Hi Dance Fam,
WOAH… we can’t believe we’re already writing our AUGUST newsletter! Seriously, where is this year going!?
Term 3 is off to a flying start — in fact, we’re already nearly halfway through!
A huge welcome to all of the new dancers and families who have joined us this term, and of course, welcome back to all of our returning dancers. We’re so happy to have you at the Home of the Orange Spot. 🧡
We are officially entering the business end of the year… CONCERT SEASON! And with 2026 marking our 20th anniversary, this concert season is set to bring the glitz, the glam and some seriously ginormous MSF energy.
So, what’s happening over the next few weeks?
📚 FIRST UP: BOOK WEEK!
Why?
Because we love ANY excuse for a costume! 😆
And we know how much effort you grown-ups put into bringing your kids’ awesome Book Week ideas to life, so we may as well get another wear out of them!
All dancers are invited to wear their Book Week costumes to dance class:
📅 Monday 24 August – Saturday 29 August
Just make sure your dancer can still wear their appropriate dance shoes and move safely and freely in their costume.
We can’t wait to see what everyone comes dressed as!
🧡 SPECIAL GROWN-UP WEEK
In honour of Father’s Day, dancers are invited to bring one special grown-up to watch the final 15 minutes of their dance class.
Dad, Grandad, Mum, Grandma, Uncle, Auntie or simply someone special to them — everyone is welcome. 🧡
📅 Monday 31 August – Saturday 5 September
It’s a lovely opportunity to see how your dancer is progressing in class and get a little sneak peek at what they’ve been working on for the concert.
Please remember, it is strictly one grown-up per dancer. Our studios have limited space and we want to make sure every dancer has the opportunity to bring someone special along while still having plenty of room to dance safely.
🎭 SO… WHAT HAPPENS NOW?
Each concert class has already made great progress on their Semester 2 concert routine.
At the same time, we’ll continue revisiting and rehearsing our Semester 1 routines.
That means every class will have TWO fabulous dances to perform at our End-of-Year Concert, along with our famous — and much anticipated — Finale!
What’s a Finale?
It’s the closing act of the performance where the whole cast comes together to dance on stage.
The kids absolutely LOVE it and look forward to it every year. There’s nothing quite like seeing a stage full of Team Orange Spot dancing together! 🧡
If you’ve only recently joined us, don’t stress. Your dancer will focus on learning their Semester 2 routine first. Once they’re feeling confident, we’ll assess whether catching them up on the Semester 1 routine is the right choice for them.
Our priority is always making sure they feel confident, successful and excited to get on stage.
✨ COSTUME TRY-ONS ARE COMING!
As our time in the spotlight gets closer, the MSF team begins the mammoth task of organising the costumes worn on stage and at our professional photoshoot.
At Main St Funk, we do things a little differently.
Instead of charging families big bucks for fancy costumes you have to purchase and keep — or sending parents home with sequins and a sewing machine 😅 — we hire our costumes to you at no additional cost.
Pretty soon, classes will begin trying on their costumes during class.
We’ll always give you a heads-up beforehand so your dancer can wear appropriate undergarments underneath their dancewear, such as a singlet and bike shorts. This allows us to try costumes on while keeping everyone comfortable and covered.
A little reminder about costumes…
Costumes are not clothes — they are art.
Their job is to help tell the story of the dance and bring the choreography to life on stage.
Sometimes that means your costume might not be a colour you’d normally choose, a style you’d pick for yourself, or exactly what you imagined.
And because we hire and reuse our costumes to keep concert participation affordable for families, sometimes a costume may not be your dancer’s exact off-the-rack size.
That’s okay!
The MSF team will work our magic to make sure every dancer looks fabulous on stage. After 20 years in the biz, we know a thing or two about creating effective, show-stopping costumes. 😉
And remember — dancing is a team sport. Just like you don’t get to choose the colours of your basketball or football uniform, dancers don’t get to choose their individual concert costume.
Trust the process… it all comes together under those stage lights! ✨
🚨 CONCERT CLASS ENROLMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED
As we finalise choreography, formations and costumes, enrolments for all classes participating in our concerts — Minis through to Seniors — have now officially closed for 2026.
Thank you SO much for continuing to spread the word about MSF. 🧡
So many of our new dancers find us through the friends and families of our existing students, and that means the world to us.
If you know someone who has missed out this year, tell them to keep an eye out for our 2027 OPEN DAY, which will be held in November!
Open Day will be the perfect opportunity for new and returning students to trial our classes and find their perfect fit ready for 2027.
🧡 PETITE ENROLMENTS REMAIN OPEN!
Know someone itty-bitty who loves to dance!?
Good news — our Petite Program accepts enrolments all year round because our Petites don’t have the pressure of preparing for our concerts.
Designed especially for little movers aged 2.5–4.5 years, our Petite Program caters to both tutu-twirling ballerinas and moving-and-grooving hip hoppers.
Whatever their vibe, we’ll have them tearing up the dance floor with confidence and independence in no time!
👉 https://mainstfunk.com/pre-school-dance/
🧥 MSF VARSITY BOMBER JACKETS
Well… these have been a hit, to say the least!
We are SO pleased with how our Varsity Bomber Jackets turned out. The quality is beautiful, they’re made to last, they feature our iconic MSF colours and they’ve been the perfect addition to our 20th anniversary celebrations.
They were definitely worth the wait!
Some sizes actually SOLD OUT incredibly quickly. 🤯
But if you missed out, don’t panic — we’re doing a restock!
To make sure you don’t miss out again, we strongly recommend pre-ordering your size:
👉 https://forms.gle/8bdTBkU55Q3KEEsF6
🧡 LOCK IN THE $100 PRICE!
Our current $100 price is a special introductory price for the launch of our MSF Varsity Bomber Jackets.
Due to manufacturing costs, the price will increase in 2027, so if you’ve been thinking about getting one, now is the time to lock yours in at $100.
We most likely WON’T be doing another restock in 2027, either — so whether you want one now or you’re thinking ahead to next winter, we recommend ordering this year!
📱 HAVE YOU DOWNLOADED THE MSF APP?
A little reminder that the MSF App is your one-stop shop for managing your dance life! 🧡
Through the app you can manage your classes, keep on top of your account and pay your fees, plus receive important push notification reminders from us.
If you haven’t downloaded it yet, now is the perfect time — especially as we head into the busy concert season!
👉 https://mainstfunk.mobileinventor.com/5ac9018ded3f5af79635e6ba6267bdf7
Make sure you have push notifications switched ON so you don’t miss any important MSF reminders.
🎶 PRACTICE MAKES PROGRESS!
As concert season ramps up, a little practice at home can go a long way!
Your dancer’s practice music can be found in our Google Drive, so they can pop their song on at home and run through their choreography between classes.
👉 https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1gjHPIQAhRaFw34yeNs7Fz0h9YM2H08Ab?usp=sharing
Can’t find your song yet? Don’t panic! Your teachers are still finalising some of the music edits and will upload them as they’re completed.
Remember, practice at home doesn’t need to mean hours of rehearsing — even running through a dance a couple of times can help build confidence, strengthen memory and make the most of our class time each week.
🧹 HOUSEKEEPING
A few friendly reminders to keep everything running smoothly at the Home of the Orange Spot:
- Full uniform is required every week, including correct shoes and 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 use the bathroom before class begins.
- Punctuality matters. Arriving late can be disruptive to both your dancer and the rest of their class.
- Please clean up after yourselves in the foyer, lounge, kitchen and bathroom areas. We absolutely LOVE that our community feels at home at MSF, but please remember these spaces are shared by hundreds — literally! — of people every week, and any mess left behind is ultimately cleaned up by your dance teachers.
- Attendance becomes increasingly important during concert season. As the year progresses, it becomes harder and harder to catch up when a class is missed.
Please ensure your dancer is in the studio for their designated class each week wherever possible so we can give them — and their whole team — the best possible concert experience.
Wondering why attendance is such a big deal?
👉 Have a read: https://mainstfunk.substack.com/p/what-happens-when-your-child-misses
🧼 HYGIENE
Dance is sweaty work — and we have some of the hardest-working kids in the north! 😅
Please remind your dancer about:
- Wearing deodorant before class
• Showering regularly, particularly after dancing
• Washing dance uniforms regularly
To put it nicely… some nights can get a little pongy at MSF. 😂
A little bit of good hygiene goes a long way when you’re sharing a dance studio with your teammates!
📅 END-OF-YEAR DATES REMINDER
🎷 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 at the theatre by 12:30pm
CONCERT GROUP 2
Monday + Tuesday classes + all Teens & Seniors
📅 Sunday 6 December
🕚 Show: 11:00am
⏰ Dancers required at the theatre by 10:00am
CONCERT GROUP 3
Thursday + Saturday classes + all Teens & Seniors
📅 Sunday 6 December
🕞 Show: 3:30pm
⏰ Dancers required at the theatre by 2:30pm
👉 All dancers are required at the theatre one hour before their scheduled show time. Please factor this into your plans for concert weekend.
👉 All students from Minis–Inters perform in one concert.
👉 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.
These rehearsals 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 ensure these dates are locked into your calendar.
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
👉 Petites do not perform and therefore are not required to attend theatre rehearsals.
More detailed rehearsal information and individual call times will be provided closer to the date.
📸 PROFESSIONAL PHOTOSHOOT
📍 Main St Funk Studios
📸 John Travers Photography
Our annual professional photoshoot will take place during October.
📅 Thursday 15 October — Thursday classes + Wednesday Teens
📅 Friday 16 October — Friday classes
📅 Saturday 17 October — Saturday + Wednesday classes
📅 Sunday 18 October — Monday + Tuesday classes
👉 Petites are welcome and encouraged to participate!
More information, including individual class times and what to wear, will be sent closer to the date.
🧡 HERE WE GO, TEAM ORANGE SPOT!
The next few months are some of our absolute favourites at MSF.
There will be costumes, choreography, photos, rehearsals, plenty of hard work, lots of laughs and probably more than a few sequins floating around the studio. ✨
And at the end of it all, we get to watch our dancers step onto that stage and show everyone what they’ve been working towards.
But this year is particularly special.
Twenty years of Main St Funk.
Twenty years of dancers.
Twenty years of families.
Twenty years of memories.
And now we get to celebrate it all together.
So let’s keep showing up, working hard, supporting our teammates and getting ready to bring some serious glitz, glam and ginormous energy to the stage for…
🎷✨ MSF’S ROARING TWENTIES ✨🎷
We can’t wait!
Love,
The MSF Team 🧡
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