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Putting Our Best Foot Forward
Tackling COVID at SDDA for the 2021-22 Season

Studio Policies to Manage COVID-19

Studio Policies

Registration is open for returning and new students to take in-studio classes. Our 2021-22 season is designed to culminate in our annual recital, scheduled for June 1-4, 2021. In addition to the information below, you can review our procedures for safe operation in the COVID Procedures document, linked above.

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Studio Procedures

To safely open for classes on September 7, 2021, our updated safety protocols will continue to ensure we limit the amount of close contact between students and faculty at all times. These steps include:

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  • Health screening questions and temperature check of all staff, students, and parents, upon entry

  • Social-distancing our entrance

  • Socially-distanced studios, including:

    • Designated dancer prep areas​

    • Designated teacher areas

    • Gridlines on the floors to maintain social-distance while dancing

  • Sanitization of classrooms before and after each class​

  • Parent observation in lobbies is limited to a single parent/guardian of those students ages 5 and under. Note that our Tippy Toes classes (ages 2-3) are designed to be parent-child classes. Please refrain from bringing siblings or other guests at this time.

  • Common areas, including lobbies, playroom​, and dancer lounge, are closed until further notice, with the exception of the policy above regarding one parent per student 5 and under.

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Monitor and Adjust Policy

SDDA reserves the right to adjust our classes or policies at any time due to COVID-19. However, we will provide reasonable alternate offerings for all of our dancers and their families.

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Virtual Dance Training / Modified Class Format

In the event a student is restricted from attending classes due to exposure to COVID, or due to a positive COVID test, SDDA will be using virtual / on-demand dance training. This could last for a few days, or for a few weeks, and could apply as follows:

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  • For a single student

  • For a group of students

  • For a class of students

  • For a group of classes

  • For the entire studio, if required by a new directive from the Arkansas Department of Health​

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Recital Accommodations

In the event SDDA is unable to safely hold a "large venue"socially-distanced recital, we will provide an alternative for all students. Recital Fees will be charged normally, however, we reserve the right to charge a lesser rate based on the requirements of our alternate recital accommodations. In this case, you could see a credit on your account.

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Policy and Information Updates 

We will adjust our COVID-19 polices, if needed, upon receipt of new relevant guidance from the CDC and Arkansas Department of Health. This page will serve as our official communication portal. Please see our FAQs below for more. 

COVID FAQs

FAQ
  • How can dance support your student during a global pandemic?
    "Dance is good for people as individuals, as well as for society as a whole. Dance is good because it expresses human nature – it’s not just fun, although it is certainly fun. It’s not just exercise, either. At its best, dance is an extension and expression of who we are as human beings in ways that can allow us to share emotions that increase our sense of community and connection. This is why, in good times and bad, in times of war, fleeing homelands and during pandemics, kids still bounce, leap and spin. They are feeling. And they want to share these feelings with others. This doesn’t stop when schools go online. This doesn’t stop when parks and playtimes are limited by fears of contagion. Kids still want to connect with each other in physical and rough-and-tumble ways. And one of the ways they want to do this is through dancing." ~ Aili Bresnahan, Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of Dayton SDDA is proud of the "safe space" we have created for our dancers to explore their emotions, communicate with their peers, and express themselves. We are committed to keeping this space open and to serving our community as best as we can during this global pandemic. It is so important to keep supporting our youth and providing them with safe spaces to explore their emotions during these challenging times.
  • When does the 2020-21 Season begin?
    In-Studio Classes begin the day after Labor Day, so September 8. Our Class Schedule may be found here. Elite Competition Teams - Choreography Camps will be held the weeks of August 24-28 and Aug 31 - Sep 4, 2020. (Must audition to be a part of the Elite teams)
  • Will there be smaller class sizes to maintain social-distancing?
    Stage Door has always maintained a low student-to-teacher ratio for all recreational classes. Due to our new procedures, and the required "exercising spacing" by the Arkansas Department of Health guidelines, class sizes will be further-limited. Limits will be determined by the age of dancers and the square footage of each studio. If a dancer needs to isolate or quarantine, they will not lose their place in the class. Tuition will need to be current and paid for the spot to be saved. If a dancer officially withdraws from the class, a spot will open up and may be filled by the next dancer on the waiting list. We will have waitling lists for all classes and will notify dancers of openings as soon as they are availalbe.
  • What is the plan for social-distancing in the classroom?
    We will be using multiple methods in the classroom to keep dancers spaced. Floor Grids (6-foot spaces) Dance bag storage in multiple locations - spaced six feet apart Colored Tape on the floor for guidance
  • How will teachers manage "close contact" with students, particularly younger and students and those in classes like Acro?"
    We understand that when teaching young dancers, close contact may be necessary. Teachers are using masks at all times. Where social distancing is not possible, our staff may also employ face shields and/or gloves, so that our dancers can receive the best education and experience from our staff.
  • How do you santize?
    SDDA's facility is deep-cleaned twice per week by our professional cleaning staff. We provide hand-sanitizer at the entrance, at the front desk, and in every classroom. Our teachers clean/sanitize each studio between classes. A commercial sanitization fogger is deployed after each day of classes. SDDA contracts with Cintas to insure the constant presence of touchless soap and paper towels in every bathroom. Frequent hand washing will also be encouraged among students and staff.
  • What is SDDA's policy on masks/face-coverings?
    Our policy is that students over the age of 10 must wear face coverings when entering and exiting the building, when using the restrooms, or between classes. Face-coverings are not provided. Our teachers will wear face-coverings at all times. All visitors must wear a face-covering at all times. Face-coverings are not required by the state of Arkansas while exercising and maintaining proper social distancing. We have set up the studios to be compliant with these guidelines so that students do not have to wear face coverings while active and dancing.
  • What is SDDA's health-screening process?
    When your dancer arrives at the studio, a staff member or teacher will greet the dancer in our entry-way, perform a quick digital temperature check, and ask the following health screening questions. Anyone entering the building must answer "no" to all the following questions to be allowed entry (per: Arkansas Department of Health) Have had a fever of 100.4°F or greater in the last 2 days Have a cough, difficulty breathing, sore throat, or loss of taste or smell Had contact with a person known to be infected with COVID-19 within the previous 14 days. Been outside the US in the past 2 weeks.
  • Are food & drinks allowed inside SDDA?
    At this time, only water is allowed in the dance studio spaces. Bring your own water bottle. For dancers who are present more than 3 hours in an evening, snacks and or a small dinner may be brought in their dance bag. There will be no snacks available for purchase, nor is there a microwave available to use. Delivered food will not be accepted at the front desk (i.e. Bitesquad, etc).
  • May I watch my dancer take class?
    To maintain proper social-distancing and to allow space for dancers to enter the studios safely, the lobby will be closed to parents and outside guests. Parents may escort their dancer to the classroom but are encouraged to please exit and wait in their car to make room for the next group of dancers entering the building. Preference in the lobby waiting space will be given to dancers who are participating in classes. While we know that parents want to stay and watch their dancer on our closed circuit camera system, by closing the lobby, we can effectively limit the amount of close contact between students, parents and staff during high-traffic situations. This allows SDDA to keep our community safe and keep our studio open for business. To give parents a behind the scenes look into the classroom, SDDA will capture photos and videos periodically to share via social media. We commit to opening the lobbies when it is safe to do so and the threat of COVID-19 has passed.
  • How are teachers and staff being screened?
    SDDA staff are subject to the same health-screening as students, and must have their temperature checked by digital thermometer prior to entry. SDDA staff will not be allowed to enter the studio if they are sick.
  • Will SDDA close if someone gets sick?
    SDDA is doing everything necessary to keep the studio open for In-Studio classes through this pandemic. Typically, we align with the Conway School District's decisions regarding closure. However, our setting and structure is not comparable to a full-day school program. Our classes are shorter in duration, and our student-to-teacher ratio is much lower, as is the number of concurrent students in a studio. On this matter, we will make independent decisions that best meet the needs of our studio, our community and our dance families. If a case is confirmed, and depending on the risk, one class, multiple classes, or the entire studio could be closed for a period of 2-5 days up to 14 days for cleaning, disinfecting, and/or contact tracing, in consultation with local health officials. Confidentiality will be maintained. If we need to close a class or classes, those classes will be transitioned to Digital Dance Training until we can get back in to the studio. Please see our decision tree for the most up to date information.
  • How is tuition handled if a class or classes must move to Digitial Dance Training due to COVID-19?
    SDDA tuition is an annual fee, based on 34 weeks of class in the season. For the convenience of our families, we collect this in 9 equal payments, payable on the first of every month September - May. If a class, group of classes, or the entire studio has to close, we will move back to offering Digital Dance Training. This could happen for 1-3 days, two weeks, or a prolonged period. While we are doing everything we can to keep the studio open, we must face the reality of COVID-19 and have alternate plans in place to keep our community safe. Tuition will remian the same if a class is offered digitally. We will also provide bonus classes and other digital material to supplement their training to ensure that all families are still receiving the value they expect from Stage Door Dance Arts. We will make ALL reasonable accommodations to keep dancers dancing. We have scheduled 35 weeks of instruction in our annual calendar. This gives all dancers a flexible week of class for free, since tuition is based on only 34 weeks. We hope not to have to close and use this additional week, but having this week gives us flexibility to schedule and plan around COVID-19 and situations that may arise. To view our dance studio calendar, click here.
  • What should I do if our dancer is sick?
    Stay home if you have a dancer that is sick or a family member who is sick. See our decision tree for the most up to date guidelines. (link is at the top of this page) If a dancer starts to run a fever or gets sick while at the studio, we will isolate the student and call parents to pick up the student up. Dancers missing class due to illness may ALWAYS make-up a class at their level or below. Please call or email the studio for more information on what class would be appropriate for your dancer.
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