Laws and ethics are two different things. Besides that, I'm not finding any evidence to support your claims, Clary.

We're fortunate enough to have a good studio with competent teachers with everything we want to know under one roof. Lucky thing, too- I don't have such confidence in other area venues.

Review your dance goals carefully, as someone else already said. If you don't want to do something, don't get yourself roped into it. Or chained, rather.

DivaGinger,
I'm not sure what claims you're seeking support for. If you mean state laws - well, do a yahoo search with the words "dance studio act" and add in particular states such as Florida and Illinois.
If you're seeking support for getting money back for pre-paid lessons that you aren't going to use, well, I grant you that is rather anecdotal. But I have known some people who "thought" they could get their money back from an independent studio and were told no. Perhaps a written contract would have helped them - or perhaps a state law could have helped them.

Never said I was looking to get money back, but really, I see no legitimate reason why someone *should* get money back. If they could, it'd just give people an opportunity to welch out on a deal. For every "crooked studio owner", there are a few crooked students who just can't hang with it, and want a pat on the back when they bail.

In extenuating circumstances like sickness or inclement weather, the FAIR thing for a studio to do would be to offer compensation in lessons of some form. I personally don't consider a move across country something for which you need reimbursement- not if you know how to schedule and plan to use the lessons up before departure.

I was meaning to ask- why do you (and others) take lessons from a myriad of different studios simultaneously? It seems quite popular, and I was wondering if it was to get a "dance fix" on the off-nights of the home studio, or what.

DivaGinger,
At present, I take lessons from two different teachers, both independents. They each have different strengths and emphasize different things, so I try to pull from both. One is good with movement; the other is great with shape; one is a stickler for footwork; the other pays more attention to topline. One gives me lots of specific dance drills to work on when I practice alone for footwork and such; the other suggests more cross-discipline kinds of things for overall movement. And, yes, each one knows that I take lessons with the other.
It's a situation that works for me. It's not necessarily the way other students would want to take lessons.

DivaGinger,
It's not always a case of either the studio owner or the student trying to be crooked. Lay-offs happen; relocations happen. So, it would be good to have an agreement that if I need to cancel a service, that I'm not going to eat a pre-payment.
After all, my mechanic doesn't expect pre-payment; my hairdresser doesn't expect pre-payment for her services; my accountant doesn't have a 10-punch card for pre-payment of tax preparation services. If I move or get injured or sick, I don't have to seek reimbursment for services that have not yet been provided.
Yet, dance instructors should be able to get paid for services that aren't performed? I don't quite understand your reasoning. Could you elaborate a bit? (I'm just trying to understand, not start a "snippy-fest").

Well, I see why someone wouldn't want to pay for a service first, and then risk not getting it. From the other side though, how many times had I clients that would schedule, then ditch at the last minute. You get several of those who frequently do that, you aren't getting any money out of them, AND you're putting huge holes in your schedule that other, paying clients coudl fill.

My stylist, mechanic, doctor, even local dog-groomers require a deposit now, and if you cancel within a time-frame, still owe the money. To top that off, if you re-schedule, you're billed an additional $25.

A lot of scheduling problems and "unforseeable circumstances" can be boiled down to courtesy and common sense. The true accidents that DO happen DO take care of themselves because of their nature.

Due to the nature of dance lessons, people think that dance teachers sit around the studio all day waiting for people to show up, and don't have lives outside the studio (although, if you're a secondary/tertiary teacher in a chain studio, that's true, likely). They get taken advantage of more than doctors, mechanics, and other "necessary people" in the workforce, because they're taken seriously on the floor as an instructor, but not as a human with a life and groceries to shop for.

DivaGinger,
Sure, what you say has validity. And perhaps that's why some states do NOT have laws to protect consumers of dance lessons; instead they favor the providers. But in the states that DO have those laws, well, the legislators in those states think differently and favor the consumer rather than the provider. Depends on which side of the coin you're on.

Thanks to everyone for the responses. I do feel foolish for not having researched this before starting. Honestly, I was having a difficult time in my life emotionally and I felt dancing would help. It totally has and I love, love, love it. I am disappointed with the studio and just want to say knock off the sales pitch. Do they realize people know what they are doing?
I am going to tell them I will use up the remaining lessons and move on to an Independent studio. Has anyone heard of Parragon, it is in Tempe Arizona.
Thanks Again

Isabel,
So, you're within shootin' distance of Phoenix, right? I don't know Paragon in Tempe; but I do know that Jim Maranto teaches in Phoenix. He's a great dancer, he turns out very good competitive students. I think the studio is called Academy of Dance or Academy of Ballroom Dance or something like that.

Isabel,
Oh, and eh, at the risk of beating a horse to death - Arizona has a Dance Studio Act, too. You might want to check out the statute, and your current contract, to see if you are entitled to a refund for unused lessons if you want to terminate the contract. (It can vary by state).