The Rhody Center | FAQ and Policies

Frequently Asked Questions and Policies

I've never tried anything like this before. Should I be intimidated?

You should give it a try! Unless otherwise indicated, all classes are suitable for absolute beginners. This is a warm, friendly, non-competitive environment, and your fellow students will be amateurs, not professionals.

Can I drop into a course?

No, we don't allow drop-ins for our courses. Our courses progress from week to week, building skills and choreography throughout the session. It wouldn't be fair for students who come every week to have the pace slowed to accommodate for drop-ins.

The vast majority of our offerings are courses, usually two months long. We ask for a small commitment on your part so that you can see your skills improve as the session progresses. But, keep in mind that we charge no registration fees, and we don't force you into contracts! Compared to many other options, we are very low commitment.

We operate this way so that we can keep high-quality teachers and treat them well, in a small class setting with lots of individual attention, while keeping your commitment low. Plus, organizing classes as courses help keep prices down for the high quality that is provided--they end up costing $13 per week for adult dance classes or $14 per week for adult music classes, $11.70/$12.60 with our early bird discount, and even $11 or less when rewards points coupons are applied. Kids' classes cost even less. The same course would cost much more in Boston or New York, and many could cost over a thousand dollars for a semester at a university!

Having said that, if you decide that a course is not right for you, you can get a refund on the balance with 24+ hours advance notice of the second week's class. Or, keep in touch with us--we sometimes offer mini sessions or special events that allow for drop-ins (check out our semiannual "Try It" week in September and January).

I want to take a course, but I can't make it one of the weeks. Can I enroll for just part of the series? What if I get sick?

A big part of how we keep prices down at the Rhody Center is because we sell enrollments as a package deal, which tend to cost a quarter (or less!) of the price of a private lesson. We cannot refund students for missed classes, even when they are sick. It's understandable that students need to skip the occasional class, but your registration reserves your spot in our small-sized classes, and our teachers still need to be paid for their time. In addition, we need you to come regularly so you get the best possible experience!

What is your snow policy? How about your sick teacher policy?

Generally speaking, if the Town of Coventry issues a parking ban due to poor driving conditions, the Rhody Center will cancel class. The cancellation will be announced to registered students via email and SMS. We will make one attempt to schedule a make-up class--we will do this the following week, and students who are absent at that time will rescind their vote. If a unanimous make-up time cannot be established, the Rhody Center will apply one week's worth of account credit to each student's Rhody Center account (in Wellness Living). No refunds will be given, however the student may use their credit as a single class drop-in the first or second week of the following session (which we normally don't allow) or apply it to something else. The same procedure will be followed when a teacher is too sick to teach or has a personal emergency. This is the fairest method we have found to deal with the challenge of scheduling make-up classes!

How should I dress for dance class?

For all of our classes, you should wear comfortable clothing that does not restrict movement. You do not need to go out and buy special uniforms.

As for dance footwear, in most cases it's fine to be barefoot. You may prefer non-skid socks or ballet slippers, depending on the class and your own preference. For higher-impact, aerobic-style classes such as hip hop, you will probably want to wear *clean* sneakers. For flamenco and social dance traditions like salsa and bachata, leather soled shoes (not sneakers) are preferable so you can spin--heels for ladies/followers when possible. For tap class you're going to want tap shoes, but leather-soled shoes are okay the first week if you're brand new to tap dancing. If you decide to pursue advanced levels of dance, you can ask your teacher for footwear recommendations.

All students, including music students, are requested to please not wear street shoes on the dance floor. All dance shoes must be clean and not worn outside.

How does the rewards program work?

We sure appreciate your support, and we want to reward you for it. You will earn 5 points for each dollar that you spend at the Rhody Center, and 500 points for every new customer that you refer who signs up for a course. Once you earn the equivalent of $10.00, you can apply those funds to a future purchase. New customers must mention you as the referral source on their new client intake form, or otherwise tell us within 14 days of their first visit, in order for you to get your 500 points. Introductory offers excluded. You can check your points balance by clicking on "My Account," logging into Wellness Living, clicking the menu icon (3 horizontal lines), selecting "My Profile," and clicking on "Rewards." And you can apply your points to future purchases from there, too, by clicking "Redeem." The credit will be ready for you at checkout. See Julie for help or details.

How do I register and pay for classes and courses?

All of our enrollment courses require pre-registration with payment. We take credit, cash, and checks. You can register yourself here on our website. Click "register" and you will enter your information via Wellness Living, our scheduling software. You can also register by phone at (401) 475-5955. These two methods require credit or debit cards. You can also register in advance and pay by cash, check, or charge at the center during business hours, but please note that we hold unusual hours. Any mailed checks need to be mailed well in advance, and students will be charged $25 for any returned checks.

Pre-registering helps us plan; enrollment courses need a minimum number of students in order to run. In addition, popular classes will be capped at a maximum number of students. Sign up early for early registration discounts. If you do not register by 5:00 pm the day before a course begins, we may or may not be able to get you in. All in all, the best advice is to enroll early!

How do I apply my class credit when I'm making a purchase?

Occasionally you may be granted credit on your Rhody Center account, for example when we had to cancel a class or something. You can then apply this credit to a future purchase. Just use "Account Balance" as a payment method when checking out. If the amount of your credit is less than your purchase amount, you will need to select BOTH "Account Balance" AND "Credit Card" and then modify the amounts if needed:

Rewards Program

Refund Policies and Such

What is your return policy?

Courses: Students who registered early but need to cancel their registration before the first week will get a full refund if they submit their need to cancel in writing at least three days before the first class. Students who wish to drop a course after the first week's class may do so with at least 24 hours advance notice of when the second week's class starts. The remaining course credit will be refunded to the customer, or can be applied to other (different) courses. By the time the second week's class meets, no changes in enrollment can be made. However, if a customer registers for a course but the course needs to be canceled due to low enrollment numbers, the full registration fee will be returned to the customer (or the customer may choose to apply the credit elsewhere). In the case of a medical condition, we will credit or refund remaining fees when the student provides a doctor's note.

Summer camps: Summer camps require pre-registration to run. If the summer camp needs to be canceled due to low enrollment, the full registration fee will be returned to the customer, when the decision to cancel is made (about a week before camp begins). Students who registered early but need to cancel their registration before the first day of camp will get a full refund if they submit their need to cancel in writing at least five days before the first day of camp. From this point on, and through after the first day of camp and before the second day of camp, customers who need to cancel their camp registration will get 50% of their registration fee refunded. No refunds or credits will be issued by the second day of camp onward.

Private lessons: No refunds will be issued for private lessons.

Gift certificates: No refunds will be issued for gift certificates.

What if I miss my private lesson?

Private lessons are specially scheduled for individual students. If a student needs to cancel a private lesson, s/he must do so with a minimum of 24 hours of advance notice. If a student does not provide 24 hours of notice, s/he must pay the full price for the lesson. In order to help cover teacher pay in the case of un-notified missed lessons, students will choose to either pay a refundable $50 deposit OR keep their credit or debit card on file in our secure system. Students can call Julie at (401) 327-0920, or email julie@therhodycenter.org, if they need to cancel a lesson.

The fine print

The Rhody Center reserves the right to change or cancel classes, and we cannot issue refunds for classes that have been postponed and rescheduled due to inclement weather or other circumstances beyond our control. We reserve the right to update or alter these policies from time to time.

Updated 1/15/2020.

Terms and Conditions

Welcome to our website. If you continue to browse and use this website you are agreeing to comply with and be bound by the following terms and conditions of use, which together with our privacy policy govern the Rhody Center for World Music and Dance's relationship with you in relation to this website.

The term The Rhody Center for World Music and Dance, LLC or 'us' or 'we' refers to the owner of the website. The term 'you' refers to the user or viewer of our website.

The use of this website is subject to the following terms of use:

The content of the pages of this website is for your general information and use only. It is subject to change without notice.
Neither we nor any third parties provide any warranty or guarantee as to the accuracy, timeliness, performance, completeness or suitability of the information and materials found or offered on this website for any particular purpose. You acknowledge that such information and materials may contain inaccuracies or errors and we expressly exclude liability for any such inaccuracies or errors to the fullest extent permitted by law.
Your use of any information or materials on this website is entirely at your own risk, for which we shall not be liable. It shall be your own responsibility to ensure that any products, services or information available through this website meet your specific requirements.
This website contains material which is owned by or licensed to us. This material includes, but is not limited to, the design, layout, look, appearance and graphics. Reproduction is prohibited other than in accordance with the copyright notice, which forms part of these terms and conditions.
All trademarks reproduced in this website which are not the property of, or licensed to, the operator are acknowledged on the website.
Unauthorised use of this website may give rise to a claim for damages and/or be a criminal offence.
From time to time this website may also include links to other websites. These links are provided for your convenience to provide further information. They do not signify that we endorse the website(s). We have no responsibility for the content of the linked website(s).
You may not create a link to this website from another website or document without our prior written consent.

Refund Policy

Details of our refund policy are listed above.

This privacy policy sets out how The Rhody Center for World Music and Dance, LLC uses and protects any information that you give The Rhody Center for World Music and Dance, LLC when you use this website.

The Rhody Center for World Music and Dance, LLC is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using this website, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement.

The Rhody Center for World Music and Dance, LLc may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes.

What we collect
We may collect the following information:
• name
• contact information including email address
• demographic information such as postcode, preferences and interests
• other information relevant to customer surveys and/or offers

What we do with the information we gather
We require this information to understand your needs and provide you with a better service, and in particular for the following reasons:
Internal record keeping.
We may use the information to improve our products and services.
We may periodically send promotional emails about new products, special offers or other information which we think you may find interesting using the email address which you have provided.
From time to time, we may also use your information to contact you for market research purposes. We may contact you by email, phone, fax or mail. We may use the information to customize the website according to your interests.

Security
We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorized access or disclosure we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.

How we use cookies
A cookie is a small file which asks permission to be placed on your computer's hard drive. Once you agree, the file is added and the cookie helps analyse web traffic or lets you know when you visit a particular site. Cookies allow web applications to respond to you as an individual. The web application can tailor its operations to your needs, likes and dislikes by gathering and remembering information about your preferences.

We use traffic log cookies to identify which pages are being used. This helps us analyse data about webpage traffic and improve our website in order to tailor it to customer needs. We only use this information for statistical analysis purposes and then the data is removed from the system. Overall, cookies help us provide you with a better website, by enabling us to monitor which pages you find useful and which you do not. A cookie in no way gives us access to your computer or any information about you, other than the data you choose to share with us. You can choose to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. This may prevent you from taking full advantage of the website.

Links to other websites
Our website may contain links to other websites of interest. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that we do not have any control over that other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites and such sites are not governed by this privacy statement. You should exercise caution and look at the privacy statement applicable to the website in question.

Controlling your personal information
You may choose to restrict the collection or use of your personal information in the following ways:
whenever you are asked to fill in a form on the website, look for the box that you can click to indicate that you do not want the information to be used by anybody for direct marketing purposes
if you have previously agreed to us using your personal information for direct marketing purposes, you may change your mind at any time by writing to or emailing us at (your company Email) This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . We will not sell, distribute or lease your personal information to third parties unless we have your permission or are required by law to do so. We may use your personal information to send you promotional information about third parties which we think you may find interesting if you tell us that you wish this to happen.

You may request details of personal information which we hold about you under the Data Protection Act 1998. A small fee will be payable.

If you believe that any information we are holding on you is incorrect or incomplete, please write to or email us as soon as possible. We will promptly correct any information found to be incorrect. To request a copy of the information disclosure provided by (your legal business name) pursuant to Section 1798.83 of the California Civil Code, please contact us via email to (your company email), or by writing us at the following address:

The Rhody Center
410 Tiogue Ave.

Coventry, RI 02816

Please allow 30 days for a response.