Hi everyone!
Emma here to write you all with some very exciting news!
We have officially found a new home!
Beginning August 1st, we will be located at 1210 Bay St, STE 100. I will be going in this weekend to paint and get everything all beautiful and set up!
This means that all private lessons, solo rehearsals, and auditions will be held in the new studio as of August 1st. We will continue to keep summer session classes online for now while we get the studio ready for regular use.
You're probably wondering what the plan will be for fall... and I don't blame you! In such a crazy and unpredictable time, we have been working diligently behind the scenes to get our students back to in-person classes in a safe manner. As I've always said, our students' safety is our #1 priority. So the staff and I have come up with a plan for fall that I think will work beautifully until it is safe to operate as usual. See this plan outlined below:
The floor will be taped with "Dancing Boxes" six feet apart to ensure the safety of all dancers.
Masks will be required when entering and exiting the building, and used at the discretion of parents and dancers while dancing. It is within CDC guidelines for dancers to remove their mask during activity so long as social distancing practices are maintained. The Washington State Phase II requirements outline that masks are required "as appropriate for the activity being performed". In addition, the governor's recommendation for those who cannot adequately perform their sport while wearing a mask goes on to say that athletes/students must "wear masks or facial coverings while entering the facility. Once arriving to their initial physical-distanced station, the athlete can then remove the mask or facial coverings, place it into a paper bag, and keep it isolated with their personal items throughout training. The mask or facial coverings should be reapplied while using other areas of the facility (i.e. bathrooms), and reapplied while exiting the facility after training". This means that EDC WILL be requiring masks for ALL students everywhere in the building, however if a mask significantly impede's the athlete/dancer's ability to perform at a high level, then we will allow removal of masks on a case by case basis - parents and students should reach out to Miss Emma or the dancer's instructor if this is the case! In addition, all staff will be required to wear a mask at all times! If a student is hard of hearing or relies on lip-reading to learn, the instructor and Miss Emma will meet to create an individualized learning plan for this student.
Either the front desk staff or the teachers will be taking each dancer's temperature with a touch-free thermometer before every class.
If you or your dancer do not feel comfortable committing to in-person instruction, the student will have the option to join via Zoom whenever they'd prefer. We are setting up TV's in both studios so that teachers can see their Zoom students well.
No choreography will include dancers touching, such as lifts, until it is safe to do so.
Auditions for EECT and Nutcracker will be divided into groups of five students at a time so that everyone can dance safely.
Fall classes with more than 5 students will work on an A/B Week alternating schedule. Students who are sorted into 'A Week' will study in person, while the 'B Week' students will be on ZOOM for that week. The next week, the groups will swap. Groups will be chosen randomly.
Our reopening is not contingent on the public schools reopening. This means that even if the school districts decide to hold fully online education, we will still be open for in-person instruction as long as it is safe to do so. Luckily, not only do we have much, much smaller class sizes than public schools, but we are also only together for roughly an hour or so at a time. Schools tend to run between six and eight hours, depending on other activities, and are much harder to enforce social distancing rules as well.
We will be keeping all windows and doors open, as well as implementing ventilation systems which keep the air from becoming stagnant; high levels of ventilation is one of the most important suggestions the governor has made to ensure safety for all.
Sanitation practices will be increased to the extreme - everyone will be required to sanitize their hands upon entry. Use of equipment such as bands etc will not be used, and necessary equipment such as barres will be sanitized immediately after use. Floors and door handles will be sanitized between classes, and teachers will maintain contact-free instruction. Extra deep-cleaning and sanitation will occur every weekend. Both students and instructors will be required to fill out a screening form to ensure they have not been exposed to anyone with the virus, or are showing any symptoms. Instructors will fill this form out before each shift; students will fill out this form at least at the beginning of the session, and will be required to update their form if they develop symptoms, are exposed to the virus, or develop a fever. If we learn that any of our staff or students have been exposed or are showing symptoms of the virus, we will close the studio to ensure full deep-sanitation, notify other families (using discretion and privacy for the student or teacher), and the affected party will need to quarantine for the suggested 14 days before returning to in-person classes.
Hugs, high-fives, and stamps will be on hold, however we love an air hug!
We are so very excited to be in-studio with our dancers again - we know how hard online instruction has been for everyone and are so proud of each and every dancer for their diligence and perseverance through this tumultuous time. You are all ROCKSTARS!!!
If you have any other questions, please feel free to email the office at info@evolutiondanceco.com
Enjoy the rest of the summer, stay safe, and we'll see you soon!
Lost of love,
Miss Emma and the EDC team