OCTOBER 2026

🧡 OCTOBER AT MSF

TERM 4, HERE WE COME!

Hi Dance Fam,

A very big welcome to TERM 4!

Can you believe how quickly this year is flying? Term 4 begins TODAY, Monday 5 October, and from here on out, it’s all about glitz, glam and good vibes! ✨

We’re officially stepping into our 20th concert season, which means costumes, photo shoots, rehearsals, finale dances, teamwork, dancing our hearts out and, of course, performing with purpose and passion.

These next nine weeks are going to FLY, so soak up every sparkle, every rehearsal, every costume change and every moment with your dance fam.

At MSF, we’re all about creating positive experiences with as little stress as possible — but that starts with being across the information! There is a LOT happening this term, so please read through the updates below carefully, save the important dates and sing out if you still have questions once you’ve checked the information provided.

📅 OCTOBER + CONCERT SEASON AT A GLANCE

There’s a lot happening over the next nine weeks, so here are the big dates to screenshot, save and pop straight into your calendar!

💳 Saturday 10 October — Term 4 fees due
🏃 Tuesday 13 October, 10am — Get Active Kids applications close
📸 Thursday 15 – Sunday 18 October — MSF Photo Week
📸 Saturday 17 October — Petite Photo Day
🎭 Wednesday 18 November — Concert Group 1 compulsory theatre rehearsal
🎭 Thursday 19 November — Concert Group 3 + Teens & Seniors compulsory theatre rehearsal
🎭 Monday 23 November — Concert Group 2 compulsory theatre rehearsal
🎷 Saturday 5 December — Concert Group 1, 1:30pm show
🎷 Sunday 6 December — Concert Group 2, 11:00am show
🎷 Sunday 6 December — Concert Group 3, 4:00pm show

Keep reading for all the important details! 👇

👗 COSTUMES ARE COMING HOME!

It’s happening!

This week, dancers will begin bringing home their concert costumes — two costumes per class — ready for Photo Day and Concert Day.

At MSF, your concert costumes are hired to you at no additional charge, and there is no sewing required. From the moment they leave the studio, however, they become your responsibility.

Please remember:

🟠 Costumes belong to Main St Funk and must be returned after the concert.
🟠 They are not to be played in, casually worn or used for Halloween.
🟠 Lost or damaged items will incur a replacement fee.
🟠 We do not always have spare costumes available, so an item that is lost or badly damaged may affect your dancer’s ability to perform.
🟠 Once home, please hang costumes up and carefully iron or steam items where required.
🟠 If straps or small adjustments need pinning for your dancer, we ask that you do this before Photo Day.

And remember — costumes are not clothes, they are art! Their job is to help us tell a story on stage. They may not necessarily be your dancer’s favourite colour, preferred style or exact everyday clothing size, but with 20 years of concerts under our belts, you can trust the process. Just like a sporting team wears the same uniform, concert costumes are about the whole picture on stage.

⚠️ Please note: Costumes will not be released to families with overdue fees until the outstanding balance has been finalised.

📸 PHOTO WEEK IS NEARLY HERE!

Our annual MSF Photo Days are happening Thursday 15 – Sunday 18 October!

Photo Day gives our dancers the chance to step in front of the camera in their concert costumes with their dance friends — while also giving them some valuable practice for Concert Day.

Every dancer has a specific:

📅 Photo Day date
⏰ Arrival time
👗 Costume requirement
🩰 Kitlist
💇 Hair requirement
👟 Shoes and accessories

Please do not assume your dancer’s Photo Day is at their usual class time.

👉 FIND YOUR DANCER’S KITLIST HERE:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1YIq_E3XfZnRC9pya52FKA2CLMJoZQjYC?usp=sharing

For the full rundown on costumes, kitlists, hair, make-up, parent access, Photo Day procedures and Concert Finale requirements, please revisit the Photo Day email sent on Sunday 27 September.

There is a lot of important information in there, so please give it another careful read before Photo Week! 🧡

📸 OUR PETITES ARE INVITED TOO!

Our Fairy and Funky Petites may not perform in our end-of-year concerts, but we absolutely want them included in the Photo Day fun!

PETITE PHOTO DAY
📅 Saturday 17 October
⏰ Arrival: 11:05am
🏁 Approx. finish: 11:45am
📍 Main St Funk

All Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday Petites are invited to participate.

Your little dancer’s first year at dance is such a special milestone, and Photo Day is a beautiful chance to capture it with their dance friends.

There is no charge to participate and no obligation to purchase photos although, how could you not??

What to wear:
🩰 Fairy Petites — ballet attire of your choice
🎵 Funky Petites — MSF T-shirt, black leggings/trackpants and sneakers if you already own them, or dance attire of your choice

There are no formal hair or make-up requirements — just arrive neat, photo-ready and ready to smile!

Please note that Saturday Petite classes will not run on Saturday 17 October, as Photo Day will take place instead. Tuesday and Wednesday Petite classes will run as normal.

Please let the MSF team know whether your Petite WILL or WON’T be attending.

💳 TERM 4 FEES

A reminder that Term 4 fees are due Saturday 10 October.

From 11 October, our fees will increase by 1.6% to account for increased payment processing costs now being absorbed by MSF.

That means families who finalise their Term 4 fees by our normal due date of 10 October will pay the existing rate.

So if your invoice is still sitting there waiting for you… now is the time! 🧡

🏃 GET ACTIVE KIDS — LAST CHANCE!

Round 11 of the Get Active Kids Voucher Program is currently open, and eligible Victorian families can apply for up to $200 towards their child’s dance fees.

🚨 Applications close at 10am Tuesday 13 October — or earlier if funding is exhausted.

This is the only funding round until June 2027, so eligible families should not wait.

MSF Provider Code: 3310347

Once approved, simply forward your voucher to mainstfunk@gmail.com and we’ll do the rest.

Even if you have already paid your current MSF fees, you can still apply and have your voucher applied towards eligible future fees.

🧺 LOST PROPERTY — YOUR FINAL CALL!

Our DanceSteppers have been very busy giving some of our forgotten items their moment in the spotlight with a full-blown Lost Property Fashion Show! 🕺😂

👉 WATCH THE DANCESTEPPERS LOST PROPERTY FASHION SHOW HERE:
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/14qqXUaUEYx/

They may have strutted their stuff beautifully, but let’s be honest… not all of these items belong on the runway — they belong in someone’s dance bag!

If you recognise anything, please claim it and rescue it from the lost property tub by Saturday 10 October.

Anything still left behind after that will be set free to try to make it on its own out in the big wide world! 👋🌏

Please encourage your dancer to have a look too — you’d be amazed how often something looks “completely unfamiliar” until they suddenly realise it’s theirs. 😂

🚨 2026 CONCERT CLASS ENROLMENTS ARE CLOSED

As we finalise choreography, formations and costumes, enrolments for all concert-participating classes from Minis through to Seniors are now officially closed for 2026.

Thank you SO much for continuing to recommend MSF to your friends and family. So many new dancers find us through our existing dance fam, and that means the world to us. 🧡

Know someone who missed out?

Tell them to keep an eye out for our 2027 OPEN DAY this November!

It will be the perfect opportunity for new and returning dancers to trial classes, meet the team and find their perfect fit for 2027.

🧡 PETITE ENROLMENTS ARE STILL OPEN!

Our Petite Program accepts enrolments all year round because our little dancers don’t have the pressure of concert preparation.

Designed for dancers aged 2.5–4.5 years, we have something for both tutu-twirling ballerinas and moving-and-grooving hip hoppers.

👉 https://mainstfunk.com/pre-school-dance/

🧥 MSF VARSITY BOMBERS ARE ALMOST HERE!

If you pre-ordered one of our amazing MSF Varsity Bomber Jackets, thank you for your patience!

We’ve received word that they are due to arrive THIS WEEK! 🙌

The good news is we live in Melbourne, so we’re sure there will still be a few chilly days and nights where you can get some wear out of them. Otherwise, you’ll be more than ready for winter 2027!

Didn’t pre-order?

Lucky we thought ahead and ordered some extra stock — but some sizes are limited.

🧡 LOCK IN THE $100 PRICE

Our current $100 price is an introductory launch price.

Due to manufacturing costs, the price will increase in 2027, and we most likely will not be doing another full restock next year.

So whether you want one now or you’re planning ahead for next winter, this is the time to grab one.

📱 HAVE YOU DOWNLOADED THE MSF APP?

The MSF App is your one-stop shop for managing your dance life.

You can:

🟠 Manage classes
🟠 Keep on top of your account
🟠 Pay fees
🟠 Receive important reminders and push notifications

If you haven’t downloaded it yet, now is the perfect time — especially as we enter our busy concert season!

👉 https://mainstfunk.mobileinventor.com/5ac9018ded3f5af79635e6ba6267bdf7

Make sure push notifications are switched ON so you don’t miss anything important.

🎶 PRACTICE MAKES PROGRESS!

Concert season is ramping up, and even a little bit of practice at home can make a huge difference.

Your dancer’s practice music can be found here:

👉 https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1gjHPIQAhRaFw34yeNs7Fz0h9YM2H08Ab?usp=sharing

Can’t find your song yet? Don’t panic! Some teachers are still finalising music edits and will upload them as they are completed.

Practice doesn’t need to mean hours of rehearsing. Even running through a dance once or twice between classes can help strengthen memory, build confidence and allow us to make the most of every lesson.

🧹 A LITTLE HOUSEKEEPING

As we head into our busiest time of year, here are a few friendly reminders from the Home of the Orange Spot:

🟠 Full uniform is required every week, including correct shoes and appropriate hair.
👉 https://mainstfunk.com/uniform-guidelines/

🟠 Please respect our shared foyer space — no running, squealing, climbing or acro in the foyer.

🟠 Bring a full water bottle to class and please encourage dancers to use the bathroom before class begins.

🟠 Punctuality matters. Arriving late can be disruptive to your dancer and the rest of their class.

🟠 Please clean up after yourselves in the foyer, lounge, kitchen and bathroom areas. We LOVE that MSF feels like home, but these spaces are shared by literally hundreds of people every week — and any mess left behind ultimately falls to your dance teachers to clean up.

🟠 Attendance is more important than ever. As concert season progresses, missed choreography and formations become increasingly difficult to catch up on.

Wondering why attendance matters so much?

👉 https://mainstfunk.substack.com/p/what-happens-when-your-child-misses

🧼 THE NOT-SO-GLAMOROUS CONCERT REMINDER… HYGIENE! 😅

Dance is sweaty work — and we have some of the hardest-working kids in the north!

As the weather warms up, please remind your dancer about:

🧼 Showering regularly, particularly after dancing
🧴 Wearing deodorant before class
👕 Washing dance uniforms regularly

To put it nicely… some nights can get a little pongy at MSF. 😂

A little good hygiene goes a very long way when you’re sharing a dance studio with your teammates!

📅 LOCK THESE DATES IN NOW!

🎷 MSF’S ROARING TWENTIES

END-OF-YEAR CONCERTS 2026

📍 Loyola College, Watsonia

CONCERT GROUP 1

Wednesday + Friday classes + all Teens & Seniors

📅 Saturday 5 December
🕜 Show: 1:30pm
⏰ Dancers required: 12:30pm

CONCERT GROUP 2

Monday + Tuesday classes + all Teens & Seniors

📅 Sunday 6 December
🕚 Show: 11:00am
⏰ Dancers required: 10:00am

CONCERT GROUP 3

Thursday + Saturday classes + all Teens & Seniors

📅 Sunday 6 December
🕓 Show: 4:00pm
⏰ Dancers required: 3:00pm

⚠️ SLIGHT TIME CHANGE: Concert Group 3 has been moved slightly later to allow plenty of time for Concert Group 2 families to leave the venue before Concert Group 3 dancers and families begin arriving. This will help reduce traffic and congestion in and around the theatre. Please update your calendars to the new 3:00pm dancer arrival time and 4:00pm show time.

Please remember:

🟠 All dancers are required at the theatre one hour before their scheduled show time.
🟠 Minis–Inters perform in one concert only.
🟠 Teens & Seniors perform in all three concerts.
🟠 Petites do not perform in our concerts.

⚠️ COMPULSORY THEATRE REHEARSALS

📍 Loyola College, Watsonia

Our theatre rehearsals are essential to creating a safe, organised and confident concert experience for every dancer.

They allow students to experience the stage, spacing, entrances, exits and backstage procedures before Concert Day.

Students who do not attend their allocated theatre rehearsal will not be able to perform in the concert.

Please make sure these dates are locked into your calendar now.

CONCERT GROUP 1

📅 Wednesday 18 November
⏰ From 4:00pm

CONCERT GROUP 3 + TEENS & SENIORS

📅 Thursday 19 November
⏰ From 4:00pm

CONCERT GROUP 2

📅 Monday 23 November
⏰ From 4:00pm

Individual call times and more detailed rehearsal information will be provided closer to the date.

Petites do not perform and therefore do not attend theatre rehearsals.

🧡 ONE LAST THING…

As we head into our 20th concert season, we are here to support you and your dancer every step of the way.

Remember — it might be your first or second concert season, but it certainly isn’t ours! We thank you for trusting us to guide your dancer on this very special journey to the stage.

We pride ourselves on communication, so rest assured that everything you need to know will be provided to you.

There is also no such thing as a silly question — but please make sure you have taken in the information sent first, and then get our attention with some jazz hands and spirit fingers if you’re still unsure. ✨

Email is always the best way to contact us.

And finally…

We CAN’T WAIT for you all to hear our 20th finale dance song.

This year, it’s a Main St Funk original. 👀

Let’s just say…

✨ There will be glitz, glam and good vibes on the floor. ✨

Bring on Term 4!

Love,
The MSF Team 🧡

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