News

This update was created on May 4, 2020 at 6 pm

I hope you are doing well. At the same time, I want to acknowledge that I have no real understanding of how the pandemic may be affecting you. So, please accept my wishes for your health and the health of your loved ones.

As a customer of ours, I want you to know that we are ready to serve you, whenever you are ready. If you need us now, we are ready. If you need us in the future, we will be ready. And if you need us in an entirely new way, we will do everything we can to get ready. Please let me know if there is a new or better way we can serve you.

We continue to decipher the information we are getting from the state, the CDC, OSHA and our licensing companies in light of what would make sense for our families. 

When Not Just Dance reopens it will not look quite the same. We are actively working on our new procedures, following all of the guidelines. So far, the studio has undergone a very DEEP cleaning. We will continue to enforce new cleaning procedures. When we open, we will have new procedures for entering the building (using both the front and back door, locking the door, etc.), how many people can be in the building, wearing of masks, washing of surfaces, checking students, teacher health, etc. In addition, the schedule we used to have can not remain in place as there were too many overlapping classes. And, NOT all classes will immediately be invited back to the studio, they will remain “virtual”. For those students invited into the studio (for those things we just can’t do virtually), it will be an “optional” invitation, meaning, everyone needs to do what is best for your individual families. Every class will continue with a virtual presence, so that all students will be able to participate.

That being said, and assuming there are no changes to what Governor Northam announced today, Not Just Dance will open “for some classes” and at a “level 1” starting on May 15th. The following shows will be postponed: A Chorus Line (already postponed), Seussical and Willy Wonka. We are also considering moving Twisted Tales (we will make that decision soon). Level 2 is needed for full rehearsals and for performances. According to what we heard today, level 1 will remain in effect for 2 to 4 weeks. With a May 15 opening at level 1, counting forward 2 to 4 weeks puts us between May 29th and June 12th. Performances are only possible at level 2 IF the licensing agencies allow for streaming licenses. We are seeing some promising new information (as of today) from MTI – the licensing agency for Seussical and Willy Wonka. 

We will follow up later this week with a draft performance schedule and our policies/procedures. We will then follow up with individual e-mails to particular classes to discuss specific plans.

The good news… we now can start making a real plan for re-opening! We are less in limbo. 🙂

And, we know that we will be good to go for all of our summer camps!!!!

AGAIN:

Seussical and Willy Wonka performances WILL be postponed.

Not Just Dance will clearly communicate our NEW policies for opening at a level 1 for May 15^th with an understanding that we will continue with virtual learning, at a minimum, until we are operating at a level 2.

Thank you for allowing us to continue to provide you with excellent service and for YOUR support of us. Your support, in whatever form that takes, means the world to all of us at Not Just Dance.

Reminder: Sign up for a virtual audition for the Pancake Benefit. Auditions are Wed from 6:30 – 9:30. Sign up for a virtual time slot via the parent portal.

Thanks,

Dawne LeKang

Dear Parents,

I have hesitated to send additional updates because, as you know, there are so many things that are still up in the air! Again, I thank you so much for all of your patience and understanding, your willingness to try new things, your contributions to Not Just Dance and a huge thank you to those that have bought discounted tickets and continue to register for workshops and summer camps despite all of the uncertainty. We so appreciate everything you are doing. We are trying to stay upbeat. But, let’s face it – it is hard! We pray that everyone is healthy and doing the best you can with our new “normal”. We miss you all so desperately and can’t wait to be back in the studio!

Per the Governor of VA, all non-essential businesses remain closed through May 8^th. In addition, the stay at home order continues beyond that, leading to even more confusion on interpreting where we stand. Since that announcements, there has been more guidance provided by the federal government and the CDC on how to re-open states. While we may hear new updates from our Governor in the next few days, I wanted to give you all an update based on everything I know as of 5:21 pm on April 22, 2020.

Not Just Dance will continue to be physically closed through May 8^th. Of course, if there are changes such that the state of VA opens sooner, we will make adjustments. However, that seams very unlikely. Therefore, our virtual classes will continue through, at a minimum, May 8^th. Tuition payments will be collected on May 1^st. The good news, for most of you, is that is the last tuition payment for the 2019-2020 school year!

The uncertainty related to our opening causes us to not be able to make concrete plans for rescheduling A Chorus Line and starts to put the performance of Seussical, on the originally scheduled dates, in jeopardy. You all have probably heard about the phase 1 and phase 2 openings. With a phase 1 opening, we would be able to do “some” activities related to our classes at the studio. It leaves open the possibility of rehearsals with smaller groups, holding private lessons and holding some of our dance classes. We could also do things like try on costumes. However, we will need to be at a level 2 to have have performances. Since we have a lot of experience with running rehearsals and shows in a short period of time (aka our “Best 2 weeks of Summer”), we have no doubt we’ll be able to do a quick turn around as it relates to the performances. We are also defining processes for how we will operate in order to ensure the safety of our students and the staff once we do re-open. For example, not allowing students to congregate in our lobby area and wearing masks, etc.

So, here’s what we currently know. If we are able to open mid-May, we would have the exact right number of weeks to pull off rehearsals and shows for all of our shows (A Chorus Line, Seussical, Willy Wonka, Twisted Tales, Reluctant Dragon) by the end of June. This is the soonest we could complete all of the performances.

Which leads us to a discussion about one of the summer camps – Music Man. This camp is scheduled to run at the end of June. Because of the uncertainty of when we will open, we are forced to consider moving this camp to Aug. 3 – 14^th (the only 2 week gap in our entire summer schedule). Further, registrations for camps have completely stalled. Back on March 13^th, registrations for all summer camps were going well. There is usually a bump in registrations following shows, as cast members talk about “what’s next” with their friends and make plans to be with their peers in the summer. Since we haven’t had any shows and give everyone’s uncertainty about summer plans, registrations have slowed considerably. And, Music Man has the lowest registrations, making us question whether we’d even have enough students to proceed. The only way to rectify this problem is to have performances. And since we can’t have performances, we need to make decisions based on the current enrollments. Because we don’t know when people will start to register for the summer, this is another piece to the puzzle that points towards delaying this camp until August. We will be reaching out to all students who are currently registered for a Music Man about moving to the postponed dates. They will also be given the option of getting a refund.

How can we help everyone plan?

• Music Man will move to Aug. 3 – 14^th
• If VA re-opens in May, all performances will be completed by the end of June (with keeping whichever shows we can at their currently scheduled dates).
• If VA re-opens in June, all performances will be completed by the end of July. Because our camps are held during the day, we don’t see any impacts to any other camps and they will continue as scheduled.

We have discussed what would happen if the re-open happens even later and we feel confident that all performances will happen at some point before we open for next year at the end of August.

We know that you will want to know exactly when each show is going to happen. And, we would love to be able to tell you that. As soon as we know when we are re-opening, we will give detailed information on how this will all work. Again, we thank you for your patience.

What we do know for sure is…

1. We will continue to offer discounted tickets. These tickets are good for ANY Not Just Dance show in 2020. Please use the discount ticket form (convenient link is on the home page of our website). Once we open, this discounted ticket form will “disappear”.
2. We WILL hold our Virtual PANCAKE BENEFIT. We had planned to have our 2^nd Annual Pancake Benefit on June 20, 2020. Given the uncertainty of when we will open (and the very real possibility that we will need our facility to host a show on June 20^th ), we have decided to make this event a VIRTUAL event. Proceeds from this benefit will help fund new equipment, facility improvements and operational expenses related to performances. There are 3 ways to get involved participate, purchase tickets and give a gift.

To participate – please sign up for an audition slot. Auditions will be held on Wednesday May 6^th (virtually). Check out the website for all of the details!!! We are also doing some fun things with ticket levels. Be sure to look on the website for details.

Finally, I wanted to talk a little about next year. COVID-19 has again wreaked havoc on plans! We have learned that MTI is delaying the release of licensing for Newsies JR until 2021. This causes us to have to pick a different show. We are currently looking at some FANTASTIC options and will let you all know soon. And, of course, we will plan to do Newsies in the 2021-2022 school year. I have started to update the website with information about next year. If you look under “classes” you will start to see some new selections. Normally, we open registrations for the following year on May 15^th. This is still our goal and I am madly working towards that goal. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions about next year.

Again, thank you so much for all of your support! Please let me know if I can answer any questions.

Sincerely,

Ms. Dawne

March 24, 2020

Dear Not Just Dance Community,

We are deeply saddened by the news that all Virginia schools are closed until the end of the year. We know this is an especially difficult time for students and their families.  For our students this means no more time hanging with friends at school, no proms, no school shows, no graduations, etc. Oh yes, and it also means you are learning how to “learn” differently. We especially feel for our theatre community, to include your teachers, your administrators and all those who help you to grow as theatre professionals on school grounds.

We know this also means that you are wondering what happens to Not Just Dance. The fact that schools are closed does not necessarily affect us. However, the fact that the Governor does not feel its safe to have groups of 10 or more gather, for the next 30 days, does have a significant impact on our business model. We will absolutely do our part to stop the spread of COVID-19 by physically closing our doors until April 24^th. However, we WILL be open “virtually”. At this point (as of 4 pm on March 24^th), we plan to continue with all activities that are on our schedule, just in a different format. This includes classes, workshops, performances, auditions and shows. The only show that has been postponed, at this point, is A Chorus Line (which was set to open on Thursday). Our audition workshops will be held virtually. Our classes will be held virtually. If necessary, auditions will be held virtually. While this is not ideal, we can make this work. In terms of our performances, we are exploring all potential options. If necessary, some dates and times might need to be adjusted. Also, the licensing companies are working with us to allow things that in past would never have been allowed (such as live streaming).

Thank you so much for your support and your patience as we work through all of the unknowns. Many of you have reached out to offer words of encouragement. Thank you! You have no idea how much your support means to us. Unfortunately, our fixed costs still exist, such as rent, utilities, etc. We have invested a lot this year and so have you! Let’s see this through to the finish line. Please trust that our team is working on creative solutions. We welcome your ideas and suggestions. We can do this together.

Thanks,

Ms. Dawne

PS

Parents – please be sure that you are checking for e-mails from us with details on how virtual classes will work. Also, be sure to watch my videos which include important information. If you have questions, I have e-mailed you dates and times for parent meetings. There is no agenda for these parent meetings. These are purely to help facilitate the flow of information. If you do not have any questions at this time, you do not need to attend the parent meetings.

March 21, 2020; 5:00 pm

Dear Not Just Dance Community,

What a crazy ride we have been on for the past week! I want to start by thanking the community for all of your support. All of your e-mails, phone calls, text messages, facebook messages of support mean the world to us. Thank you!

We know that this is a very difficult time for you as you all deal with the stresses in your homes. At Not Just Dance we are committed to providing all members of the community with some consistency. We are pleased to announce that we will begin on-line classes tomorrow and will continue to provide additional resources for all of our families.

Specifically:

• On-line, one on one voice lessons begin tomorrow. All of our voice teachers are available for this service. Contact us if you would like to add voice lessons.
• We have provided all of our families with links to pre-recorded supplemental materials for rehearsing and practicing at home.
• We have provided all of our families with a few other fun activities to keep the FUN alive within our Not Just Dance community. Be sure to check our facebook page for updates.
• On-line dance classes will begin this week. We will send out specifics to our currently enrolled dance students.
• On-line theatre and tech theatre classes are being worked on and will be available soon. Specifics will be sent to those families.

We hope that we will all be able to return to our studio soon! We will continue to provide on-line resources for all of our families. We remain committed to provided all of you with exceptional service, albeit in a different format!

For those of you with tickets to an upcoming performance, we ask for your continued patience. Because of the uncertainty, we are not able to make “going forward” plans at this time. But, once we are able to make plans, we will be in touch with options. Thank you for your patience.

Again, I can’t emphasize enough the gratitude we feel for your continued support. As a small business, we rely on the financial commitments of our Not Just Dance families and the community, as we navigate these unchartered waters. I am also thankful to our amazing staff for their support and their willingness to quickly learn this new world of on-line learning. We know we will come out of this together. This too shall pass!

Thanks!

Ms. Dawne

PS – Current families are encouraged to watch the video that was e-mailed on March 22, 2020 for future information.

March 15, 2020; 5:47 pm

It breaks our hearts that the events of the world disrupt the activities here at Not Just Dance. We are forced to make some hard decisions. The health and safety of the Not Just Dance community must be our primary concern in the rapidly evolving COVID-19 coronavirus situation. To that end, we have decided to close Not Just Dance and to postpone our performance of A Chorus Line. For everyone that has tickets to the performance, please hang tight and we will provide details about exchanges and refunds.

Not Just Dance will be closed from March 15 – March 29, 2020. We will re-assess by March 27^th and send any further updates at that time.

Thanks,

Dawne LeKang