Last Updated: 10/27/20
Greenwich Ballet Academy Safety Guidelines
We want to keep everyone informed about what we are doing to try to keep our GBA community healthy.
Basic health concepts
- Dancers, faculty and staff should only be at the studios if feeling completely well with no symptoms of illness (including a runny nose, sneeze and cough from seasonal allergies)
- Symptoms that could be attributed to COVID-19 include: cough, difficulty breathing, sore throat, unusual headache, unexplained muscle and/or joint pain, chills, fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of sense of smell, pink eye, COVID toes and rashes
- Even if you do not have a temperature, if you have any of the symptoms listed above please do not come to the studios
- If your dancer has any signs of illness (including a temperature higher than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit), you will be asked to pick up your dancer promptly and see a physician. Your dancer may not return to GBA until fully recovered
- If your dancer or anyone in your household is diagnosed with COVID-19, you must notify GBA immediately
- Face masks/coverings are required to be worn over the nose and mouth in our premises. Any individual who fails to wear a mask properly and consistently may be asked not to attend in-person classes or leave the premises, at GBA’s sole discretion. If there are any health issues or concerns due to wearing a mask, please communicate with Ms. Ella or Ms. Patricia. Reusable face masks/coverings should be washed properly, ideally in a washer with hot water and soap, daily and before re-use
- Frequent hand washing throughout the day and use of disinfectant is essential both upon arrival and departure of facility
- Practicing social distancing is encouraged at all times. No hugs or physical contact between students will be allowed
- Class sizes will be limited based on social distancing requirements and which studio is being used
- Ballet studios will be marked with social distancing tape to ensure dancers are 6 feet apart. Dancers will be assigned a barre spot for the full week
Ballet Attire and Locker Use
- Dancers are strongly encouraged to come to class completely dressed under your street clothes. Dancers should NOT come to the studio in their ballet attire with no street clothes over the ballet attire.
- Ballet slippers (and warm-up booties) should be put on once inside the facility. You may NOT enter the facility wearing your ballet slippers or warm-up booties which you intend to use in the studios.
- If you have been assigned a locker, all your belongings must be stored inside your locker except for your water bottle and pointe shoe bag which should be brought to your assigned barre spot in the studio.
Drop-off and arrival procedures
- Parents are encouraged to drop off their dancer not more than 15 minutes before class start time for Early Prep, Pre Academy 1 and 2, and Levels 1A to 3A, and not more than 25 minutes before class start time for Levels 3B and above
- Parents or caretakers of students in Pre Academy 2 (PA2) and above may escort their
dancer to the front door but adult must be wearing a face mask/covering. For dismissal of students in Pre Academy 2 (PA2) and above, parents or caretakers are requested to wait outside the main entrance at dismissal time. Dancers will be permitted to leave the building once they have notified Ella/GBA staff member that they see their parent/caretaker waiting outside the door - Dancers should enter the facility one at a time unless they are members of the same household
- If you arrive when there are other dancers waiting to enter the facility please line up outside the facility, 6 feet apart from each other, and wait for your turn to come in
- We will conduct a wellness and temperature check with a no-touch forehead thermometer for each individual before entering the facility
- If the temperature is above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, your dancer will be sent home
- Dancer must use hand sanitizer both upon arrival and departure of studio. There will be a hand sanitizing station near the right credenza
- Dancers should be picked up promptly after class ends
Parents on premises
- Parents or caretakers of younger dancers who also need to bring with them a
baby/toddler must leave the stroller inside the front entrance and all children 2 years and over must wear a face covering; parents are not permitted to stay in the hallways once they have helped their dancer in to their ballet slippers and taken them to their assigned studio - New parents may enter the facility to meet with Ella or other GBA staff but only if
wearing a face mask/covering. A prior appointment is preferred so that we can limit the number of people on premises - The only parents allowed in the facility during classes will be those wearing a face mask/covering and with special circumstances approved by the Chairman or if you have an appointment to meet with Ella or other GBA staff
Safety and Sanitation
- GBA will have available appropriate PPE supplies, hand sanitizers and sanitizing wipes
- There will be daily professional cleaning of the premises
- Frequently touched areas such as ballet barres, door handles, light switches and sound system controls will be cleaned throughout the day
Studio class time procedures
- Ballet studios will be marked with social distancing tape to ensure dancers are 6 feet apart from each other. Each dancer will be assigned a pre-marked barre spot for the full week
- Dancers should place their in-studio belongings (water bottle, pointe shoe bag) in their pre-marked barre spot
- Center work: teacher will place students at a distance from each other and will divide the class into small groups
- Dancers will go across the floor one-at-a-time whenever possible. For across the floor combinations done in pairs, each group should consist of no more than 2 dancers at a time, and they will work next to each other (not right behind each other). Dancers will allow each group to complete the combination to the end of the room prior to the next group starting.
- Bring into the studio all the essentials you will need during class (water bottle, pointe shoe bag, etc.) so that you minimize the number of times you go back to your locker
Common areas
- No congregating in the locker area before class. Please go directly to you assigned barre spot as soon as you change into your dance attire
- Maintain social distancing at all time where possible
- Face masks/coverings must be worn at all times outside the studio and may only be removed to eat lunch/snack
Interactions with the Front Desk
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A protective acrylic shield has been placed in front of the Front Desk. If you need to speak to Ella or whomever is sitting in the Front Desk, please do so from the other side of the acrylic shield.Please do not approach the Front Desk from the open side.
Protocol for a confirmed case of COVID-19
- If a dancer or staff member is diagnosed with COVID-19 you should notify GBA immediately. The studio may need to halt operations for a period of time
- In the event a dancer or staff member lives with someone who is diagnosed with COVID-19, you should notify GBA immediately. That individual will need to quarantine for 14 days after last exposure
- If a dancer or staff member has had COVID-19, they will need a clearance note from a doctor to return to the studios
- In all of the above instances we will protect personal information and will follow all recommended actions by the health department and local authorities
Current Travel Advisory
The governors of New York, Connecticut and New Jersey have announced a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine period for travelers coming into the region from states with high rates of coronavirus infections. States with a daily positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents or a state with a 10 percent or higher positivity rate for COVID-19 tests over a 7-day rolling average are subject to the mandatory quarantine. As of Tuesday, October 27 th , travel restrictions are in place for Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. This advisory also applies to tristate residents who are returning from a visit to the impacted states.
Any dancers who fail to follow the above protocols will be excused from in-studio classes.
Please be responsible, proactive, and communicative so that we can all remain healthy and safe. Your individual contribution towards this is paramount and appreciated. Only with the collective cooperation of all members of the GBA community will we be able to continue dancing together in the studios.
Greenwich Ballet Academy Safety Guidelines [Download as pdf]