Dear Families of Dancers in Contemporary 3 and Student Company:
We are so happy to welcome you and your dancer to our Fall 2021 classes!
To safely hold these classes, we have put much thought and care into the arrangements. Please read all the points below as there are ongoing updates. On the first day, we will have a form for you to sign agreeing to the following policies.
As of today (8/31/21), we plan to hold classes indoors with students and instructors masked, and all windows and doors open. All instructors are fully vaccinated. However, LJD reserves the right to decide to hold classes outdoors should the Delta Variant situation become even more problematic and potentially dangerous. We cannot offer refunds should this change be necessary.
When indoors, the classes will take place in the large Studio at The Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts, 10 Durand Rd., Maplewood NJ. If classes are moved outdoors, they will take place on either the patio at Burgdorff or the side grassy lawn on the right as you face the building from Durand.
NOTE: ALL 12-year-olds and all older dancers are REQUIRED to provide proof of FULL vaccination before participating in class. (Our staff is fully vaccinated.)
NEW class times and entrance/exit protocol:
Time modifications due to Delta Variant:
Time changes – We will now be leaving 10 minutes between most classes starting in 1st grade to allow for more distanced arrival and dismissal. See the NEW class times below. In order to have less crowded conditions in the lobby, we ask families to follow these protocols:
Please have all dancers dressed for class. It is too crowded to have kids changing in the bathroom.
ENTER: We will now have dancers enter through front double doors. Our welcome and sign-in table will be outdoors as frequently as possible. Please wait outside with your dancer until your class is called to enter.
EXIT: Dancers will be exiting through the side door to the patio. There will be a permission form for families to sign for 6th graders and up saying they are allowed to leave the building themselves.
NEW CLASS TIMES:
Monday:
Creative Ballet: 4-4:45pm
Ballet with a Contemporary Twist, Level 1: 5:00-5:50pm
Ballet with a Contemporary Twist, Level 2: 6:00- 6:50pm
Teen/Adult Dance: 7:00-8:00pm
Thursday:
Contemporary/Modern, Level 1: 4-4:50pm
Contemporary/Modern, Level 2: 5:00-5:50pm
Contemporary/Modern, Level 3: 6:00-6:55pm
Student Company: 7:00-8:00pm
Saturday:
Creative Ballet: 9:30-10:15am
Ballet 1A: 10:30-11:30 am
Masks: Classes indoors require WELL FITTING masks. It’s important our dancers are not distracted by constantly pulling at masks or having to be reminded to pull them up over their nose. Please have your child practice moving at home with a mask to be sure their mask is good for a dance class. (If class is moved outdoors, we will let families know if these will require masks or not.)
Bathroom Use: Our older dancers can leave class one at a time to use the bathroom . Please have them use the bathroom before they come to class if at all possible. I
Bring a Water Bottle: Each dancer should bring a personal water bottle.
Spacing: We will be aware of spacing throughout the class, but there could be times that children are briefly closer as they set up for movement sequences.
Choreography and Partnering: As most of you know, student choreography is an essential part of our creative approach. Having to limit this is truly heartbreaking for all of us at LJD. But the safety of our dancers is of course most crucial.
We will ask each family to decide if FULLY VACCINATED dancers can physically partner or not. Younger dancers who are not yet fully vaccinated will work on phrases, canons, spatial design, entrances and exits, and all the other components that do not include physical or very close contact.
What to Wear: Our youngest dancers are free to wear ballet clothes of their choice to class! There is a page on the website with What to Wear. Contemporary and Company are danced either barefoot or in ballet shoes depending. Please have ballet shoes available for your dancer. (If classes move to outside, this changes to sneakers.) Please NO baggy orstreet clothes. NO graphics on t-shirts except LJD School shirts. Dancers must have hair pulled back and dancewear – leggings and leotards or fitted tops or athletic tops.
Emergency Calls to Parents: If a dancer expresses feeling unwell, we will have them walk to the side and we will call your emergency number. PLEASE leave your ringer on during class so you are reachable in case your child needs you.
COVID POSITIVES/TESTING: As we are dealing with the Delta Variant, if a child in class lets us know they have tested positive, every family would of course be immediately notified. Any child who tested positive is required to stay out of class for the CDC time recommended at the time this occurs AND to provide proof of a negative PRC test to re-enter the class.
LJD requires a negative PRC test and the ill student(s) can return to class and end isolation once the following are met:
FROM CDC as of 8/24/21:
• 10 days out from the start of the symptoms, AND
• Fever free for 24 hours without fever reducing medication, AND
• Symptoms have improved
Make-Up/Refund Policies:
IMPORTANT CHANGES DUE TO ONGOING DELTA VARIANT
Every 13-session semester class has 1 make-up class scheduled at the end of the semester in case LJD must cancel a class. We always offer a full refund after the first class if it’s not a good fit. After that point, due to the extreme pandemic situation, as a not-for-profit struggling financially, LJD cannot be responsible for adding classes or issuing refunds in the case of multiple cancellations due to COVID-19 or due to weather cancellations if classes are held outdoors. If classes are moved outdoors, we will offer that day’s class on Zoom if bad weather is predicted ahead of time. In the case of bad weather that begins close to the time of class or during the class, we will have to cancel that class.
The possibility of losing classes that cannot be made up or refunded must be acknowledged by our families as they decide whether or not to enroll. As a not-for-profit, LJD remains committed to our mission of dance for all in our community. From the beginning of the pandemic, LJD has kept classes going, as we feel so strongly that children and teens need the uplifting and beautiful experience of dancing together now more than ever. Classes have been held on Zoom, Outdoors in Memorial Park, Outdoors on the Burgdorff patio, and Indoors, masked, at Burgdorff.
Our teachers and staff have lost significant portions of their income and yet continued to provide meaningful and uplifting classes throughout this global emergency. Our unique and warm community -- from our youngest preschool dancers through teen Interns, professional dancers and our supportive parents -- have been understanding and enthused about our ongoing programming. We thank you all and hope we can continue to be together dancing with fewer restrictions soon.