(Angie Rolheiser/northeastNOW Staff)

By Aaron Schulze

dancing at a distance

Northeast dance studios preparing for modified season following re-opening

Jul 9, 2020 | 10:30 AM

As performing arts have resumed as of July 6, dancing will be back for the fall season, albeit a bit differently.

Paulette Puetz, Melfort Dance Centre owner and artistic director, is part of the Canadian Dance Teacher’s Association’s Saskatchewan Branch that created a booklet to assist dance studios in reopening.

The 23-page guideline features mandatory measures from Health Canada, tips from other provinces that reopened performing arts, and suggestions of sanitization and keeping social distance.

“It was very challenging,” Puetz said regarding the creation of the booklet. “First we were told we were allowed to open well before [July 6]; we’ve been dealing with this a few weeks already. I think everybody will have to look at their own studios and the spaces they’ve got, and make sure all of the children are safe and follow the government guidelines.”

For the Melfort Dance Centre’s case, Puetz bought coloured tape to layer throughout her studio to keep students at a safe distance. She also expects to have limited class sizes to follow the 30-person gathering limit.

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Still, limited, distanced dancing is better than no dancing at all.

“It’s been a long few months,” Puetz said. “Those young children really become part of our families. We closed our doors March 16. We weren’t able to complete our dance season with our annual recitals and the attendance of competitions. We miss them and we know the students have missed us as well.”

Melfort Dance Centre will host its summer intensive from Aug. 18 to 20, with hopes of conducting fall registration. In the event of a second wave of coronavirus, Puetz said her studio would consider leaning on online video lessons.

Elsewhere, Tisdale Dance Centre told northeastNOW it intends to reopen in the fall and hold registration on Aug. 1.

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aaron.schulze@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @SchulzePANow