Update: September 26, 2018

Update: July 23, 2018

Dear Joy of Motion Community,

The Board of Directors is pleased to announce that the Fall 2018 Schedule launched this past Friday and classes are open for registration!

Thanks to the dedication and sacrifices of the Joy of Motion leadership, staff, and faculty, the organization is once again on stable financial ground. We are especially grateful to our Interim Leadership Team, Vanessa Rowan and Helen Hayes, for their commitment to Joy of Motion and for leading the organization through a challenging summer.

We are profoundly grateful to the nearly 100 students and community members who together contributed more than $35,000 in recent months to support Joy of Motion’s future. We are equally thankful for our wonderful institutional funders whose understanding and generosity were both essential to working through these recent challenges.

The Board is focused on the fiscal year-end closeout, as well as:

• Reviewing findings from our annual audit: in 2018 we began working with a new auditor based on the best-practice of rotating firms. We have finalized our work with the auditors and will be closely reviewing their findings. (We also plan to release the 2017-18 Annual Report in September.)
• Launching the search for the next Executive Director: the Board of Directors realizes that establishing permanent leadership is key to furthering the mission of Joy of Motion.  We have begun the work of developing the job posting and hope to fill this critical role in winter 2019.
• Building out the strategic plan for 2019-2021: in 2016, the Joy of Motion leadership and Board created a two-year strategic plan (see p. 5 of the 2016-17 Annual Report). The Board is now leading the effort to revise the existing plan and outline strategic activities for 2019-2021. This effort will include community feedback and support. We will be sharing ways to get involved, so stay tuned.

We will work to keep you informed as these efforts continue.  If you have any questions you can reach us at boardofdirectors@joyofmotion.org.

Finally, we hope that you will consider joining us at the Kennedy Center’s National Dance Day celebration on Saturday, July 28. The Joy of Motion group will be meeting in front Campono’s at 2PM. Please let us know if you can join us and remember to put on your JOM gear!

Thank you so much for your deep support of and committment to Joy of Motion. We are looking forward to seeing everyone in class.

– Joy of Motion Board of Directors

PS: This past June, the Board led three Community Conversation (one at each studio location) as an opportunity to learn more about Joy of Motion’s current financial situation, what brought us to this point, and what actions were taken to put the organization back on track. If you weren’t able to attend the meetings (or if you were!) and would like to see the notes, we would be glad to share those as well. Simply reply to this email and let us know.

Update: June 1, 2018

Dear Joy of Motion Students and Parents,

We have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of generosity over the past couple weeks. Thank you so much for investing in Joy of Motion, which means so much to so many.

Next, we wanted to provide you all with an update about the coming weeks and months:

– YES! Summer Session programs are happening! Now is the time: sign up for camp, sign up for classes. We can’t wait to spend the summer learning and dancing with you — together, we’ll keep Joy of Motion thriving! Summer Session begins on Monday, June 18.

– Fall Session programs for the Community Dance School, Center Stage, and Dance Institute will be announced in mid-July. With your continued support, we look forward to the rich array of programming that you have come to expect at Joy of Motion.

– A reminder to all parents of youth students: the year-end Joy of Motion Dance Festival (“JoyFest”) is coming up on Sunday, June 10. If you have questions, ask a studio manager, reply to this email, or visit the JoyFest webpage. We look forward to celebrating the work of our youth students with you!

– To date, we have received nearly $30,000 in donations from 60+ community members, which will be essential in concluding our Spring Session and beginning the summer with strength. If you are considering joining our donor community, know that you will make a tremendous difference. You can give securely online to the program of your choice.

– The Board of Directors and organizational leadership will host a series of community conversations with you, our faculty and staff, dancers, and families, to provide updates on the organization’s financial circumstances, answer questions, and express our appreciation to all who have contributed funds, time, and ideas to keep Joy of Motion strong. We are planning to schedule these Community Conversations for the week of June 11, so please look out for a follow-up email with dates, times, and locations.

Thank you again for your incredible generosity and understanding. We still have much work to do, but the future is looking brighter! We are committed to strengthening Joy of Motion in the months to come and continuing to create a place where “Dance is for Everyone.”

Be sure to register for summer and to keep an eye out for Fall programming!

All the best,
Helen Hayes, Interim Director of Programs
Vanessa Rowan, Interim Managing Director
and the Board of Directors at Joy of Motion Dance Center

Initial Message: May 11, 2018

Dear Joy of Motion Students and Parents,

First, this letter is long, but very important — so thank you in advance for sticking with us.

As you may know, after decades of consistent leadership, Joy of Motion has experienced significant leadership turnover recently, including three Executive Directors and two interim EDs since 2014. This past February, then-Executive Director Steve Barberio resigned unexpectedly, and so Helen Hayes and Vanessa Rowan agreed to step up and lead the organization in interim roles: Program Director and Managing Director.

In the last couple years, we’ve made great strides: the formation of LEAP!, Devenio in Motion, and American Dance Conservatory, expansion of our need-based financial aid and school partnership programs, and the launch of the Modern Dance Master Class series. We served more than 7,600 unique students in the last 12 months and have been actively growing our fundraising.

At the same time, we relocated our main offices, added a fourth studio space in Friendship Heights, and substantially revised our employee structure. Taken altogether, these changes greatly reduced our cash reserves. In recent weeks, our interim leadership alerted the Board to a substantial cash flow problem that was escalating more quickly than previously anticipated. The Board and leadership are fully committed to righting the financial ship together and truly believe we can do so by September. However, this will take time and require some difficult changes in the near-term.

Here is where things stand:

• While we do not have substantive debt, we also don’t have enough cash on hand to continue operating as we have been.
• We have implemented significant cuts in faculty and staff compensation across all levels.

Throughout this, Joy of Motion students who are enrolled or planning to enroll are our top priority and we are fully committed to moving forward together. Here is what you need to know:

• Youth & adult students who are enrolled in Winter/Spring or Spring Series classes will have class as scheduled, although we do anticipate some changes to next week’s schedule. Please check the website (and your email) this coming Sunday and Monday.
• For youth students (Grades 1-12) who are performing at the Joy of Motion Dance Festival on June 10, there will be a performance as planned; however, we will be switching to the “rain plan” and hold the performance indoors at the Jack Guidone Theatre at JOM | Friendship Heights and at the Atlas Performing Arts Center. Once details are in place, you will be notified of the exact time and place of your child’s performance.
• For students who are already enrolled in Summer Camp or are planning to enroll, camp will go on as planned.
• For adults or youth already enrolled in Summer Series classes, your class will run as planned; classes that do not yet have anyone enrolled may be removed from the schedule.
• If you auditioned for a Dance Institute program (or you are planning to audition for a Youth Performance Company), you will still receive a decision this spring — and if you are thinking about auditioning, please do! We want to make these programs as strong as possible in the fall.
• Adult drop-in classes will run whenever possible. Please check the website before you head to class to verify the teacher, date, time, and location.

In more detail, here is what else we are doing to right the ship:

• Our Board now has the full financial picture of the organization and is monitoring the situation very closely.
• We’re engaging in an in-depth analysis of every program to determine where philanthropic support is most needed.
• Our interim Program Director and Managing Director, Helen and Vanessa, have committed to staying on until this is resolved; the Board is truly grateful for their continued service to Joy of Motion and continues to have full confidence in their leadership.
• Our director-level employees have agreed to work for minimal pay and Board members are volunteering their time around the clock.
• Staff and faculty have been offered a reduced hourly rate for their time.
• Events for which we have paid in full already will happen as planned, such as this weekend’s concerts.

Here is how you can help:

• Make a donation of any size — everything makes a difference.
• Join the Studio Circle with a donation of $250 or more and play a crucial role in keeping the studio doors open and our classes running.
• Join the Joyful Circle by committing to donate $25 or more on a monthly basis.
• Volunteer your time at JoyFest on June 10th or in the studios.
• Keep dancing with us! Come to a drop-in class and bring a friend.

Joy of Motion has been a pillar of our community for decades. We are committed to emerging from this challenge and continuing to do our powerful, creative work. Help us keep going. Volunteer. Donate. Tell your teachers and studio staff how much you appreciate them. They are all making substantial sacrifices to continue to keep our community dancing.

Thank you, thank you for your understanding and patience. If you have any questions, please respond to this email and you will receive a response from a Board member as soon as possible.

The Board of Directors at Joy of Motion Dance Center