Do you offer parties?
Yes, click
What classes do you offer?
Like most skills, it can take a long time and dedication to achieve new goals. We believe repetition, slow, and steady advancement will lead to the best results.
Buddy&Me: ages 18mo -3 years (buddy-assisted gymnastics)
KinderGym: ages 3-5 years (gymnastics)
KinderCombo: ages 3-5 years (dance and gymnastics)
Gymnastics: ages 6-8 years & those with prior experience
Tumbling: ages 8+
Ninja Warrior Workout: ages 6-12 (obstacle course-based workout)
Fusion: ages 13+ (technique conditioning class)
Pilates: ages 14+ and adults (open to public)
Combo I: ages 6-8 years (beginning ballet, tap, and acro)
Demi Dance (Combo II): ages 8+ (classical ballet and tap)
Jazz/Hip Hop: ages 7+
Adult Hip Hop: teens & adults (fun for recreation/exercise)
Contemporary: (invitation only)
Music Theater: ages 7+
HI-Stepper Prep: ages 7th grade+
Hi-Stepper Technique: current Po Hi-Steppers only*
Inciardi Dance Company: competition team (talk to Cara)
Homeschool Classes: available upon request
Find full descriptions of classes
How long are your classes?
All of our classes are at least one full hour long. There are a select few that run longer.
We follow the Ponca City Public School schedule for big breaks (Christmas, Spring Break, etc.), but usually still have class on smaller holidays (Memorial Day, MLK Day, etc.). If in question, closings and openings will always be posted on our Facebook page. If school is cancelled for weather, check our Faebook page to see if we canceled (we usually do, but if roads clear up, we sometimes still open as makeup classes can be hard to re-schedule coaches and students on a weekend).
How much are your classes?
To view our pricing, please click
Do you offer private lessons?
Yes! Private lessons are available in dance, gymnastics, and tumbling ONLY for students enrolled in classes at the studio. These are $45/hour or $25/half hour and must be paid at the time of the lesson. Voice students are also available through Cara Kem Cassens to anyone who wishes to take as her time allows. Instructor schedule takes priority over student's. If instructor is unavailable when you'd like to work with them, you will have to make an adjustment or find another instructor to work with your student.
What do I need to do to enroll my child?
If you'd like to enroll, you can come into our store to fill out paperwork and an enrollment card, as well as pay the enrollment fee and first month. If you've missed formal enrollment, you can do this either 30 minutes before your child's first class or anytime our store is open (Monday-Thursday 4:30-6:30). Those not on the role when the school year begins will need to receive a class pass from the store to be allowed into class.
What do we need for class?
Please read the full dress code
We cannot correct what we cannot see, so proper dress is extremely important.
When are you open?
Please see hours of operation
Where are you located & How can I reach you?
105 E. Grand Ponca City, OK 74601
(across the street from the Poncan Theater)
(580) 765-7726
Phone calls can be taken 8:00am - 3:00pm. If no one is available to take you call, please leave a message
Facebook messages are monitored outside of class time and is a great way to get ahold of someone.
Can we take from other studios and still enroll with you?
In an effort to remove animosity within the community, have respect for other teachers, and to not confuse our students with contrasting techniques, we will not enroll students who are actively enrolled in another studio for the same kind of class we offer.
For example, if a student is dancing at a competing studio within a 30-mile radius of our studio, we will decline their ability to dance with us. However, if this same student wishes to take gymnastics and are not enrolled elsewhere for a similar class, they may enroll.
Students competing with any other studio, in our out of OK, cannot join our competition team unless the two studios have an agreement and are not participating at the same competition company. High school teams are an exception.
How do we join the competition team?
We believe competition is for the good of the student rather than just an effort for us to win trophies. Therefore, we do not audition students. We allow anyone to compete that is capable of learning our dances, provided they are enrolled in ballet and attend it regularly, as well as make competition rehearsals a priority.
Cost to compete depends on the costume, the number of dances a student is in, what kind of dance it is, and the number of competitions we attend. We usually try to only attend one in the Fall and two in the Spring, finishing our season no later than the 2nd week of March.
Cost will be paid little by little throughout the year and are required to participate.
Dedication to the group is most important for everyone to receive the full benefit. We also participate in 1-2 dance conventions in the Fall. These are not required, but offer a great deal of opportunity for our dancers to receive expertise from top-notch teachers from New York to LA. Any students can attend these.
Please speak to Cara Kem Cassens if you are interested.
We need to discontinue/drop classes. How can we do this?
All are automatically enrolled during the school year until the final class in May. Students miss class for a number of reasons, therefore simply not showing up is not a valid way to discontinue. We need to receive this information in writing, either through Facebook message or a drop card in the store. This provides with the date you plan to drop and allows us to open your spot to another student. Once we receive this information, we can also update our system to stop billing.
Can we watch class?
Dance:
These are a bit more difficult to accommodate observers. When parents are in the room, younger students often get confused on who the authority figure in the room is. We allow parents to stay nearby for the first few weeks, but once the child gets used to their new environment, we encourage parents to allow the child room to grow.
Gymnastics/Tumbling:
There is an observation balcony where parents and families are allowed to quietly observe (no food/drink except for water). Those who struggle to climb stairs may watch from the back of the gym, but in order to be incompliance with fire code, this area is for these individuals only.
Is there a recital?
Yes, we try to offer lots of opportunities for our students to perform, including optional occassional shows, a competition team, and a year end recital. We spend a majority of our year on technique, but in May, we usually have a recital, though no student is required to participate. We have several extra practices for our performing artists. To help make sure the group smells their best, it is important to try to be present for all practices, even if your child knows their dance. In their absence, they may miss important information and cleaning corrections, and the entire group may be asked to come even more often so they can be ready for the performance. There is no charge for any extra practice. Think of it as a free class!
Costs include a costume, possible prop, and any make-up/hair accessories your child may need. There is a $40 recital fee for the 1st child and $25 for your second child. This helps us cover theater rental fees and costs for technicians. Our recital is free of charge for audiences, so invite all the family and friends your child has! We work to keep the cost as low as possible.
*Recital fee will be automatically added to the 3rd trimester invoice. All props and costumes are not included in your tuition invoice, and need to be paid through the store (Applause Apparel).
How do we receive communication from the studio?
We work to get information out to our families as best we can by offering it in a number of places. We post many important notices on our doors and walls in high traffic areas.
We sometimes send communication through the mail. In order to not miss communication sent by email, please include our email address in your inbox (kemsgymanddance@gmail.com).
Our new system, Dance Studio Pro, has an app you can download, which can also be used to receive communication.
We also make phone calls when necessary. Please call us back if you miss our call and respond if you cannot attend an extra practice.
Do you offer summer classes?
Yes. We offer a 6-8 week session in the summer for a limited number of classes in both dance in gymnastics. These classes can be taken once or twice a week. We also offer a dance camp for children ages 5-8. Details for this will be posted as summer approaches. There is no enrollment fee, and you only need to pay for the weeks you'll be attending, but all classes must be pre-paid.
Why is the age cap for gymnastics 8 years old?
After Mr. Kem passed away, we no longer had a consistent, strong male in the gym to oversee the coaches. Many of our coaches are female and must lift and hold children against the bar. In an effort to protect our coaches (and students) from injury, we put an age limit on gymnastics classes. (Tumbling is still available to older children.) However, if older children want to take gymnastics, they can, provided they are able to pull their own belly to the bar and hold themselves there. This allows our coaches to be able to spot them easier and focus their attention on form, necessary to execute most skills on the bars and be successful without injury.
Can I use other funds to pay for class?
(Epic, Respite, Sooner Success, etc.)
You are always responsible to pay our $45 enrollment fee, per year, per family.
We will do everything we can to work with these programs to help your child receive our services without financial strain.
HOWEVER, we are not responsible to call and set this up for you. Also, there is always a risk that you will still be held liable for payments. We are not responsible to figure out why payments would not process or to clear up the matter.
Most of these programs do not allow us to bill until after classes have been received. If you have overused your funds, misunderstood the payment process, or are dropped from the program for any reason, we usually do not know until we send in your invoice. At that time, the benefit program will notify us if we are receiving a check or not. If they are unable to process payment for your child's lessons, YOU ARE STILL RESPONSIBLE to pay. You may not receive the invoice until after classes are completed and cause you to have an unexpected expense. If this happens and you are unable to pay, please call and we can set up a payment plan. If we are unable to get payment from you or the installments are not kept up, as per our agreement, we will need to turn your bill over to collections after a reasonable amount of time has passed to allow you pay.