By Jessica Micallef
By Jessica Micallef
Signature Cheer and Dance Studio principal Amy Citroen fears the road back into dance studios will be more difficult than the closure.
The Sunbury and Gisborne cheer and dance school was forced to close its door on March 22 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sporting facilities including gyms and dance schools are expected to reopen from June 21 with a maximum of 20 people in each space, subject to the four-square metre rule, with up to 10 people per group or activity.
But Ms Citroen says following the new guidelines would be the “last straw on the camel’s back” for her studio.
“My students will need to be split into two groups within the space,” she said.
“It is not safe dance practise to split up the class and attempt to undertake different dance activities within the same enclosed space, as suggested in the 20-person rule.
“The dance studio would be effectively restricted to 10 participants per enclosed space and not the 20 participants.
“It will make business operations for me, having already suffered so much loss, untenable.
“We have been given no set guidance as to … whether we are expected to socially distance very young children, even though kinder, day-care and school students are not required to socially distance.”
Ms Citroen implemented online classes for their students during the closure.
But she says the shift to an online platform, due to lack of “reliable” internet connection, financial hardship or students being very young, reduced her current client base to under 50 students between both studios.
“The combined studio income of $11,000 a month has dwindled to just $1000 per month with this number dropping,” she said.
“On top of this loss of income, we have had to increase our monthly expenditure to deliver classes online while maintaining our regular monthly bills.”
Ms Citroen said dance studios should not be required to run two separate activities in the same enclosed space, but should be allowed a maximum of 20 people per activity and group.
“Unlike other sports we train to move in unison and remain in formation,” she said.
“There is no sharing of equipment as in ball sports, if we use equipment such as a dancing barre students use it at one spot each class and we can wipe it over between classes.
“Dance is a controlled, teacher-directed activity.
“Providing studios are large enough to meet the space and density requirements, we should not be limited to only 10 students in a class.”
