Steppin' Out Dance Academy​​

*SCROLL DOWN TO READ COVID UPDATES*

Summer 2022 Classes

Masks are optional at the studio for summer classes. We do ask that students, parents, and/or instructors please wear masks if they have had a possible exposure; and please stay home and get tested if they show any symptoms of Covid.

February Covid Mask Update 2/18/22

On Monday, February 21st, we will be going to masks optional at the studio.  We ask that students, parents, and/or instructors please wear masks if they have had a possible exposure; and please stay home and get tested if they show any symptoms of Covid.

November Covid Mask Update (11/21/2021)

Over the past 2 weeks we have had several students test positive for Covid as well as a couple of the instructors. We will be scheduling make up classes for the classes we have had to cancel the past couple weeks due to the lack of available instructors.

With the holidays coming up we want everyone to stay healthy and be able to enjoy time with their family. We will temporarily be going back to a full mask policy (in the studios and the common areas) from Monday, November 22nd- Thursday, December 23rd. Children under the age of 5 and people unable to wear a mask safely are the exception to the rule. We would also like to ask that parents minimize their time in the waiting area to try and facilitate safe distancing.

We will update the policy after the break and hope to go back to "masks optional" soon!

It is never easy to make these decisions and I cannot thank everyone enough for being so understanding and supportive through all of this.

October/November Covid Mask Update 10/25/21

Since we have not had any more positive cases or possible exposures at the studio,

we will be going to the following mask policy as of 10/25/2021:

     -Masks must be worn in all common areas at the studio

     -Masks are optional but recommended for all students ages 5 and over

     -Instructors will continue to wear masks while teaching classes with students under the age of 12.

We will continue to monitor possible Covid exposures and/or positive Covid cases at the studio. If numbers rise again we will go back to wearing masks at all times. 

October Covid Protocol Update 10/12/2021

This past week we have had 3 students test positive for Covid. Although it was only 3 students, we have had possible exposures in 7 classes. We would like to ask that all students over the age of 4, please wear a mask at all times while at the studio for the next 2 weeks to help keep everyone healthy. We will re-assess our mask policy on October 25th.  Thank you so much for your understanding.

September Covid Protocols Update 9/5/2021

At S.O.D.A. it is our goal to keep all of our dance families & employees healthy & safe. We will be watching local Covid numbers closely, and will be updating our policies throughout the season. The following safety measures and protocols will be in place starting September 11th, and will be updated in October or early November. Please feel free to email us with any questions or concerns at [email protected]

UV FILTRATION SYSTEM

Last season we installed 4 brand new UV filtration systems in the duct work throughout the entire studio. This system kills bacteria and viruses as air is circulated through the system. We also upgraded our HEPA filters in our vents throughout the studio.

ZOOM CLASSES

Once again we will be offering all of our recreational dance classes, as well as our fitness classes on Zoom. All classes will receive a Zoom link through their parent portal the first week of classes. If students are not feeling well, or have a fever, we ask that they please stay home.

MASK POLICY

Masks are required in the waiting room and all common areas throughout the studio. This policy could change, and will be updated in October or November as we watch local numbers and recommendations.

-Classes with students ages 12 & up: Once students are in the classroom and in their socially distant squares, masks are optional.

-Classes with students under age 12 - Masks are recommended, but optional once students are in the classroom and in their socially distant squares. In the event students do an activity in class where social distancing is not possible masks will be required for that activity (except for students under the age of 3).

-Instructors: All instructors & assistants teaching classes with students under the age of 12 are required to wear a mask while teaching. Masks will be optional for instructors teaching students ages 12 & up. If instructors are required to spot a student or there is an activity where social distancing is not possible (regardless of the age of the students in the class, or vaccination status of the instructor) instructors are required to wear a mask.

CLEANING

The entire dance studio will be deep cleaned every day. All floors will be washed with Smart Touch, or other similar hospital grade cleaner, each night. Smart Touch has been shown to eliminate a broad range of viruses and bacteria, including SARS-COV-2, MRSA, and H1N1.

WAITING AREA

Our waiting area will remain open, however, we ask that parents please drop off whenever possible to allow social distancing in our waiting room. We understand that many young students may need a parent to stay in the studio. Parents are also welcome to come in for shoe fittings, etc. Masks are required (regardless of vaccination status) in our waiting room and all common areas throughout the studio. This policy may be updated in October or early November.

DINNER BREAKS FOR STUDENTS OVER AGE 12 IN MULTIPLE CLASSES

In the event students have multiple classes they may bring food and drink into the studio. If the weather is good, we ask that students please eat outside at the picnic tables. In the event of cold or rainy weather, students are allowed to have dinner break inside the studio. We ask that students socially distance when removing their mask to eat, and please put masks back on as soon as they are done eating.

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COVID UPDATE: 8/12/21

Dear S.O.D.A Families,

With Covid numbers rising with the new & more contagious Delta variant, we will be requiring masks in all common areas (hallways and waiting room) regardless of vaccination status. Once in the dance studio, and students are socially distanced, masks will be optional. In the event that students cannot socially distance during part of the class, they will be asked to put their masks on for that activity. Students ages 5 and under who may not be mask compliant, and individuals who have health issues that prevent them from wearing a mask are the exception to this rule.

Instructors will be required to wear a mask at all times regardless of vaccination status.

Thank you so much for your understanding. It really means a lot to us that SODA families have been so supportive through all of this. These decisions are not easy to make, but keeping S.O.D.A. families safe is our number one priority. The last couple years have definitely been a challenge, but students handled it with grace & smiles behind their masks. We are hoping things get back to normal soon, and will continue to update our policies as recommendations change.

Kim & Dan

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July 2021

Masks will be optional for all SODA students this summer. All unvaccinated instructors will continue to wear a mask to teach. Masks will be optional for all vaccinated instructors.

The waiting area will be open this summer, however, we ask that parents please following social distancing recommendations. Masks will be optional in the waiting area for vaccinated SODA families. If you are not vaccinated, we ask that you please wear a mask in the waiting area.

We will continue deep cleaning the studio each night after classes, and will open studio doors for fresh air whenever possible. When doors are closed we will use our UV sanitizing/filtration system to help filter out bacteria and viruses. We will closely monitor CDC & state guidelines, and will make changes to our policies if necessary.

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As of 6/14/21 masks will be optional for all SODA students. Masks will also be optional for vaccinated instructors. All unvaccinated instructors will continue to wear a mask to teach.

We will continue to deep clean the studio after classes each night, will limit the number of students per class as

CDC suggests, and will be leaving 10 minutes in between classes for ventilation. We will also continue to use our UV filtration system (which kills bacteria and viruses), and will open doors and windows whenever possible.

We have decreased the number of chairs in our waiting room to limit the number of people in the building, but parents are welcome to come in. Masks are optional for all vaccinated adults in the waiting area, however, we ask that adults who are not vaccinated, please continue to wear a mask in the waiting area. We do ask that everyone continues to practice social distancing when inside the building whenever possible.

Thank you so much!

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COVID UPDATE 12/4

Please spread the word!

Dear S.O.D.A. Families,

A few of our employees need to quarantine next week due to possible exposure to Covid, or symptoms. Nobody has tested positive, however, they will still need to quarantine for a minimum of 10 days if they had possible exposure (new state guideline update), or 10 days and 24 hours after symptoms improve if they have had any symptoms of Covid and have had possible Covid Exposure (even with a negative test). This is also a new state guideline that was updated on December 3rd.

After much thought, and an abundance of caution, we have decided to go remote with all dance classes next week (Monday, December 7th - Friday, December 11th). With numbers going up, and a lack of subs to cover classes, this seems to be the best and safest option.

We will continue to run our aerial classes live in studio, since students cannot fully take an aerial class remotely. We have teachers to cover these classes, and classes are very limited. If students cannot attend live aerial classes we will still offer Zoom as well. Students can condition with the class, and walk through skills on the ground.

We plan to offer all dance & aerial classes live again the following week. We think this week will be a good reset for everyone, and we will continue to watch numbers carefully. We thank everyone for being so great about informing us if students are sick, have traveled, or have possibly been exposed to Covid. It is so important to us to keep our S.O.D.A. families safe.

Please be sure to sign in to your parent portal https://app.jackrabbitclass.com/regv2.asp?id=526311 to see the links for the Zoom classes. Please note that some links may have changed, since some teachers are teaching from home. It is important that everyone uses their parent portal to sign into classes. We will be updating the links over the weekend. If you forget your password you can simply click “forgot password” and a link to reset will be sent to your email.

Please help us spread the word, and thank you so much for your understanding.

Kim & Dan

*We will have someone at the front desk during the week if you need to pick up t-shirts, dance shoes, sweat shirts, or jackets.

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S.O.D. UPDATE 9/1/2020. S.O.D.A CLASSES STARTING SOON!

Dear S.O.D.A. Families,

We are so excited to get back into the studio next week! I hope everyone has had a chance to look over the studio Covid protocols and state guidelines. We are doing everything possible to keep S.O.D.A. families safe. Here are a few important new protocols to go over with students before the first day of class:

-Due to state guidelines our waiting area and all communal areas will be closed.

• Indoor communal or common areas will be closed per state and CDC guidelines, and no one will be allowed to wait inside the building. The only exception to this will be for students age 4 & younger and students with special needs; and then only 1 parent (sorry, no siblings) will be allowed to wait in the building. If you have a child age 4 or younger, and you are comfortable alternating the weeks you come into the studio with other parents in the class that would be greatly appreciated! Due to state guidelines we have removed most of our chairs, and seating is very limited. Thank you!
• We ask that parents please drop students off just prior to their scheduled class, and pick them up as soon as class has ended.
• We have added picnic tables outside for students to wait during breaks while weather is nice. Once the weather changes students will need to wait in cars or get picked up in-between classes. I am so sorry! It is required by the state, and it would be impossible to social distance with everyone in the building.
• * The Hungry Caterpillar may be setting up their food truck next door to OR in the studio parking lot! They have lots of great plant based options! Stay Tuned!
• If a younger student needs a parent we will call or send someone out to the parking lot to find the parent. *Please be sure we have your phone number on file.

-Due to state guidelines, students must arrive to class dressed in dance clothing to avoid lining up in communal areas waiting to change.

-Due to state guidelines we must turn off our water fountain. *I am so sad, but understand….

-Indoor only shoes must be worn in hallways & bathrooms. Students may not be barefoot due to state guidelines.

* Please remove outdoor shoes and leave in cubbies.

Please change into dance shoes or other indoor only shoes/slippers to walk to class or to the bathroom.

Students must leave coats/jackets in cubbies or keep in their dance bag. Due to state guidelines students may not leave coats, shoes, etc…. In hallways or on benches.

-All students should bring a dance bag into class.

* Please be sure to bring water (more than 1 bottle if student has multiple classes)

• Please be sure to bring a small hand sanitizer. We will take breaks during class to sanitize hands.
• Please be sure dance shoes are in dance bags.

-Aerial students must wear indoor only shoes into the aerial room.

Once students are on their mats they may remove their shoes.

All aerial students will have 2 mats (1 panel mat, and 1 crash mat). These mats will only be used by 1 student each class, and will be sanitized & wiped down in between classes.

-All employees & students must wear a mask while in the building.

*There are a few exceptions to this rule. Please contact us if there is a health or other reason a student is unable to wear a mask.

-Please practice social distancing:)

Although there are lots of new rules, I am sure we will get used to them quickly! We will try to make the transition as smooth as possible. Once we start dancing it will all seem normal again! We can’t wait to dance & fly with everyone!

*Please check our website @www.steppinoutdanceacademy.com for the complete list of state & CDC guidelines we will be following. We have also implemented additional protocols to keep our families safe.

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S.O.D.A UPDATE AUGUST

Dear S.O.D.A. Families,

Our fall schedule will be out soon! Fall classes start Tuesday, September 8th! I cannot wait to dance at the studio with everyone again! Since the vote was to repeat our year, all classes will remain roughly the same time and day (with a few exceptions). Although classes will remain the same, they will be listed as the next age group up on the schedule, and students will be learning new, more challenging skills. Due to increased cleaning & sanitation, there will be a minimum of 15 minutes in between each class (if any students or instructors change). In order to fit all of our current classes on the schedule, many classes are slightly shorter than last year.

We will be sending out an email to each class with next year’s day and time. If you do not receive an email by July 10th, please email us @[email protected] There is no registration fee for students re-registering for the same class, and every student will receive a free S.O.D..A. dance bag after registering for fall classes! Registration deadline for current students is August 10th. After that date we will allow new students to fill open spots in classes with less than 9 students, providing we can get matching costumes.

With the new guidelines and increased cleaning and sanitation we could only add a limited number of new classes. Students who cannot attend the same class as last year will have the option of registering for one of these new classes before we open them up to any new students. Current students can register for these classes until August 10th. We will be opening up these classes to new (NH) students after that date. We will only be taking 9 students in each new class, and expect them to fill very quickly, so please be sure to register early.

Aerial Students

This fall we will not be adding any new aerial classes. All current students will have a spot saved in the class they took this past season. The only new aerial students we will be accepting are experienced aerialist to fill spots if current students do not return.

With the new guidelines aerial students are not allowed to share equipment without washing between each student. Mats can easily be cleaned between students, but we are not able to wash silks after each student. We have contacted a reputable silk provider to purchase in bulk so aerial students can purchase their own set up, through S.O.D..A., at a discounted price. The set up will come with 1 aerial silk and a rescue 8 or fabric bell, that will be rigged and ready to hang. We ask that the set up is only used during class time, under the supervision of a qualified aerial instructor. We will have more information and pricing soon!

Production & Musical Theatre

We are waiting until October or November to decide what we should do about Musical Theatre & Production. With the guidelines we cannot fit Production or Musical theatre in the studio with the required 6 foot boxes. We also do not know if groups this large will be allowed to perform/compete. If we are allowed to perform/compete, and the 6 foot guidelines change, we will be adding Musical Theatre & Production to the schedule in November. Production will most likely meet 2 times per month on a Friday after 5:45pm. Musical Theatre will most likely meet 2 times per month on Thursdays at 4:15. Please hold onto your costume and props!

Costume getting too small?

No worries! We can still take costume exchanges until July 20th for students who need the next size up. We will be posting more costume exchange days soon.

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*REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN FOR SUMMER DANCE & FITNESS!

Click this link to register:

https://app.jackrabbitclass.com/regv2.asp?id=526311

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UPDATE: MAY 15TH

Dear S.O.D.A. Families,

Thank you so much for all the kind emails and messages we have received this week after sending out the survey results! We seriously cannot thank everyone enough for being so understanding and supportive. We look forward to an amazing 2020-2021 season!

We realize that many families paid in full for March tuition, and we missed 2 weeks of classes. We will be offering free fall registration, and a free S.O.D.A. dance bag for every student to make up for the missed classes. Please contact Amanda @[email protected] with any questions, or if students will not be returning in the fall.

If you paid 2019-2020 tuition for the year, please email Amanda @[email protected]

Stay Healthy,

Kim & Dan

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UPDATE: May 10th

Dear S.O.D.A. Families,

Thank you so much for taking part in our S.O.D.A. poll regarding fall classes. Here are the results:

46.78% - Repeat Dances/Classes

28.65% - Start Fresh

24.56% - No Preference

After reviewing the results of our initial survey, I put out another survey to level 6 and elite students (many of these students will be graduating seniors next year). All but 3 level 6/elite families voted to “start fresh”. Level 6 and elite companies (with the exception of musical theatre & production) will be starting fresh in the fall. Depending on the number of graduating seniors in each company, teachers may invite new students into these levels. All other companies will remain the same.

It seems that most of our families with recreational students, aerial students, dance team, and company students levels 1 -5 wanted a chance to repeat. We have decided that we will be repeating all recreational, aerial, dance team, and company classes levels 1 - 5 next season. Families will save money on costumes, and teachers will have more time in class to challenge students with new skills & combos. Some teachers may even alter current choreography to make it more challenging!

We will be adding a limited number of new classes to our schedule next year for students who cannot attend the same class as this season due to scheduling conflicts, etc…. These new classes will be offered to current S.O.D.A. students before we open them up to any new students. We will also be adding a brand new level 4 & 5 company contemporary class for any level 4 & 5 students who would like to learn something fresh in addition to their regular company classes. This class will be open to all company 4 & 5 students.

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UPDATE: April

Dear S.O.D.A. Families,

Thank you so much for your continued support through this very difficult time. I hope everyone is staying active, healthy, and enjoying this time with your family. We miss you all so much! I love that we are able to connect via our live Zoom classes for now, and can’t wait to dance at the studio again! In the meantime, please keep tagging us in your photos on social media! I love to see everyone dancing at home!

As most of you have probably heard, Governor Sununu announced today that all schools will continue remote learning until the end of the school year. It is with great sadness, but for the safety of everyone, we have made the tough decision to close the studio for the remainder of the season as well. We will continue with some free Zoom classes, videos, and coloring sheets until the end of May.

We will continue to follow the recommendations of health professionals and local officials, and will re-open the studio when it is safe to do so. We are still hoping we are able to have some sort of recital (even if it is not a big event in an auditorium). We realize this will not be happening in June, but are hoping that we are able to put something together in late August or September. If you are a parent of a high school senior, please send me an email at [email protected] I would like to put something together for the seniors to make this socially distant year special for them. We will have more information on a “recital” in the next few weeks, and will continue to give everyone updates on a regular basis.

In the event that we are not able to run any group classes this summer, and we are not able to run a recital, we will offer a remote dance program in lieu of our summer program. We realize that this is a very hard time financially for most families, and will work with all families to make sure everyone is able to continue dancing.

Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, & Keep Dancing,

Kim & Dan

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UPDATE: March 26th

Dear S.O.D.A. Families,

We cannot thank you enough for all the support and kind messages we have received over the last couple weeks. This is such a stressful time for everyone, and we feel really grateful to have such a wonderful dance family. We miss you very much! <3

As most of you probably know by now, New Hampshire has enforced a “Stay At Home” order until May 4th. We are hoping to return to classes on May 4th, but we will not have an actual re-open date until the end of April or beginning of May. We will keep everyone updated with weekly emails. Over the next few weeks teachers will continue to provide live & pre-recorded classes and/or workouts for students. Thank you so much for being patient as we try to navigate the world of online technology! If you have not received any videos yet, I promise you will!

Many of you have asked about recital. With the new “Stay At Home” orders we will not be ready for our May recital dates. A couple of weeks ago I booked the last weekend in June (Friday, June 26th, Saturday, June 27th, & Sunday, June 28th) as a back up. If we are able to start back up on May 4th, these will be our new recital dates. We know it will be a lot of work to finish dances and have them ready to perform, but we know we can all work through this and get it done.

If you are a dance company or dance team member, the Groove competition is still up in the air. It will not run the weekend of May 1st - 3rd, however, they may re-schedule. I will keep everyone updated as soon as I have more information.

Accounts will not be charged for tuition while the studio is closed. We realize we still have 2 weeks of classes to make up in March as well. We are hoping we can start back up on May 4th, and will pro-rate everyone’s tuition for the missed classes in March. In the meantime, please enjoy the videos, live classes, and keep sharing your dance videos and pictures on social media. We LOVE to see you dancing!

Stay safe & healthy,

Kim & Dan

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UPDATE: March 20th

Dear S.O.D.A. families,

Since March tuition has already been paid, and we were only able to have 2 weeks of classes before closing, we will be making up those missed classes in June. If we are not able to run classes in April and/or May, we will not charge tuition for those months. If we are not able to re-open by June we will be refunding everyone for the 2 weeks of March tuition.

If we are able to open back up in April or May, we will be offering tuition assistance to families who cannot afford to pay tuition due to loss of income. Please send me a private message ([email protected]) if you are in need of tuition assistance.

We are doing our best to keep our instructors employed and help our SODA families as well. We 100% know that videos and coloring pages are in no way a replacement for live dance classes. The videos and activities are not part of tuition, and we do not expect families to pay for these. We just wanted the students to continue dancing and to practice recital numbers in the hope that we will be able to re-open in April or May.

Sincerely,

Kim

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UPDATE: March 15th

Dear S.O.D.A. families,

The Sanborn & Exeter School districts have made the decision to close starting on Monday, March 16th, for a minimum of 2 weeks. School officials made the decision to close with the help of health partners, as well as monitoring research and information from DHHS and the CDC. Local health partners are in complete agreement with this proactive closure.

Since we have many families from both districts we have made the decision to close on Saturday, March 14th, for a minimum of 2 weeks. We must all work together to help slow down the spread of the virus. Our first priority is the safety of our students, families, and staff.

The dance industry has come together and created some amazing resources for studio owners, instructors, and students. We are all working together to keep students dancing during studio closures. Instructors will provide links to recital choreography so students can practice at home, as well some amazing online dance classes! We even have some fun dance themed coloring pages we will be sending out to our younger students. I am so proud to be part of such an amazing dance community. It really does take a village!

Since we do not know how long we will need to remain closed, we have a back up plan in place. We have tentatively booked the Exeter High School for the last weekend in June (26th, 27th, 28th) if our May recital dates are not possible. Students would not be charged for June tuition (to make up for the March & possibly April classes that are missed). We will also have all students wear costumes the last week of classes and do a mini in class performance. This way families that cannot attend the new recital dates (if we need to change the date), can still see their child/children perform in costume.

We will continue to evaluate the situation, and will work with local school and health officials over the next couple weeks. We will keep everyone updated throughout the process. Please feel free to email us with any feedback, questions, or concerns.

Thank you so much for your understanding,

Kim

*****We understand that many families and small businesses will be financially impacted due to business closures. We will be making up any missed classes due to the studio closure, and will be waiving all late fees for the remainder of the season. We are willing to work with families who are having a hard time financially due to loss of wages. Please send me a private message at [email protected] and I will be happy to offer tuition assistance, so that everyone can continue dancing. We are all in this together.

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