For over seventy years, students in Chapel Hill and the surrounding region have learned social skills and responsibilities and social dancing through Chapel Hill Social classes. The same basic program, started by Mrs. English Bagby in the 1960s, has continued to the present.
Social teaches 5th-8th grade students guidelines and responsibilities for social situations they will encounter throughout their lives and partner dancing. A particular goal of Social is to make courtesy, kindness, and respect habitual in ordinary situations students experience every day.
Classes occur on Friday evenings once or twice a month between September and May. The fifth-sixth grade class begins at 7:00 pm and ends at 8:15 pm. The seventh-eighth grade class begins at 8:30 and ends at 9:45 pm. Visit the Schedule page to see the exact dates.
The total fee per child is $375. A non-refundable $35 deposit is required upon registration. The deposit is subtracted from the balance due. The remaining balance of $340.00 is due by December 1, 2024.
Boys wear sports coats or suits, dress shirts, slacks, and non-athletic shoes. Ties are optional. Girls wear dresses or skirts and tops and low-heeled dress shoes. If the student does not identify as a boy or girl, please contact chapelhillsocial@gmail.com so we can help facilitate appropriate dress for them.
Students should try to attend all classes and promptness is very important. We understand that conflicts and absences will sometimes occur, but generally the students need to remember that this class includes partner dancing. When students fail to attend, not only do they miss the lesson, but also create the likelihood that some student will be without a partner. Students should come to class appropriately dressed. For appropriate dress, please note the Dress Code above. Students are expected to act courteously at all times.
Parent/guardian chaperoning is a very important part of our program. Parents/guardians are welcome to visit the class at any time and each parent/guardian is requested to chaperone at least once during the year.
Social is organized as a 2 year program that is divided into two classes:
A basic curriculum for 5th -6th grade students
An advanced curriculum for 7th -8th grade students
While participation in the basic class is desirable, it is not required for participation in the advanced class. It’s expected that each student would participate in each curriculum once. If a student joins the beginning class when they are in 5th grade, they would wait until 7th grade to take the advanced class.
Visit the Curriculum page for more details on what is covered in each class.
