city dance studios

There have been a lot of questions about whether we will be re-joining with City Ballet School in their new building when they open again next September. We are very happy for them with the success of their new space and we did take a look at what they can offer us. Unfortunately, the hours they had available for us were too restrictive. For example on Tuesdays and Fridays we couldn't start until 8pm for any of our classes and on Saturdays, they also needed almost all the ho...urs in all the studios. We understand, of course, that they need to put the first emphasis on their own programming but we need to be able to operate much earlier on week nights. Those precious few hours are so important to our business model and we have had success starting classes earlier than we did at the old City Ballet space and it's hard to give that up, especially when the new space will cost quite a bit more per hour. Our current plan is to find a new space that can accommodate our business in a way we can afford and that can keep long-running time slots the same for teachers who have had success. For example, Rocko's Tuesday night 7pm class has been going for many many years and we want to be able to accommodate him, if he wants to start up again. This is just one example. Everything is so uncertain right now with Covid too. Yes, San Francisco is opening up again but they are only allowing 10% capacity for group fitness classes, which is the closest category to what we offer, but as we watch what is happening across the country and we see that the cities are shutting down again as it gets cold and people are indoors more, we are fearful that we would also have to shut down again and the financial pressure of opening and closing is really challenging. And, 10% capacity is not really workable. Thanks to the hard work of Jylly, many teachers are holding their classes on Zoom and even though the numbers are far from what the teachers or the studio really need, at least it keeps the community alive and provides much needed entertainment, fitness, laughter and community for those who are attending, and that make us feel great. We hope that the community will stick with us through this time, and come back when we are able to open in a way that we can afford and that also feels safe for our teachers, front desk people and students. We are so grateful to the teachers who have continued to teach, and understand the situations of those who have made other choices, and we are also very grateful to the students who continue to show up for the Zoom classes! And, special thanks to Jylly for being the Zoom master :) We are optimistic about the future and look forward to coming back when it's safe and financially viable. Best wishes, Sandy