By Jessica Micallef
Amy Citroen fears the dance industry is on the verge of collapse.
Signature Cheer and Dance Studio’s doors in Sunbury an Gisborne have been closed for six months as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under the third step on the roadmap to a “covid normal”, outdoor contact and non-contact sport for people aged 18 and younger can resume in the Macedon Ranges.
Following the first lockdown, dance studios were classified as “creative industries” by the state government and were allowed to reopen with social distancing measures in place.
But as regional Victoria emerges from the second lockdown, the state government has backflipped, classing dance studios as “indoor community sports” that cannot operate until the last step of the roadmap, scheduled for November 23.
“This is the fist time during my forced shutdown of my business that I am truly angry,” Ms Citroen said.
“When an entire industry is left to wither and die because no one can make a decision … you are not only killing an industry, you are playing with the emotional well-being of an entire industry.
“In regional Victoria, a child can play full contact sport outside yet that cannot attend a dance class which is a far more socially distant activity.”
Ms Citroen made the switch to online classes but says the transition had not been easy with internet issues and children already being online during the day for remote learning.
She believes many dance schools will not operate in 2021 without funding support.
“Many parents are already saying ‘we’ll just see you next year’ [but] there won’t be a next ear for a large portion of us,” she said.
“There are over 1000 dance schools in Victoria and over half have not received any government support.
“The dance studio industry has been categorised incorrectly, recategorised [and] been told we don’t qualify or help. This inconsistency is leading our industry to a breaking point.
“This bouncing around of classification, rules and expectations needs to stop.”
