build knowledge week-to-week, perhaps culminating in a routine (if it is a class that offers choreography). Can I just watch a class? Well, that would make some people very uncomfortable in the class, so no. You can observe the 1st or last 15 minutes if you wish, however this is exactly what the shorter session is for; perfect for an experienced drop-in student or even someone completely new to dance as the combos and moves learned in Fundamentals (or a class ending in a 1) are appropriate for the level, just new cool stuff introduced from week-to-week for these three weeks. This is great for anyone to drop in & try a class, satisfy a curiosity, perhaps try out a different instructors & what each has uniquely to offer, or even dabble in another dance form you may not have tried in the past. This alternates 4x a year with a seasonal "Dedicated" session (Spring, Summer, Fall & Winter) where content builds from week-to-week and choreography may be introduced. Burlesque & Tribal classes are a bit easier to start anytime, while the general belly dance classes may work on 1 song for the entire long session, a little harder to catch up if you enter on the 6th or 8th week out of 10... you ARE welcomed to try though! Another nice thing about a 10-week session is even if you miss one class here or there it is only 1/10th of the content that was missed, so generally no problem catching up at all. Tip: Getting to know someone from your class level to ask for notes or info when you're gone may help you a lot in the long run, and builds friendships, a mission & goal of the school itself (school mission is on the General Info page).   How do I know what level or what class I should take? That depends on what exactly your goals are; once you know that try reading the class descriptions to get a feel of what might help you achieve your goals best. First, if your goal is to actually learn the dance, how to do it & the history behind it: If you are new to the dance (meaning 6 months of study or less) we do recommend starting with one of the Fundamentals classes, or a class that ends in a 1; these are marked with a Green Star on both the Class Schedule & Class Description pages. This level is geared to help you get some of the vocabulary of moves down while honing technique, polishing the look, and learning the verbiage. If you've had more training than you think would be needed for a beginning class & want more, try the beginner/intermediate classes (Blue Star), or the intermediate classes (Purple Star). If you are looking at trying one of the Silver Star intermediate/advanced classes you may want to email the instructor first before showing up, in case there's something you need to be prepared with, and this level of dance does assume certain knowledge. The Gold Star classes are Advanced level, students are chosen by the instructor (not by the student, although you can let your teacher know when you'd like to be considered for the class), can include performance opportunities and are not available as a "drop-in" class. Secondly, if your top goal is FITNESS: by all means either supplement your 1x a week dance class with another or one of our Fabulous high-energy Fitness-minded classes, such as Bellyrobics (which incorporates the moves & music inspired a la Belly Dance) or Tease & Tone (TNT! Michelle can really get you fit in this one!). Belly Dance Drills is more of a technique-polish-until-you-drop, which then does require already a basic understanding of the fundamental moves, as we hone variations of them. These classes NEVER have a choreography & therefore can be joined at any time! The Fundamentals of Belly Dance and Belly Dance Layers & Traveling (L&T) do include a choreography/routine during the "Dedicated" session which also can include performance opportunities.   How long before I'm good at it? Everybody's different. That's completely up to you. Practice makes better, right? If coming 1 hour a week is good, then staying for 2 hours is better, or coming 2x a week is even better yet, 3 or more hours a week is even better yet... we love how in the movie "Shall We Dance": it's said that 5 hours of practice to each hour of pro instruction is the best-serious students do find the time, and they progress faster. Some students have absolutely NO dance training before class-that's just fine, that's what we're here for. Some students take naturally to it, while others may feel a bit clumsy in the 1st class or two... Think of it this way; to try it fully you need about 13 weeks (a full "Buffet" session and a full "Dedicated" session)-that's for an introduction to the art form. Trust yourself & just show up--the hardest part--you never know what you're capable of until you try.   How do I know if a class is full? You don't. WE don't even know until it happens. By not taking X-amount of dollars for X-amount of classes between this-date-to-this-date, we also do not "hold" you a spot in the class, otherwise we'd be turning away those who show up at the door & if you are then to not show up, this would spell disaster for us as a business. We honor those on time, who signed up first-come, first-served. If a class is routinely full we add another class time in a week, as we treasure the space & attention our small class sizes ensure. Taking 2 classes in a row? Then sign in & pay for them both right away. Enrollment spikes most for the 1st three weeks of the "Dedicated" session.   What if a class is cancelled? What days are you closed or have no classes? If a class is cancelled it would immediately be posted as such on this painfully up-to-date website, as well as an email would be sent out to the Emailing list (subscribe here) and it would be posted at the studio. Workshops with the student max already paid in full will be posted as FULL on the Special Events page. You can check the website before leaving work or the comfort of your home, save the gas & travel time. However, if less than 3 students show up for a weekly class, we reserve the right to cancel class on the spot, at the instructor's discretion. This is also not usually a problem! To see our usual Hours of Operation check the page we call Home. We are CLOSED WHEN NO CLASSES ARE RUNNING such as during the daytime, as well as Fridays, Saturdays & most Sundays. We run sessions of weekly classes All Year Long, so we're Closed on Holidays, which would be reminded in class as well as posted online (in the session dates) & posted on location. Call or email Sonya if ever you have question as to if a class is scheduled to run or has been cancelled for that particular date. You may contact any instructor directly via email through the links on the Instructor Bios page. Quite often, if there's a qualified substitute a class may still run even if the regular instructor is unavailable, ill, or out-of-town.   Why such a small class limit? We're a small studio. We feel it necessary to have an upper limit even though more may be able to be accommodated; we feel comfort is important enough to put a cap on the number of students crammed in a room. We cherish our intimate class sizes for quality of instruction as well as giving ample space to each & every student, plain & simple. The east/gold studio is limited to 12, while the west/purple studio with the mural can fit more like 16. Both are fully mirrored, have a bathroom, air conditioning & stereo, one even has a fridge for ice cold water. A shared hook room/dressing room is semi-private (bathrooms for full privacy) & a great place to leave your stuff, as we need 100% of the dance floor. Locker rental will also be available very soon... The Class Schedule page will even show you a picture of each room.   What if my friends and I all want a private class, just for us? We do that! This is why we're closed to weekly classes Fridays-Saturdays-Sundays, which is the perfect booking time for your private events-a great celebration for a Birthday, Bachlorette party or Baby Shower! Most popularly we host many personal Burlesque classes with Michelle L'amour, if you are interested in her offerings and availabilities please feel free to email her; also check out her 2 websites listed on the Links page. We also often host private classes for The Ancient Art of Belly Dance, at Arabesque or at your location, prices vary; with Sonya or any of our Arabesque instructors, or mix-&-match; family-friendly performances available as well, to enhance your event!   Where are you located? How can I get to you? That's easy! Our address is 3703 N. Elston Avenue, on Chicago's north side, 60618. Elston is a diagonal street (running from southeast to northwest) and our building is on the corner at Waveland, closest intersection with a light is Kimball (just north of us) & 1.5 blocks south of us is our biggest street close by, Addison. On our Home page we have maps and walking directions from the 2 local buses or 2 local train stations that service the area. Mapquest.com seems to do a nice job of giving directions to us, or call ahead of time for instructions. LOTS of free street parking too!   I don't have regular access to the Internet-can you mail me a class schedule? Sure, what is needed via email or voicemail is your FULL mailing address & Sonya can get a current schedule out in the mail to you, most likely arriving to you within a day or two. Please note that Arabesque does NOT keep your address, so each time you'd like a class or workshop schedule mailed to you, you must call/email Sonya with your mailing info. If you have email access but not so much world wide web access you can anonymously subscribe/unsubscribe to the ArabesqueChicago.com Emailing list for monthly email reminders on new classes, workshops & performances, events & instructor news-everything relating to the school.   How else can I stay up-to-date? By checking this website, showing up occasionally at the studio (our bulletin board is something to be quite proud of, we hear) or emailing your teacher direct. Your BEST BET is to anonymously subscribe to the ArabesqueChicago.com Emailing list for monthly email reminders on new classes, workshops & performances, events & instructor news-everything relating to the school. There is also a sign up sheet for the emailing list at the front desk of the studio. No worries--you can anonymously unsubscribe at any time as well.

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