Covid 19 studio guidelines
We have reached out to the Dance USA Task Force to help in our return to dance. Below you will find the guidelines we are implementing for summer and into the 2020-21 dance season.
The Dance USA Task Force on Dancer Health is committed to protecting the health and safety of professional dancers. The information in this document is meant as an adjunct to provide more information for dancers and companies as we all work to mitigate the transmission of COVID-19 and provide safe environments for dancers in the studio. The information in this document is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice or recommendations from federal, state and local public health authorities. As the knowledge regarding COVID- 19 is constantly changing, please also refer to the resources contained in this document and your local public health officials for the most up to date information.
How is the COVID-19 virus spread?
● Through droplet transmission in the air
○ Coughing, sneezing, forceful expiration, singing or yelling produces larger droplets that can
contain a higher virus concentration and spread farther.
○ Normal talking and breathing produce aerosol droplets that remain suspended in the air
● Through droplet transmission on surfaces - touching the virus and then touching your face
What if I just have a runny nose, sneeze, and cough from seasonal allergies?
● These symptoms are still an issue because COVID-19 is spread in the droplets from mucous
● You may have allergies but still be an asymptomatic carrier of the virus and spread the disease, causing
others to become ill
● If your allergies are not controlled, please see your doctor to help get these symptoms under control as
you should not be in the studio with any of these symptoms while the virus is still a threat.
Screening dancers and staff?
● For optimal safety, the answer is yes we will screen all dancers and staff entering the building.
○ Daily temperature checks.
■ Athletes presenting with a temperature > 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit should consult with a physician for further evaluation
○ Review of any symptoms that could be attributed to COVID-19
■ Cough, difficulty breathing, sore throat, unusual headache, unexplained muscle and/or
joint pain, chills, fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of sense of smell, pink eye
○ Signs of increased fatigue
○ Review of other possible symptoms and feeling unwell
○ Anyone with symptoms or fever is asked to return home, report to their physician and isolate
themselves.
● The same procedures will be applied to all employees entering your location
● All dancers and staff should be self-monitoring their symptoms. This may include but is not limited to:
● Checking for fever > 100.4, cough, shortness of breath twice a day
● Daily review of other symptoms that could be related:
○ Sore throat, congestion, headache, muscle and joint pain, chills, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, loss of sense of smell, pink eye
Anyone who develops symptoms should leave immediately, seek care from their physician, and isolate
Do dancers need to wear a mask?
IT IS NOT REQUIRED THAT DANCERS WEAR MASKS IN CLASS, IF THEY CHOOSE PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING.
DANCERS WILL NEED MASK ENTERING THE BUILDING AND WHEN WAITING DUE TO CURRENT STATE MANDATE.
● Considerations for dancers wearing masks
○ A mask will make it harder to breathe during exercise initially and dancers should self-monitor
for symptoms of: lightheadedness, dizziness, numbness or tingling, and shortness of breath
○ Monitor the intensity of your class/workout as you get used to wearing a mask during exercise
■ Your body will adapt over a few weeks to wearing a mask
○ If you start to feel dizzy, imbalanced, or over fatigued stop your activity and rest
○ Do your best not to remove your mask during class or rehearsal. If you do need to remove your
mask, dispose of single use masks in the trash or place a reusable mask into its own sealable bag, wash your hands and/or use an alcohol based hand sanitizer letting it dry for 30 seconds and then replace it with a clean one.
○ If your mask becomes saturated with moisture from breathing or sweat you need to change
into a dry mask.
■ A wet mask is less efficient at filtering bacteria and viruses
○ There are now multiple commercial reusable mask options available for use during
dance/exercise
● Do dancers need to wear gloves?
○ Gloves are not recommended by the CDC or WHO at this time
○ Best practice is wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds and/or use an alcohol-
based hand sanitizer as noted above
○ Washing hands is recommended before and after entering the studio
Please do not drop off your dancer prior to 5 min. Before class.
Dancers should arrive in dance wear.
This could be a leotard and shorts. DO NOT WEAR STREET CLOTHES.
Only dance shoes will be allowed on the floor. Please bring those in your bag and do not wear dance shoes outside. STREET SHOES AND BARE FEET ARE NOT ALLOWED.
Please keep your items in a bag and keep them with you. Dance items will be placed in the dance room your dancer is assigned to.
Dancers may bring a water bottle with them (WE WILL BE PROVIDING A REFILLABLE WATER BOTTLE TO ALL STUDENTS. (no food will be allowed in dance rooms)
You will as a parent have access through your parent portal this fall you dancers live classes you may log in and observe the classes this way. (Please keep in mind the students and staff can also see you on the camera)
*****IF YOU HAVE NOT REGISTERED FOR FALL CLASSES YOU NEED TO JUMP ONLINE AND REGISTER WE ARE REQUIRED TO LIMIT THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN EACH IN STUDIO CLASS. WE DO NOT WANT YOUR CHILD TO MISS OUT ON COMING TO DANCE.
OUR FALL CLASSES WILL BEGIN AUGUST 9TH. MASKS ARE OPTIONAL AS OF NOW. WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE INFORMATION AND WILL UPDATE AS NECESSARY.
Again we want to thank all of you for being the best part of Dance Dynamics. We can not wait to share dance with your family .