Dancing Through the Pandemic

dancing Keep on

Academy of Danse improvises to meet pandemic challenges

Submitted photos

Napa’s Academy of Danse entered uncharted territory last year when it was forced to shut down for three months and cancel the annual recital.

Never in its 27-year existence had the school missed a recital or closed for more than two weeks. The previous two-week shutdown occurred when the dance school, located on Jordan Lane, flooded in 2005.

Now, the Academy of Danse — along with many other fortunate businesses in Napa — is emerging from the other side of the pandemic, relatively unscathed, thanks to creative thinking and the support of local families.

“The biggest challenge was being completely shut down for 12 weeks and needing to figure out how to continue with classes through videos and Zoom,” owner/director DeeAnn Valine said.

Staying connected to students was

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crucial, she said.

“The kids need something positive in their world and something to look forward to besides sitting at home in front of a screen,” Valine said.

The Academy of Danse was forced to close on March 13. By early April, the school was conducting classes online.

“We discounted our tuition for April, May and June by 25 percent and were very flexible with payments from those families who lost their jobs or were furloughed,” Valine said.

Good news came in June, when the dance school was allowed to reopen on the 10th with several safety protocols in place. The chance for a June recital, however, was off the table.

But Valine held out hope, and the recital was eventually rescheduled as an outdoor event in August.

“When we were not able to hold it, I never gave up,” Valine said. “I’m very proud of the fact that we held a summer showcase outdoors on Aug. 29.”

Students and parents were thrilled to still have a recital, even with modifications, she said.

“The dancers and their families were so excited to be able to perform,” Valine said. “Seeing the joy on their faces made it all worth it!”

Lisa Ernst’s daughter, Alyssa, is a senior in high school, and this is her last year at the Academy of Danse. Alyssa is enrolled in nearly every type of dance the studio offers: jazz, tap, hip-hop, and ballet. She’s also been a member of the competition team for about five years.

Ernst said her daughter will perform in at least 20 or so dances out of the 50 scheduled for the recital.

“We look forward to the recital all year long,” Ernst said.

Ernst, who is a kindergarten teacher, said school closures and the shutdown of extra-curricular activities created a spike in anxiety among children, particularly older kids and teens.

“It was a huge deficit for them — to not have that to latch onto even in quarantine,” she said.

When the Academy of Danse reopened in June, Ernst did not hesitate to have her daughter return to the school.

“I knew it was something she absolutely needed,” Ernst said.

Valine said she noticed an improvement in students’ moods once dance classes resumed in-person. The kids were “very happy” to be around their dance friends again, she said.

“I noticed that our middle school and high school students had the hardest time with the pandemic,” Valine said. “I feel that dance brought them more joy than ever and more appreciation for being able to do it.”

To keep students safe, the Academy of Danse has closed its lobby to all parents and siblings, closed the dressing room, administers temperature checks before entry, and requires masks at all times. Hand sanitizer is used before and after class, and surfaces throughout the space are sanitized several times per day.

Valine said the studios keep central air flow on constantly, and windows and doors remain open with fans on.

Studio floors are clearly marked to keep everyone six feet apart, she said. All of these safety measures have helped keep the Academy of Danse open since last June. “It worked out really well,” Ernst said.

The current dance school year began on Sept. 8, 2020. Enrollment started off low, but has slowly picked up since October/

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November, Valine said.

From April through August last year, the Academy of Danse suffered about a 40 percent decline in students, Valine said.

In December, the school faced another setback when Napa, like most counties throughout the state, entered the state’s more restrictive Purple Tier of pandemic limitations. But, instead of closing, the Academy of Danse was able to move classes outdoors.

“We are fortunate enough to have a large parking lot where we coned off a section, set up lights and sound, and persevered,” Valine said.

Thankfully, the weather cooperated (most of the time), she said, and rainy days were rare.

“The kids were just thrilled to be dancing and didn’t seem to mind being outside in the cold most days,” Valine said.

In January and February, enrollment numbers continued to climb — just in time to prepare all the students for the 2021 recital scheduled for June 26-27.

At the time of this writing, the Academy of Danse was still waiting to confirm the location of this year’s recital. It may be held in the District Auditorium or outdoors at a private property.

Ernst is hopeful she can invite extended family to the recital, or that the show will be live-streamed if attendance is capped.

No matter what restrictions may be in place, Ernst said she was grateful for Alyssa to have a performance to look forward to in 2021.

“I’m just glad the kids have been given the opportunity to keep on dancing.”