Dear Joy of Motion Community Members,

In these unprecedented times, Joy of Motion Dance Center is faced with great financial challenges due to the pandemic and the urgency of accountability initiated by the Black Lives Matter movement. As you know, both have had a tremendous impact on the organization. 

We are committed to transparency, integrity, and honesty in communications with you—our community. In particular, we are determined that Joy of Motion returns to our founding principle that Dance is for Everyone™. The board recognizes that sustaining and preserving Joy of Motion is a multidimensional effort that requires stabilizing our finances, accepting responsibility, effectively communicating with faculty, parents, and students, and cultivating a culture of trust with our community.

To that end, we are planning to host two community town hall meetings. In both, we will provide an opportunity for community members to address concerns about past actions at our organization and to create a space for open discussions.

• Saturday, October 17, 2020 – 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM 
• Wednesday, October 21, 2020 – 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

SIGN UP TO RECIEVE THE ZOOM LINK HERE

As the board of Joy of Motion, we want to express our gratitude and appreciation to our current faculty members and the dance community that are dancing with us online in our virtual classes. We would also like to extend our deepest apologies to those who were hurt or offended by actions of anyone connected with the organization. We do not condone this unacceptable behavior. We believe in being a community that values equity and human dignity, in being a safe place for dancers of all ages and backgrounds.

Honoring the transparency and openness we are committed to upholding, we share the following updates and action items:

1. On September 8, 2020, the Joy of Motion board elected seven diverse and knowledgeable new members. These new board directors bring a wealth of expertise to our organization. They come from wide-ranging backgrounds and experiences, including dance education, community service, arts administration, human resources, governance, ethics, financial analysis, and real estate. Many of our new directors are also dancers and are deeply committed to building and rebuilding the Joy of Motion community’s joy. You can see our full board with bios here.​ In addition to electing seven new board members, we have also provided for the faculty the opportunity to elect two faculty liaisons to observe and provide feedback during board meetings. The bios of this year’s board faculty representatives are also on the board web page.
2. We have moved out of the Friendship Heights location permanently, as of mid-September.  The FH location has been a DC dance landmark for nearly 30 years, and we hold many treasured memories from this space. We would like to thank Able Moving Company for their help and support with this move!
3. In September, Elizabeth Watson, who in June stepped into the role of interim Co-Executive Director with Krystal Odom, left the organization for an opportunity in the private sector. We thank her for her year of service and wish her nothing but the best in her new endeavor! We are thrilled that she will be staying connected to our community by continuing to teach virtual classes with us this fall.

Joy of Motion is determined to do the right thing and position ourselves for sustainability and growth. Please help us bring the JOY back to Joy of Motion Dance Center.

We have much work to do and we are ready to rebuild. We are implementing inclusive and anti-racist practices in our studio policies, class curricula, and relationships. It is crucial to proceed with care, empathy, and equity while asking the right questions and doing the work. The process will not be perfect. We will need your help. 

If you have questions or if you would like to express comments or concerns, please email board@joyofmotion.org​.

Sincerely,

The Joy of Motion Dance Center Board of Directors