Dance Circle
12011 224th St V2X 6B7 Maple Ridge, BC, Canada

Although we hope 2021 brings fewer restrictions and more opportunities to dance, 2020 had its share of successes which we would like to make sure you are aware of - February: Several of our students were selected as student participants to perform in Ballet Jorgen’s ballet, Anne of Green Gables. Between 45 and 50 dancers and families participated as audience members as well and thoroughly enjoyed the performance at The ACT. We again had the privilege of holding Master Class...Continue reading

The latest PHO mentions the use of YOGA MATS as a means of reducing floor-washing. Cleaning floors cut into class times, so we really appreciate your cooperation in bringing your mat to each and every class. They are not required for Tap classes. Tap & Jazz Youth Level 1 DOES need a mat as DOES Creative Movement. Nothing has changed drastically. We are currently running low-intensity classes for everyone. The only exception is for youth (21 and under) who are preparing for ...exams and must practice high demand exercises. These will be executed with one or two people, plus an instructor, in the studio at a time. Masks will be worn at all times in common areas and in class for students aged 9 and over.

Happy New Year Dancers, their Families, and Friends of the Dance Circle! I hope you all had a joyous holiday with your families and this finds everyone healthy and safe.... Our new set of protocols and the health check that the Provincial Health Office wants us to use have been sent out by email. Please read carefully - especially the health check, which is also attached below. PLEASE REPLY TO THE EMAIL THAT WAS SENT THAT YOU WILL CHECK YOURSELF/YOUR CHILD EACH TIME ATTENDING THE STUDIO. This is a PHO requirement.

Good news everyone! The long-promised new Provincial Guidelines arrived last night. We are already observing most of their measures, some to a much greater extent than they are expecting and some minor adjustments will be made. My "essay" for this morning is to re-do our Covid plan (again) and have it posted in the studio before classes start. I will also email it to everyone.... So -long-story-short, we are back to in-studio classes this week. I can't wait to see you!

Just a reminder that our classes continue through Monday, December 21st and resume Monday, January 4th. Adult classes are still on Zoom for the time being. Next week, beginning Tuesday, December 15th, is CRAZY CHRISTMAS HAT DAY!! Wear your craziest hat, light it up, decorate it it can be a Santa hat, Elf hat, Reindeer hat, Angel halo, Christmas tree topper hat whatever you can come up with. If you come more than once a week, you can change hats for every day you come.

Hi Everyone, The good news is, children under the age of 19 can return to dance. The Provincial order was changed. This means all of our children and youth classes have resumed as of Friday, Dec. 4. The protocols we were using before the closure will remain in place. The not so good news is that adult classes have been moved up into the "high-intensity" category, so are now suspended indefinitely.... We will continue those classes on Zoom and will keep you updated. Again, thank you for your patience through all of this! Happy Dancing! Miss Susan

We are holding classes via Zoom this week beginning today or until the new Provincial Health Guidelines are posted. Current students should check their emails daily for updates.

Who knew commercial jingles were so danceable?

Warm-up Clothes The studio doors are going to be open quite frequently thought the fall and winter for two reasons. The front door will be open to reduce touching by individuals and we are going the crack doors open to increase the circulation of air. You may want to invest in a wrap dance sweater (black, pink, white or navy) for girls and a warm, tight-fitting sweater for boys (black, white, grey or navy). The dancers usually get very warm quite quickly, but initially, they might feel cold when they enter the studio

Calendar of Events The Calendar of Events for 2020/21 is a bit difficult to predict, but this is what we have planned for the foreseeable future: Classes resume (with some possible adjustments) Monday, November 23, 2020... Last Class before Winter Break Monday, December 21, 2020 Classes Resume Monday, January 4, 2021 Open House at MRDC Sunday, January 24. 2021 Family Day, classes as usual Monday, February 15, 2021 Summerstage Festival Saturday, June 19, 2021

Re: Provincial Health Office Order November 24 I received an email from the Provincial Health Office (PHO) late Tuesday evening. We must suspend all dance classes until the PHO posts an updated list of Covid-19 guidelines. They have us assured it is being worked on and will be available this week. I will try to have updates to you by 1:00 each day letting you know if we have resumed classes or not. There is no mention of one-to-one coaching in the new order, which we were per...mitted to do last week. Thank you again for your patience and understanding. Yours in Dance, Miss Susan Dance with passion, Sing with all your heart; Love your neighbour, but STAY APART!

#TheNutcrackerNBC is coming to a screen near you! In partnership with Cineplex, a special presentation of the beloved classic, previously captured live at the F...our Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto, will be available to stream online on the Cineplex Store and shown in select theatres across Canada from December 4 >> https://bit.ly/32X0CxM Christopher Gerty by Anne-Marie Jackson and Johan Hallberg-Campbell

Health Compromised Families We are more than willing to offer private lessons with every safety measure we can put in place. These can be supplemented with some video work for home. Family members in the same bubble can take advantage of this as well. We will only offer these when there is nobody else in the studio except the teacher and the students. ... We will also endeavor to keep the cost comparable to in-studio classes.

PURDY’S CHOCOLATE ORDERS!!! The deadline to get your Purdy’s Chocolate orders is this Friday, November 20. Please get your order in on time!

Classes November 16 through 21 I hope you are staying healthy and are practicing dance at home. We are going to move into some new methods of bringing dance to you, which may involve a combination of Zoom, YouTube Unlisted Videos and In-studio classes. ... This coming week will be our experimental week with technology and your class may be notified that you will be participating. In short, classes are still suspended for this week, but you may be notified of an opportunity to be involved in a home learning option. STAY TUNED!

"People are now more curious about her probably than they were ever during her life."

Home Learning During the Covid restrictions we anticipated that we would receive requests for home learning or Zoom classes. After much discussion and deliberation we’ve decided that Zoom is not a format that we feel comfortable using for a number of reasons. We have also not had any requests for home learning to date. ... Several of our health compromised students have returned and feel comfortable dancing in-studio with the safety measures we have in place.

Just a friendly reminder that Purdys orders are due November 20. Chocolates make a great Christmas gift!

We still have a few pair of our new Dance Circle Jazz shorts left. They are $30 a pair and of very good quality, so don’t miss out!

Missing Classes It is still best to call the studio when students are missing class it is the surest way to get the information to the teacher prior to the class.

The Food Drive Donations will be taken away November 1, so make sure you donate in time to help out the less fortunate in our community.

HALLOWEEN COSTUME PARADE Due to Covid safety precautions: - All participants must be registered and paid for prior to Thursday, October 29 at 8 pm ($10 per participant or $15 for two siblings). You may etransfer to this email address and use the password circle, or put cash in an envelope clearly marked with your child’s name and HALLOWEEN COSTUME PARADE.... - Participants will put into groups of up to 10 and will be assigned a 30-minute time slot between 12 noon and 2 pm. - Participants will arrive at the front door and line up 6 feet apart, then parade with music into the studio where the judges will take a good look at each costume. - Participants will then be given the opportunity to perform a dance, a trick, or treat us with a good joke or riddle in the performance space. This is optional, but please note the following: .. To remain contactless, dances may be performed to Monster Mas, Thriller, Purple People Eater, or Jack’s Lament. Please DON’T bring your own music. Riddles and jokes must be appropriate for all ages. ..Groups of up to three may perform together, but they must stay 6 feet apart. - Certificates and Trophies will be awarded to winners in a multitude of categories, with lots of fun being the focus! - Parents will meet participants at the studio back door (west entrance) where Trick and Treaters will pick up their pre-packaged goody bags and depart.

New classes are starting! We are offering Beginner Ballet for Adults on Monday evenings; Hip Hop (Street Dance) for Adults with some dance experience on Thursday evenings. We also have a couple of adults interested in Beginner Tap (days and times TBA), and a No-bounce Ballet class for Adults with knee, hip and back issues (daytime on Wednesdays). These classes will start in November.... We also still have room in some of our children’s classes. Please spread the word to your friends and relatives that our classes are running safely and very productively!

Purdy’s Chocolate order forms are being sent home with one member of each family. Our scholarship relies heavily on your generous support of this program each year. You can make your purchases online, or send on order form with a cheque to the studio. ... We appreciate your participation!

The Santa Parade, which Maple Ridge Dance Circle participates in annually, is going to be held in a different format this year, at the Albion Fairgrounds. We will get more information to you as soon as we receive it!

We are preparing an order of new Dance Circle clothes and accessories. These will feature our 30th Anniversary Logo. We will be offering t-shirts in ladies, men’s and children’s styles, duffel bags and drawstring bags, sweatpants and hoodies, as well as children’s dance shorts. There have been a few requests for jackets, so we will look into this as well. The orders will be ready for pick up before Christmas. An order form with prices will be available next week. We will email it to you and post it here on the page.

Dance Shorts For Sale! We have some brand new black spandex shorts with our logo on them in stock. They are a new style that our students chose. They are available now for $30 a pair, first come, first served. ... We have 2 child medium; 1child large; 5 adult small; 2 adult medium. We also have 1 pair black child x-small of the older style with a new logo which we can sell for $15 Call the studio for more details.

Drop-off and Pick-up It is really important that drop-off and pick up of students go smoothly this year to help us with numbers in the building, contact tracing etc. Please adhere to the following:... Please drop your child off 5 minutes to a maximum of 10 minutes prior to his or her class time. Wait until the door is opened before letting students out of the car. Don’t be late!!!! Please be parked and available for your child to get to the car a few minutes before the end of the class. Don’t be late!!!!

Calendar of Events A Calendar of our Annual Events will be sent to you by mid-November. In the meantime, classes will run every day as scheduled (including school Pro-D days) except Remembrance Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11.) ... If there are any class cancellations you will be notified by email and by phone as soon as is reasonably possible.

We're now on Instagram! Check us out at https://www.instagram.com/mapleridgedancecircle/.