FAQ

Annually during school holidays.

Approx two weeks in length.

The tour is for all dancers who are either considering a career in dance or those who just absolutely love it. Also for parents, chaperones & family members wishing to support their dancers.

Dancers must be 12 years or older at the time of travel for Studio Teams and 15 years and over at the time of travel for Open Teams.

SSO tours are designed to expose dancers to a wide range of classes, workshops, seminars, performances as well as local excursions and activities. The tour is therefore full on and fast paced.

Yes. If studios have slightly younger dancers with exceptional ability and maturity and the majority of their parents are coming on tour as chaperones, we will make exceptions. However, these dancers will not be able to participate in dance classes at studios that have a minimum age requirement of 12+.

There is no maximum age, however most dance teams comprise of dancers aged between 12 – early 20’s. The oldest dancer we have had on tour has been 28 (not including the Elite Tour).

Approx. 1 chaperone for every 3-5 dancers. ie; A team of 20 dancers requires a minimum of 5 chaperones.

Chaperones must be at least 25 years old.

Additional chaperones will need to be recruited or number of dancers reduced. The Studio Owner/Team Leader may count as a chaperone. Teams must be fully self-sufficient on tour, this means all teams must have enough chaperones to supervise their dancers.

There is no such thing as too many chaperones. If the team chaperone ratio is more like 1:1 then it simply means that there will be two chaperones and two dancers per room.

No.

Chaperone & Family member tour packages are slightly less than dancers. Please attend an online info meeting for pricing.

The Studio Owner/Team Leader, in conjunction with the chaperones and SSO choose the chaperone groups at home prior to departure. The idea is to put families, friends and age groups together.

A chaperone group is also the rooming group and chaperones are directly responsible for the safety and whereabouts of their dancers in this group.

For Studio Team’s this will be organized by the Studio Owner. For Open Teams Chaperones and Dancers/Parents will be connected via email prior to the tour where they can discuss each dancers needs etc.

Yes, but only for male dancers. Males are unable to chaperone female dancers due to rooming requirements. (Males are unable to room with female dancers). If a male wants to come on tour with his daughter, he may do so but will be required to pay a significant single accommodation supplement for his own room, or may book his own accommodation nearby and have the tour cost prorated. Men are able to come on tour as family members.

Yes – Spouses, grandparents, siblings etc are all welcome to join the tour.

Yes.

Yes. Family members must be 12 and over (unless an additional parent/caregiver, other than the parent chaperone, is on tour to supervise them). No children 5 and under allowed on the tour.

No, except where the tour is full (56 participants). When it comes to filling up team places – dancers are given first priority, followed by chaperones and then family members.

If they are a true “DANCE MOM” or Dad – they are welcome to come and watch the classes or they are free to go and do their own thing. (An ‘additional activities list’ will be given to all at the commencement of the tour).

Each apartment/hotel room sleeps 4 – 6 participants.

LA apartments have a full kitchen, dining room, lounge with queen futon, bathroom, and 1 bedroom with either 1 x King or 2 x Queen beds. *Subject to change.

NYC & Orlando hotel rooms have a kitchenette area (microwave & small fridge), lounge with queen futon, bathroom, and 1 bedroom with either 1 x King or 2 x Queen beds. *Subject to change.

A combination of King and queen beds, queen futons (fold-out beds), and rollaway beds are used.

All participants share a bed and chaperones share with their children.

Family members have their own apartment/hotel room provided there is a minimum of 4 of them.

There is generally 1 chaperone and 3-5 dancers per apartment/room. If there are more chaperones than the 1:3/5 ratio then two or more chaperones will be in an apartment/hotel room with their dancer children.

No. Male dancers are separate to female dancers unless there is only one or two male dancers in which case special arrangements are made with permission of the Studio Owner/Team Leader and parents. Male chaperones do not room with female dancers.

No. Everyone is required to be on a SSO tour package.

No. Our rates are only valid for our tour teams.

SSO organizes group flights for all teams. We work with local travel agencies or directly with airlines to quote our flights.

We are often able to secure group flight deals whereby a non-refundable deposit is required to secure each individual’s seat on the group flight and then the balance is not payable until approx 70 days prior to departure!

Information regarding flights will be provided once the team is confirmed on tour.

Flights become available to the market 11 months prior to the return date of the tour.

This depends on many factors including dates of travel, if domestic flights are required, if there are any sale fares, and terms of the group flight (ie; deposits then months to pay the balance, etc). Generally, group flights are slightly more than online sale fares due to the number of benefits of a group booking (ie deferred payment plans, group seating, flying together, etc).

On tour, transportation includes tour buses, shuttles, planes, the LA Metro (underground train), the New York Subway (underground train) and our feet! There is a lot of walking on tour as we explore our fabulous destinations!

You are welcome to use Taxi’s/Uber for those wanting to explore additional activities during free me.

Yes.

Each team must film and submit audition videos.

For the Disneyland Resort, California: 3 x 1minute high-energy pieces to demonstrate the level and ability of your tour team.

For Walt Disney World, Florida: 2 x full-length high-energy pieces to demonstrate the level and ability of your tour team.

Yes. The videos can be recorded in class or excerpts from recent on-stage performances.

Disney are looking for high-energy, Disney-worthy performances. This can include all dance styles however high energy jazz, musical theatre and hip-hop are most effective. Lyrical, contemporary, tap, ballet, pointe etc are also used often.

Team Leaders will work with dancers to collect recent performance footage to submit to Disney.

All our teams have been accepted to perform at Disney.

If the first Disney submission is unsuccessful we are able to change the videos and re-submit.

SSO submit team applications to Disney months in advance of our tour date. Disney review audition material and accept teams to perform. Approx. 3 months prior to departure Disney performing arts receive stage availability for performances and allocate performance dates. Should our preferred dates be unavailable SSO will do their best to change the tour itinerary to accommodate the Disney performance. In rare circumstances Disney may not be able to accommodate the team’s performance or may even cancel a performance for reasons totally outside of SSO control. Therefore performing at Disney is not guaranteed. To date Disney has accommodated all our teams date preferences. If the Disney performance is unable to go ahead SSO will do their best to arrange for a new performance opportunity.

No – The tour will still go ahead regardless of the Disney performance as there is so much more to the tour than just the Disney component.

Yes. Studio Owners/Team Leaders will design and organize team performance costumes. These will be an additional cost to dancers and will be discussed amongst the teams in the months leading up to the tour. Ideally, costumes should cost no more than $100 – $150 USD, however, this is ultimately up to the Studio Owner/Team Leader.

We require dancers to have been dancing for at least a couple of years to attend the tour. Ideally having learnt a number of different dance styles. Classes on tour are challenging and not suitable for someone new to dance and choreography.

Yes – the tour covers a wide range of dance styles – jazz, ballet, hip hop, tap, contemporary, lyrical, jazz funk, musical theatre, latin, burlesque even twerking! The idea of the tour is for everyone to try everything.

There are two types of class on tour – Open and Closed. Open classes are where we go in and take class with local dancers. These are mixed level and age classes and are a fantastic opportunity for dancers to experience ‘taking class’ professionally. Closed classes are where SSO hire in a choreographer to teach a specific dance style tailored to the teams level.

Yes – for Closed classes. As there will be two teams on tour there will be a junior and senior class with dancers from both teams in each level. Juniors and Seniors are split by age, but there is flexibility for younger more advanced dancers to take the senior class. No – for Open Classes. These are a ‘one class fits all’ approach and you may have professional dancers through to newbies.

Dancers get to choose which open classes they would like to take. Usually there will be a number of options on a given day. Closed classes are pre-decided by SSO based on the most popular classes from previous tours. A range of different styles are incorporated into the tour.

It depends on the day, but generally on class days you will take a 1.5 hour class then a break, then 1.5 hour class, then possibly a seminar and Disney rehearsal.

We visit each studio at least once. Usually taking two x 1.5 hour classes at each. Some studios we will visit more than once.

As it is a dance tour, most days have classes, workshops, seminars or performances. Usually only a couple of days do not have any dance related activities and are used for either full day excursions or rest days.

Yes – Dancers can take additional classes during free time with chaperone supervision. These will be at their own expense.

SSO invite professional dancers/choreographers and agents to come and speak with dancers about life as a pro, how to make it in dance, tips, tricks, auditions, how much you get paid, what it really takes, what an agent does etc. These sessions are educational and inspiring.

Tour workshops are in depth classes focusing on a particular area of performance from stage presence to audition technique. The Disney workshops are run by a real Disney choreographer who creates Disney parades and shows. Broadway workshops are run by real Broadway directors, actors and dancers. Truly unforgettable!

SSO have created the most comprehensive Fundraising Resource Kit to assist dancers and families to make their dance tour dream a reality. Inside the online kit you will find a list of all past participant fundraising ideas, simple ‘how to’ documents with step by step instructions on how to organize each event, posters, flyers, and letters – all to make fundraising simple and easy. You simply download, print and implement. Easy!

Most dancers work to raise at least $1000 USD. Many fundraise the entire tour cost.

Yes! Many teams and individuals make a lot of money through fundraising.

A recent New Zealand studio held a cabaret night and auction and raise $21,000 NZD profit in one night!

Individual dancers have paid for their entire tour and flight through individual fundraising.

It’s like anything in life, the more you put in the more you get out. Plus it is an excellent life skill.

The key to successful fundraising is:

1. Start Early
2. Less is more
3. Bigger is better!

Once we have a confirmed your place on tour you will receive a unique personal login to the SSO event organizer. Here you will be able to access the SSO Fundraising Resource Kit.

The tour cost is broken down into the upfront nonrefundable/ non-transferable tour deposit and the remaining balance is split into three tour instalments. These instalments are spread out over the months prior to departure – approx. every 3-4 months – with the final payment due just before departure.

These will be emailed to you after the online Information Meeting.

In your Tour Agreement, it will explain the cancellation and refund policy. Depending on when you pull out there may be a penalty whereby you lose part of your tour payments. The tour deposit is always non-refundable & non-transferrable.

No.

Yes – If an individual has been on a SSO tour previously they are entitled to a 5% discount on any future tours. (Only applies to exact individuals, can not be used by a family member).

If your team does not get accepted the first time, we can re-submit until accepted. The tour will still go ahead regardless of the Disney performance as there is so much more to the tour than just the Disney component.

On average approx $250 – $300 USD is required for lunches and dinners.

Travel Insurance depends on age, pre-existing medical conditions, cover for special items and chosen provider. On average most dancers pay between $100 – $200 USD for the two week tour duration.

On average most dancers bring between $500 -$1000 USD as spending money.

Interested dancers, chaperones and family members

1. Watch an online information meeting
2. Apply online at SHESHINESON.COM/apply-now

You will complete an application form, sign the tour agreement and pay the $500 USD non-refundable & non-transferable tour deposit.

These will be emailed to you after the online Information Meeting.

Individuals are selected based on their answers in their application form. What we are looking for is commitment, excitement, experience and passion. If you are not selected, you will be notified and your tour deposit refunded.

SSO will send you a confirmed on tour email! In the email will be your personal username and password to access the SSO participant login section of our website. Congratulations! Let the planning begin!

All tour teams who have 20 dancers confirmed within 2 weeks of their info meeting receive a $1000 USD team fundraising bonus and special team masterclass in the USA. Remaining tour payments are made in instalments throughout the year leading up to the tour.

Additional dancer, chaperone and family member applications can be made until the tour is full.

It is very uncommon that a tour is canceled. However if your team does not initially meet the 20 dancer minimum requirement to be able to perform at Disney, we may be able to combine your team with another. If that is not possible, the tour will be canceled and monies refunded.

If any external event renders a scheduled tour unable to take place, the tour will be postponed to the next available and agreed-upon date and all tour funds transferred to this new tour date.

SSO is a New Zealand based company and there is no official government licensing for travel planners in New Zealand. We are however looking into joining international governing bodies to give our participants peace of mind. In the unlikely circumstances that SSO need to cancel a tour, all tour money collected will be refunded including tour deposits. If you pull out of a tour our refund and cancellation terms apply.

If due to an unforeseen circumstance the Participant needs to cancel their place on the tour the Participant must inform SSO in writing via email (with confirmation of receipt by SSO). No verbal cancellations will be accepted. Your deposit is nonrefundable and nontransferable upon cancellation by you. Cancellations made by you more than 90 days prior to departure receive a 100% refund of all tour monies paid minus the tour deposit. Cancellations made by you between 89 – 60 days prior to departure receive a 50% refund of tour monies paid minus the tour deposit. Cancellations made by you between 59 – 30 days prior to departure receive a 25% refund of tour monies paid minus the tour deposit. Cancellations made by you less than 29 days prior to departure will receive 0% refund of all tour monies paid. If you cancel your place on the group flight after a deposit or balance payment has been made, any recourse to a refund will be subject to the Terms and Conditions of the relevant airline or booking provider.