Hi LBT Dance Family!
We have some answers to questions that we are sure are on your minds about the COVID-19 outbreak and studio operations.
Firstly, due to the decision of the State of Oklahoma to suspend public school classes, and City of lawton suspending any gatherings of 10 or more people, we must suspend our in person classes and large rehearsals through the beginning of April. We will be moving to online classes, and have opportunities for in person private lessons during that time. We will also be adding at least 2 weeks to the end of our season so that your dancer gets an additional amount of in class time as well at no extra cost. Normally we would finish May 22nd until summer camps, but we will be going until June 5th and we will amend that date as need be.
Rehearsals that will be rescheduled/or canceled Frozen Jr March 28th, Frozen Sr. April 4th.
Online classes! This is actually something we have wanted to try for dancers who are sick or out of town etc. We will be live streaming and recording all classes starting March 23rd until we resume normal in studio operations. We will advise you on the online system later this week. With the systems that we have been researching and purchasing, you will be able to log in at your dancers regularly scheduled time, and they will be able to work technique, get corrections live from us, work on showcase pieces or choreography and more. You will also be able to go back and watch these things again and we will be able to send you links to information for your student to work on.
We understand this pandemic will have a financial burden on some families, so we are adding a 15% discount to every familys account on top of any discounts you may already be receiving. You will see this discount on your online account later this week when April tuition posts. Automatic Payments will still run on April 1st and will include this 15% discount. We are also extending the late payment deadline to April 15th by when we hope to be back in studio. It is really important to us that we continue to offer our staff their hourly wages while they are teaching the online classes and working at the desk. LBT is a source of income for 16 employees, we do not want them to be deprived of their income during a time when many other businesses are suspending work. We appreciate everyones support and understanding during this time and feel truly grateful to be part of such a wonderful dance family.
We will be offering free online classes for parents, yoga and stretching and conditioning. You all are probably pretty stressed too. Take advantage of these and take care of yourselves too. Watch your email inbox and Facebook for these class times.
We will be offering a very discounted rate on in person and virtual private lessons. If your dancer wants one on one time please contact us at info@lawtonballet.com
How to set up your room for online classes: We suggest clearing a 10’X10′ space inside or outside. If your dancer is participating in a ballet or pointe class, get a chair or counter top that is about chest height for your dancer to act as a barre. For tap if you have a piece of plywood that you can put down that works really well in a pinch. Do not tap on tile! Thats a great way to fall. When all else fails just use tennis shoes and do soft shoe.
Showcases, Concert, Musical, Competition and Recital updates – As of right now our Musical theatre showcase, Choreography concert, Into the Woods musical, Dance competition, and Frozen recital are all on track to take place on the days and times we scheduled. Our venues have assured us that they believe they will be able to host us, and we sincerely hope that with as far out as these events are, that we will have resumed normal activities long before they come. Most of the lead costumes for Frozen have begun arriving and the classes just had a huge shipment come in today. They are gorgeous and we can not wait to give them out!
Dates as of now:
Competition ( applies to company dancers only) April 25-26th
Choreography Concert – May 1st 7pm
Musical theatre Showcase – May 2nd 2pm
Into the Woods – May 8th 7pm
Frozen Jr – May 15th at 6:30pm May 16th at 2pm
Frozen Sr – May 16th at 7pm and May 17th at 2pm
Lastly we would like to say how beneficial it will be for your child to continue to have the sense of normalcy, community and connection by continuing to dance. We could certainly just take that time off as most of our choreography and rehearsing is about 2 weeks ahead of schedule, but we know that to them, everything probably feels very uncertain being at home such a long time. That?s why we are providing these online classes.
We hope you?ll take advantage of them and stand by us during this time!
Sincerely,
Katie & Scott Veenhuizen
“To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful. This is power, it is glory on earth and it is yours for the taking”
Agnes De Mille
