Capella Dance Academy
#3 & #4 7949 Venture Place V2R 0K2 Chilliwack, BC, Canada

My Press release sent to the media upon many requests for interviews. Unfortunately my health has suffered due to the stress of this situation and slander that ...is being thrown at us and at our dancers. I’m appalled. I am taking time to heal so I can take this head on. Thank you for all of the love and support. November 3rd 2020 Please excuse the grammar as I am still in recovery mode from this pandemic myself and under stress due to the fallout from the past days events. I am Sarah Wood, the owner of Capella Dance Academy in Chilliwack. I am a proud business owner in the community for over 20 years. First off, I would like to offer my sincere best wishes to all my students, their families and anyone else affected by this terrible situation. And I would like to thank those of you who offered your kind words of support. Please understand this was NEVER a cover-up or a secret hiding of information. I was simply doing what I was told by the powers that be. This is all the information I have to share and the timeline of events that have occurred to this day. On Friday October 23rd I woke up with what felt like a head cold. I was tested on Friday and have been isolated in my home since Friday morning. 3 days past with no word from Fraser health. I called in and got my positive test on Monday Oct. 26th I was told by Fraser health to wait until I hear from someone for contact tracing and that they didn’t think it would be necessary to close the studio. My gut told me otherwise so I immediately decided to shut my business down contacted parents. Tuesday, Oct. 27th I emailed the entire studio roster of my positive test and immediately closed the doors as a preventative measure. Still at this time receiving zero direction from Fraser health. Thursday, Oct 29th I was finally contacted by Fraser health. There wasn’t much contact tracing, they simply told me when I would have been contagious and sent me a letter to send to my families directly affected on my contagious days. Thinking that wasn’t enough action I chose to send it to the entire studio. At this point a great deal of dancers chose to be tested. I’m glad they did as some with no symptoms at all had tested positive. I was contacted for one class list for a class with a positive dancer. They can not disclose the information to me as to who had tested positive. To the local media, this was me attempting to keep this some sort of secret and they published that narrative, causing great stress to my family and families involved. Monday, November 2nd I was contacted by Fraser health and they are quite overwhelmed with the growing numbers in BC. To be of any assistance I could and to speed up the contact process, I assembled and offered my complete file of class lists for contact tracing. Fraser Health then decide that I should send a blanket email to the studio and only my studio for dancers to isolate 14 days from the last day in the studio as extra precaution as they work through the contact tracing. This was now 10 days after I went to be tested and 6 days after I closed the doors. I emailed my entire studio the updated information per Fraser Health request. I also then give Fraser health every dancers phone number so they can start the process. I did not know the amount of cases until it came out on the news and of course my heart was broken. I do not have any control on how fast Fraser health is working. I have cooperated 110% since the beginning to get this ball rolling. I do not have any control over how fast the school district is contacted. Fraser health is in charge of all contact tracing. I have done my very best to be proactive with the business and everyone’s well being while fighting this virus myself in isolation away from my husband and kids. The facts are this virus did not START in my studio. It has affected 45 million people across the planet. I have been open and transparent which is more then many other businesses that have also already been through this. The facts are that it’s in our community and regardless of all of the sanitizing, social distancing, masks in common areas it still made its way through our doors. I am not careless with my dancers or their families. I take all of the precautions in my personal life. Our dancers are friends at school, dance and outside of dance. I do not know where I contracted this virus. I don’t leave town, I don’t see friends or attend any gatherings. This is a pandemic. Kids are testing positive with no symptoms. How many children have gone home or stayed home sick from school with a Cold and not been tested and come back to school 2 days later. It’s in the grocery stores, it’s in the large and small businesses. I am just the first to be transparent about it and it needs to change. I’m currently trying to heal, support my dancers and focus on my family. I ask that when your children or yourself think you just have a cold please get tested. Due to the stress of the media and all of the slander that has ensued since the media releases has, to say the least, added stress on my family and slowed down my recovery process. Chilliwack, we need to do better to support each other, to educate ourselves before pointing fingers and reach out to help those in need because it will dominate our community in more ways then one. No one is exempt from this virus, NO ONE! I have done my very best and anyone that knows me knows that. I have been a business in Chilliwack for 20 years and have served the community as best as humanly possible and will continue to do so. Please take better care of each other

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL! We wish you a restful and relaxing weekend filled with Memory making with your loved ones!

LAST DAY TO REGISTER FOR SEASON 21!! Email or direct message for more info!

YES! We are still taking registration until October 1st!

Yes! We are still taking registration until Oct 1st for classes with space!! It’s not to late to register!! Email [email protected] to register today!