Nothing has made us happier than getting to welcome our dancers back into the studio over the summer. We value our dance families so much, so we take their well being very seriously. We are grateful for the opportunity to get to teach our dancers in person again, so we have implemented procedures and protocols to ensure every dancer and faculty member stays safe! We are impressed with all our dancers’ ability to adjust to these changes at SMSD and embrace this “new normal.”
Dancer protocol
Even before dancers arrive at the studio parents must sign our COVID-19 waiver which outlines our polices and what we expect from our dance families. Once dancers arrive for class, parents say their goodbyes at the front door since our studio lobby is closed. Dancers are greeted at the door by a faculty member who takes their temperature and sanitizes their hands. All dancers must wear a mask when entering and exiting the building, however dancers age 10 & up must keep their mask on the entire time they are on the studio premises. Any dancers under the age of 10 wearing a mask is encouraged and recommended, but not required per the City of Austin guidelines. Little ones may remove their mask only when they get to their designated socially distant dancing square. If dancers are working on an exercise where they are unable to maintain 6 feet of distance, the instructor may ask them to put their masks back on. Dancers must remove their street shoes prior to stepping on the studio floor. After class dancers will exit the back door to the parking lot to ensure one-way foot traffic. Class times are staggered to decrease the number of dancers gathering in the hallways at one time.
Faculty protocol
All our faculty members are required to sign a COVID-19 waiver and disclosure. They also adhere to the temperature checks and hand sanitizer as soon as they arrive, as well as wearing masks the entire time they are at the studio. Teachers are disinfecting high-touch surface areas, floors, etc. in each studio and bathroom between classes (you will notice 15-minute breaks between classes on our fall schedule, so we have plenty of time to sanitize). We also have HEPA system air purifiers running in each room.
You can read more details and watch a video showing our procedures HERE.
We look forward to welcoming even more dancers back to their “dance home” this fall! Right now, class sizes are limited to 8-11 dancers (which is 25-50% capacity in our rooms) to ensure social distancing, but we are hopeful that as soon as restrictions lift, we will be able to accept even more dancers back into studio classes! If you are still not ready to return to in-studio classes, don’t worry- we’ve still got plenty of virtual options as well! Click here to view our schedule and register!
