When we closed the studio for March Break we had no idea that it was the last time there would be dancers in the studio for the rest of the season. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic we made the transition to online programming, including pre-recorded and live Zoom classes, and stayed connected through social media and studio challenges.
While we couldn’t have our typical performances at the Kenora Festival of the Arts and our Year-End Recital we still wanted to recognize and celebrate the 2019-2020 dance year. So we’ve put together a Year-End Video & Playlist which is a compilation of in-studio rehearsal videos and dance at home photo and video submissions.
Thank you to all of our dancers, families, friends, and supporters. We hope to be back in the studio and dancing together soon!
As we wait and see when we can re-open and what the exact safety procedures and protocols will be required due to COVID-19 we have created an “Expression of Interest” for Summer 2020 programming. If your family might be interested in summer dance classes, camps, intensives or workshops please register your interest at the link. You can tell us more about what you would be interested in and will be on our priority list to receive information on any programming that we are able to offer.
We continue to wait and see when we can re-open and what safety procedures and protocols will be required due to COVID-19.
As we wait we have created an “Expression of Interest” option for Summer 2020 programming. If your family might be interested in summer dance classes, camps, intensives or workshops please register your interest at the link below.
You can tell us more about what you would be interested in and will be on our priority list to receive information on any programming that we are able to offer.
Take advantage of the sale savings and feel good knowing that your purchase will also help the studio through these challenging times.
Whether you have a dancer in the family or not, show your support of our studio through the purchase of DanceWorks Kenora clothing.
Send a message on social media, an email to info@danceworkskenora.com, or even a text to Erin to purchase. Payment accepted via e-transfer or credit card.
Want to look at sizes? Wondering about pickup times? Erin will be at the studio the following hours this week (and we can make arrangements outside of these hours if needed).
Tuesday, June 23 – 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm Wednesday, June 24 – 3:00 pm – 9:00 pm Thursday, June 25 – 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Thank you all for your patience as we have adapted to the COVID-19 situation. Normally, we would collect the costumes from each dancer after the evening show of our Year-End Recital but this year is obviously a bit different. The drop-off times for costumes and the procedures that we will follow to make sure this happens safely are listed below. Please try to bring your costumes back during these times. If necessary a second round of times will be arranged. Reminder: Unreturned or damaged costumes will result in a costume replacement fee of $80 (plus HST) for each costume.
Costume Return Procedures
Make sure you have all parts of the costume including any accessories. (Do not return tights if they were provided with the costume).
Pull in to the parking spots in front of the building. Stay in your vehicle.
Ms. Erin will be at the studio and waiting by the green door (if she’s not there, please wait a moment or call/text 807-464-3666).
Ms. Erin will bring a box to your vehicle for you to put the costume in and will take your name to check off the return.
If another vehicle or drop-off is happening please wait patiently in your vehicle. (Please be mindful of the traffic flow in our parking area and be sure not to block our neighbouring businesses.)
Costume Return Times
Wednesday, May 27 – 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Thursday, May 28 – 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Friday, May 29 – 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Reminder: Unreturned or damaged costumes will result in a costume replacement fee of $80 (plus HST) for each costume.
For the procrastinators out there, the deadline for the DWK Dance at Home Challenge has been extended to Monday, May 25 at midnight. No more excuses! Take a video of you performing your class routine – in costume with your hair done – and send it in by MONDAY, MAY 25 to be entered in a draw for a $300 credit towards next year’s dance class tuition!
Deadline extended to Monday, May 25!
Want to put on your costume and dance but don’t want to perform your entire routine? That would be great too. You won’t be entered in the draw but Ms. Erin would love to see your freestyle moves.
Also, congratulations to the winners of Studio Challenge #3 – Ara Kakis & Maelle Nabb. They’ve each won a DWK hoodie and sweatpants as well as an 8×10 of one of their dance class group photos. Ms. Erin loved seeing everyone’s entries and they are all going into the Year-End video that is underway.
In the meantime, you can see the DWK Pass the Slipper video on Facebook or Instagram or at this YouTube link: DWK Dance at Home – Pass the Slipper
PS. The gallery link for your dance photos will be sent out tomorrow and a costume return process is also coming soon. Thank you for your patience with these items as we work through what changes are needed to our normal processes and ensure they are done in the safest way possible.
A reminder that Studio Challenge #3 ends on Friday, May 8th.
Get your text, picture, and video responses in by midnight on Friday! Entries can be sent in via e-mail, text, social media, or FlipGrid.
Ms. Erin has loved seeing the responses so far. While we can’t be together and won’t be having our usual Recital it feels good to still hear from you, to see your studio support, and to see you dancing at home.
Studio Challenge #4
We hope dancers are also practicing for what will be the final studio challenge of the season. Dancers that send in a video performing their class routine, in costume and with proper hair, will be entered in a draw to win a $300 credit towards next year’s dance class tuition! The number of class credits awarded will depend on the total number of entries. Get practicing! (Need to review your dance? The links for the choreography videos are in FlipGrid for each class). Entries are due by Friday, May 22!
We’d also love to see you dancing at home in your costume, even if you don’t want to perform your entire dance. You won’t be entered in the draw but Ms. Erin would love to see your freestyle dance moves anyways!
Costume Return
Some of you have been asking about costume return. We are still working out the best procedure and plan for this as we want to make sure we avoid creating crowds and maintain social distancing. We will be in touch soon with details on drop-off dates, times, and procedures.
I hope everyone continues to be healthy and safe at home.
Zoom Online Classes
The April Zoom class schedule continues through this Saturday with the same links as sent out previously. The schedule will be changing for May and that will be sent out this weekend. If you have any suggestions on class times or styles please let me know! If you haven’t been joining the Zoom classes but would like to start please feel free! We do new exercises quite often so you don’t have to worry about not knowing the steps and it’s a great way to connect with your fellow dancers. Remember, dancers can do any style – even if it is one that they don’t normally take.
Colouring Contest Winners
Congratulations to Azalea for winning the “Amazing Artist” award. Her entries in the colouring contest were fantastic! She has won a copy of Inglenook Studio’s “My Kenora” and “Lake of the Woods” colouring books as well as a DWK t-shirt.
Random draw winners, who have won a DWK t-shirt, also included Addaleena, Alyah, Ariella, Ellie, Elyas, Laura, Leia, and Maelle.
Congrats everyone and thanks for participating.
Studio Challenge #3
The next studio challenge is all about your love of dance and being part of the dance studio community. Every 10 points earns you one entry to win DWK clothing and an 8×10 print of one of your dance class group photos! Thanks to Colleen Serban for contributing to this draw prize. (PS. Thank you to everyone for your patience on the dance photos as they took a backseat to other pandemic related rescheduling, etc. The gallery link is being prepared now and we should be able to send that out to everyone soon!)
You can see an example of Ms. Erin’s “Pass the Slipper” video posted on the DanceWorks Kenora Instagram and Facebook pages.
Recital Update
While we had originally hoped to delay Recital and to at least be able to bring in each class individually to video their routine and create a Recital DVD we now know that just isn’t going to be possible in any time frame that makes sense. I am so proud of the dancers and the amount of work that they put in during the year and I am sad that they will not be able to perform with their classes and to showcase their progress together.
However, while we can’t dance together I am encouraging dancers to start practicing now for what will be the final studio challenge of the season. Dancers that send in a video performing their class routine, in costume and with proper hair, will be entered in a draw to win a $300 credit towards next year’s dance class tuition! The number of class credits awarded will depend on the total number of entries. Get practicing! (Need to review your dance, the links for the choreography videos are in FlipGrid for each class)
I hope you all continue to be well and are staying healthy.
Online Classes Continue
The April schedule of Zoom classes continues. Dancers can access these live classes with the same links as sent last week. We love seeing the dancers and getting to say hello to everyone. If you haven’t taken a Zoom class yet please know that you can start at any time. Dancers continue to be welcome to join any class at their level (so you can try taking a Jazz class even if you normally only take Ballet, or try a Hip Hop class even if you normally only take Tap, etc).
As well, the FlipGrid classes have been updated with new topics and activities. The FlipGrid links were sent out previously but can also be found at any time in your “Schedule” within the DanceWorks Kenora portal.
Ms. Erin loves seeing all of you that are continuing to dance at home! It feels good to dance and to share that joy with others. Please continue to take Zoom classes, post videos in FlipGrid, or send in your images and videos privately.
Studio Challenge Winners
We have randomly selected the winners of our first DWK Dance at Home Studio Challenge!
Congratulations to Jaycie, Emelia, Hans, Addaleena, Ireland, Azalea, Addison M, Ariel, Emery, Clare, Kiley, and Kirsten!
Each dancer wins their choice of either DWK sweatpants and a t-shirt OR a DWK hoodie.
Colouring Contest
Our next studio challenge is ready – it’s time to get colouring!Click here to download the colouring pages (created thanks to Irene at Inglenook Art Studio) and make sure you send in one or both of your completed images by midnight on Friday, April 24 to be entered in the next draw. Each completed colouring page gets you an entry to win a prize pack that includes Inglenook Studio Colouring Book and DWK merchandise!
If you aren’t already, make sure to follow DanceWorks Kenora on Facebook and on Instagram to stay informed and up to date. Our latest weekly warm-up (#5) will be posted later today and we also post links to a variety of free online classes (being offered by professionals around the world) happening each day in our Facebook and Instagram stories.
Here’s a few pieces of news and some updates as we continue to work our way through the evolving COVID-19 pandemic.
Updates
Virtual Classes
Thank you to everyone that has already posted videos on FlipGrid or taken a Zoom class. It feels good to connect with each other, even if we can’t do it in person. Dancers can continue to explore all of the topics within each FlipGrid class and submit video responses so we can see what you’ve been working on and provide individual feedback. We will also be scheduling more live Zoom classes and are currently working on a regular schedule for those. Stay tuned.
Recital
While we doubt we will be able to have the regular Year-End Recital this year we are still hoping to put together some sort of Year-End Performance video. Whether we can get individual classes together to perform or whether we compile individual videos will depend on how the situation evolves through April, May and even June. Please know that we are evaluating options and will continue to keep you informed about format and timing.
Tuition Payments
Statements will be sent out to all families with a current balance. We recognize the financial uncertainty that many are feeling and are instituting a “Pay What You Can” option for all balances. As a small business that is also struggling with uncertainty we are very appreciative of anyone that can continue to pay the full tuition at this time. There will be no interest or late fee charges for anyone that cannot currently pay. We also will not be charging any additional tuition fees if the dance session is extended through May or June.
You can make a payment through the DWK portal, by sending an e-transfer to info@danceworkskenora.com or by responding to the email statement confirming with Erin the amount you would like charged to your card on file.
Weekly Warm-up
Ms. Erin is posting a weekly warm-up on the DanceWorks Kenora Facebook and Instagram pages. We hope dancers (and families too) will do these warm-ups to stay active while they stay at home. Here’s the Weekly Warm-up #3 cards and the video of Ms. Erin doing the full warm-up.
Studio Challenge
DWK families, we’ve started a studio challenge! Receive points for each item completed from today through April 10. Every 10 points gets you one entry in a draw to win DanceWorks Kenora clothing! Keep track of your points and submit your tally by midnight on Friday, April 10. (Ms. Erin will also be keeping track of FlipGrid and public posts but make sure you send your tally in as well.) PS. Already said hello or participated in your FlipGrid classes, those will count towards your tally for this challenge too.
While the DanceWorks Kenora studio is closed indefinitely we will be continuing our dance classes online. Our hope is to help our dancers stay active, enrich what they’ve learned at the studio, and maintain a sense of connection and community while they are unable to dance together in person.
Our online programming will include a mix of on-demand and live options. We are starting with the on-demand options which include links to online resources, including class choreography and music files, as well as videos for warm-up, technique, and more. Moving forward we will also host some live classes through Zoom, stay tuned for that schedule.
With all online training we remind dancers to be mindful of the space around them, to do what they can safely and with supervision. Parents, we ask that you help your dancers with their dance activities and keep them on track with completing activities and classes.
FlipGrid Virtual Classroom
Each class has now been set up with its own FlipGrid virtual classroom.
Worried about privacy? Read more about FlipGrid’s privacy policies here. If you don’t agree to provide consent for your child to participate, please get in touch with Erin and do not login to the FlipGrid virtual classroom.
More of a visual person? Here’s a short video overview of how to access the online classes.
Moving Forward
As you are aware, there remains a lot of uncertainty around COVID-19 and the amount of time that social distancing behaviours will be needed. We will continue to adjust our programming to adapt to the situation.
We are reviewing options and making plans for an alternative format and timing for our Year-End Recital. Dancers will continue to learn their performance routines online in the hope that we can still finish the dance session with a group performance.
For those that pay tuition monthly, April is the last month of tuition payments for the year. If we end up extending the session there will be no additional tuition charges. We understand that these uncertain times may mean that you’ve experienced changes to your financial situation. If you are able to continue with your regular payment it will be a significant help to the studio as we too are experiencing a lot of uncertainty as a small business. However, please do not hesitate to contact Erin if you need to discuss options such as postponing your payment.
We appreciate your continued support through this transition to online classes. While we would prefer to be in the studio with all of the dancers we hope that our online offerings will allow us to continue to connect, to stay active, and to be ready to finish the year with a performance whenever the situation permits.
Stay tuned for live online classes, studio challenges, and more. Also, please share pictures of your dancers doing their classes and practicing their dances with us by email or through social media. Keep dancing!
