Joy of Motion enters Phase 1 of Reopening on September 8, 2020!

We hope that you are all healthy and well! We are so excited to get back to dancing with you. But first, an update regarding this fall: 

There will be significant and exciting changes in the coming year as a part of Joy of Motion’s institutional commitment to give more emphasis to Black voices, dancers, and dance forms and to help set the organization up for a sustainable future. These changes will take shape in the form of our policies, programming, and strategic direction. 

We’ve used this summer as an opportunity for change and growth as we too are adapting to this new normal by making sure we have the right infrastructures in place to protect our students, families, teaching artists, and staff. We established reopening committees of staff, teaching artistis, and volunteers to assess and recommend policies and procedures to ensure that Joy of Motion is a safe, equitable, and brave space to work and dance. This reevaluation is essential for the sustainability of the organization. 

To keep us all healthy and safe, our traditional fall session of series classes for youth and adults will be broken out into shorter digital sessions. Joy of Motion will not be returning to in-person instruction before January of 2021 at the earliest.

Fall Digital Session Dates

Fall Session 1: September 8-October 25 • $120-$140
Monday classes will be 6 weeks long & Tuesday-Sunday Classes will be 7 weeks long
Registration Will Open Soon!

Fall Session 2: October 26 – December 20 • $140
All classes will be 7 weeks long, fall session 2 includes a one-week break for the Thanksgiving Holiday.
Registration Opens Mid-September

Fall Break (Thanksgiving Week): November 23 – November 29
No series classes meet this week.

Performance Class Session: MORE INFORMATION COMING THIS WINTER! STAY TUNED!

Prices are inclusive of a $25 non-refundable administrative processing fee.

While we’re online, we will be focusing on continuing to offer high-quality instruction in a variety of styles and levels for all ages. Though the quantity of classes offered may decrease, the diversity and quality of the classes will not. 

Students who were previously a part of performing ensembles can expect to hear from us in the next few weeks about recommended classes for the fall. 

Adult drop-in classes will be announced soon! 

Workshops, masterclasses, and special online events will be scheduled on an ongoing basis. Keep checking back for more information.

The reopening committees have also been developing plans to help build the new Joy of Motion. As a part of that work, the Operations Committee has developed a phased reopening plan that puts the safety of the community first. This plan has been informed by: guidelines and laws from our local government and the CDC, industry-specific research & recommendations, and by our colleagues in the dance & fitness community. We have included a visual overview of the plan as well as broad descriptions of the phases below. 

We are hopeful for the future and know that together, we will get through this challenging time. Thank you so much for being a part of our community. We cannot wait to start dancing with you again. 

Joy of Motion Dance Center

Phase 0: Planning & Reopening Committee Work (Summer 2020)

This phase began in mid-June and will go through September 4.

The committees of staff, teaching artists, and volunteers have been developing these opening plans, new policies and processes to help us rebuild a NEW Joy of Motion. This phased reopening plan and the tactical procedures that will help us get back into the studios are all a part of that work.

Phase 1: Opening Virtually —  Starting September 8, 2020, Virtual Classes Resume

Online classes will resume! Our team is currently developing a schedule together with our Programming Committee of instructors and volunteers. Look for further detail around August 15. 

In this phase, we will be teaching classes over Zoom, and both staff and teaching artists will be remote. Limited numbers of staff and teaching artists will be permitted to access studios to teach classes as needed for long class blocks. Under current legislation, it costs us $150 in cleaning fees and one hour of time to fully sanitize studio spaces between each use. These measures are critical to keeping our community safe at this time. 

We will also be utilizing this time to look at industry research, guidelines from our local government, and other dance studios to identify and implement safety measures for students when they are able to return.

Phase 2: Instructors Return — Virtual Classes Continue

Instructors are encouraged to return to teach from the studios if they feel comfortable. Zoom classes will continue with staff supporting teaching artists onsite and remotely. In this phase, we will also be testing our safety precautions to ensure that staff and teaching artists feel safe, comfortable, and prepared to welcome students back to the studios. 

Phase 3: Minimal Capacity — Some Students Return, Virtual Classes Continue

A very limited number of students will be permitted to return to the studios with strict social distancing and increased cleaning measures in place. We are exploring the possibility of offering in-person and virtual hybrid classes or a combined schedule of in-person and virtual programming.

Phase 4: Increased Capacity — More Students Allowed to Return

Welcoming a slightly increased number of students back to the studio with social distancing and increased cleaning measures remaining in place. Programming continues as it did in Phase 3.

Phase 5: Full Capacity — New Normal

Returning to Pre-COVID-19 studio capacity. Resuming outreach programs & performances.

This is a community and we are here to support one another and we will continue to reach out on a routine basis by posting here, emailing, and posting on our social media pages:

For more details on the CDC’s recommendation on how you can protect yourself and your family from COVID-19, please see below.

Please read on to see all of the resources below, or
Click here to Leave us a comment

Additional Coronavirus (COVID-19) News, Resources, Advice:

• Resources for Freelance Artists Impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic
• What Kids Want to Know About Coronavirus: A Comic from NPR
• Center for Disease Control
• World Health Organization
• DC Health
• Montgomery County: Health and Human Services
• Prince George’s County: Health and Human Services
• Maryland: Health and Human Services
• Virginia: Department of Health
• Regional Departments of Health: Virginia

April 11, 2020 Update:

Dear Joy of Motion Community,

We hope that you all have been able to stay safe and in good health during the COVID-19 pandemic. As many of you already know, Joy of Motion closed all three studios on March 16, 2020 to protect the safety of our students and staff, and to comply with orders issued by local health officials. These mandatory local restrictions have removed our ability to provide the in-person classes that account for nearly 80% of Joy of Motion’s revenue.

These are unprecedented times. Our biggest priority is making sure Joy of Motion can survive this closure so that when we are permitted, we can quickly reopen. With that in mind, we wanted to inform you of some extremely difficult decisions.

1. We are canceling all remaining classes and performances, with the goal of resuming operations in Summer 2020.
2. We have laid off all of our faculty and part-time staff. Faculty will still have the opportunity to contribute to our online learning library. We are looking at resources that will help them through this tough time and are committed to staying connected.
3. Full-time staff will stay on to maintain some basic operations, but they have all taken a significant reduction in pay.

Those of you who have already paid for spring and summer camps have a few different options. We have the ability to offer you an account credit to use when our doors reopen, a receipt for a tax-deductible donation of the pro-rated tuition dollars (if you are in a position to donate), or a pro-rated refund for the services that we are unable to provide at this time. Should we not hear from you by July 31, 2020, your account will be granted a credit equal to the services we are unable to provide at this time.

Joy of Motion remains strongly committed to our community. We don’t make these decisions lightly and we are eager to come back even stronger once this crisis is over. In the coming months, we will be developing our new online programming pillar, and releasing as much on-demand content to the public as we are able. We believe this new asset represents a unique engagement opportunity for our organization that will only strengthen our community even after the pandemic passes.

How can I stay connected and help Joy of Motion?

• Dance with us! Browse our Online Learning Library and keep dancing.
• Chat with us! Our community Slack channel is going strong, and we would love for you to join the conversation.
• Donate! Now more than ever we need your financial support. Your donation will help us re-hire faculty and open our doors as soon as we are permitted.

Our dancers mean the world to us and we are committed to making sure our community thrives. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns, and we will do our utmost to respond as soon as we can.

Stay safe everyone.

April 3, 2020 Update:

Our administrative staff has been working non-stop to help continue to serve the community through this crisis. After several weeks with minimal time to rest, we’re taking a breath over the weekend to recuperate and recharge our batteries. If you have any issues with videos over the weekend, or our videos are not as accessible as you’d hoped, we sincerely apologize. Please drop us a line at bethesda@joyofmotion.org, friendshipheights@joyofmotion.org, or hstreet@joyofmotion.org and we will get back to you as soon as possible on Monday Morning.

Please stay safe, please stay healthy, and if you are experiencing any symptoms at all, please contact your primary care physician.

March 30, 2020 Update:

You may have heard that one of our instructors has tested positive for COVID-19. Tiffany Haughn, who had given us her permission to relay this information, only teaches in the Bethesda Studio once a week, on Tuesdays, and was last in our studios on March 10. She did not come into contact with anyone positive for COVID-19 until March 15 and did not start showing symptoms until March 18. Tiffany has only had mild symptoms and has even been able to teach her class via livestream from her home.

Please stay safe, please stay healthy, and if you are experiencing any symptoms at all, please contact your primary care physician.

March 23, 2020 Update:

Your health is our top priority. To protect the wellbeing of all of our dancers, our three studios locations are currently closed and the online learning library is open!

We are excited to announce the Joy Online Learning Library to keep our community together, moving, and most importantly, dancing during this uncertain time.

MARCH 13, 2020 UPDATE:

Your health is our top priority. To protect the wellbeing of all of our dancers, our three studios locations will be CLOSED the week of March 16, 2020 through March 22, 2020.  This includes ALL of our programming for youth and adult students.

We WILL be open THIS WEEKEND from SATURDAY, MARCH 14 and SUNDAY, MARCH 15, 2020 for ALL adult and youth classes. We will be contacting students about specific classes via email and social media if individual instructors are unable to teach their classes.

Please know that we did not make this decision lightly.  We will be monitoring the situation daily to ensure that we are maintaining the safest recommended protocols.

Additional information regarding our status after March 22, 2020 will be communicated to you as decisions are made.

We are also exploring additional digital resources in the interim that will keep our community together, moving, and most importantly, dancing during this uncertain time.

This is a community and we are here to support one another and we will continue to reach out on a routine basis.

MARCH 5, 2020 UPDATE:  Your health and safety are our highest priority and we strive to provide a healthy dance environment. We will continue to provide as many resources as possible to promote hygiene and cleanliness for our Joy of Motion community. We advise all our students and faculty to partake in these resources for the continued well-being of our community.

As a precautionary measure due to the possible spread of COVID-19, Joy of Motion is upping the disinfecting game in the studios. In an effort to prevent the spread of any unwanted germs, we ask that students please:

PRACTICE PREVENTION

Staying healthy requires as much practice as becoming a great dancer. Please practice these proven methods to help keep our dance family healthy. We are asking our faculty and staff to reinforce these strategies during the day and are asking that you help reinforce them at home!

Follow the link to see the #handwashdance

• Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use alcohol-based sanitizers to clean hands.
  • Pro Tips:
    Happy Birthday twice through is 20 seconds, but here is a list of other songs with 20-second choruses
    Do the #handwashdance from TikTok while you scrub.

• Cover your cough or sneeze (both mouth and nose) with a tissue, immediately discard that tissue into the trash, and wash your hands after coughing or sneezing. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow, not your hands.
• Wipe down frequently used surfaces in your home, at the studio, at school, and at work. In the studios, we’ve provided disinfecting wipes to use on the barres and mats before, during, and after class. We also recommend bringing your personal yoga mats from home to use during floor work.
• Greet people with jazz hands instead of handshakes, hugs, or high-fives

 

WE LOVE DANCING WITH YOU, BUT…

• PLEASE STAY HOME WHEN YOU ARE SICK! We know that for a lot of our community, coming to class is how you start to shake off the groggy, sick feeling. Please do not push through. We are also asking our staff and faculty to stay home if they are not feeling well.
• PLEASE STAY HOME IF YOU HAVE POTENTIALLY BEEN EXPOSED! We want to keep our community safe and healthy. If your school, office, church, or community organization closes due to potential COVID-19 coronavirus exposure (read: not out of “an abundance of caution), we ask that you stay home for as long as your school/office/community organization remains closed or until you receive a clean bill of health from your doctor.

INSIDE THE STUDIOS

We’re committed to delivering an enjoyable and safe experience for our dancers. Our faculty will be washing and sanitizing their hands before and after each class, but we are also taking extra precautions to reduce, and in some cases eliminate, all non-essential physical contact for the time being. As a result, you may be getting fewer hands-on corrections in classes and may see some adjusted choreography or class flows. Our studio staff will be wiping down the check-in iPads, door handles, barres, sound carts, and other high-touch surfaces in the studio with increased frequency.

NEXT STEPS

We’ll be keeping our community up-to-date on our website, social media, and via email!

QUESTIONS?

If you have any questions or concerns, please call or text 202.813.9505 to speak to a studio staff member the next time you come to class.

Ask Us Online

Stay healthy, stay informed, happy dancing!