The Owen Sound Dance Academy is delighted to announce that we will be reopening our doors for the 2020-2021 dance season! As the province of Ontario moves into Stage 3 of its reopening plan, we will be following guidelines and implementing policies to ensure a safe and responsible return to in-studio dance learning. We can't wait to get back into it, and see all of our lovely, dedicated and enthusiastic dancers return to fill the studios with joy and creativity once again.
Below are some important things to know about this exciting step forward!
Safety & Responsibility in the Era of COVID-19
Of course, Stage 3 does not mean things are back to the way they were in years past. It is essential that all dancers and families understand and adhere to the new policies we are putting in place to ensure the Academy remains clean and safe and open! See our COVID-19 Safety & Sanitation Policies here.
Programs
The Academy will continue with our full range of programs in the 2020-21 season. The three main programs are RAD Ballet, SDTA recreational and competitive Highland, and Limón and Graham-based Contemporary. Additionally, the Academy offers classes in Adult Dance and Parent & Tot PreDance as well as Cross Training. We will be keeping up to date with both the RAD and SDTA learning and ensure our dancers will be ready when dance exams and highland competitions become possible again.
Registration nights will be held on August 26th and September 3rd; more info here. Registration via phone or email will open at the beginning of August.
Performance
As theatres will not be open for a while yet, the Academy will be adapting by transforming our upstairs studio into a virtual stage in December, where class choreographies will be filmed and then released via DVD or online for families and friends to enjoy. This fall we will be continuing and expanding the choreography work we began in the spring to culminate in this unique virtual performance. More information about this will be sent out after classes begin in September!
Dance For Joy Project
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy's current students and families for all of your support and dedication throughout the months of quarantine, as we adapted to online dance learning and all of the challenges and frustrations of this new world we live in. For those who don't know, our dancers spent the last month or so of our 2019-20 dance season working on a special video dance project to finish off the year, which we are now proud to share with you! One of the Academy's key themes is to "find joy in the art of movement", and that was the focus of our online dance classes throughout the spring. We hope you will enjoy this video evidence of our dancers' love for what they do!
Moving Forward: A Caveat
Of course, we will be continuing to monitor the province's guidelines and updates throughout Stage 3 of reopening as well as following the information of COVID-19 rates in Ontario and around the world. Part of the responsibility of reopening is being aware that there is a chance of needing to close again, depending on the situation in the province. Doing your part by following our policies and the provincial policies with regards to the virus will certainly help to ensure the Academy can remain open and we can keep dancing in-studio! A huge thank you to everyone who supports the Academy and believes in the importance of dance as an activity and as an art form, and to our whole OSDA fam: we will get through this, together!
Questions? Contact us!
