Albury dance schools can finally welcome back students from Saturday after the coronavirus shutdown.
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Restrictions forced studios to close their doors on March 22 with many moving to online classes and while students will be welcomed back, the dancefloor will look a little different.
For Evolve Dance Company, which previously operated as DMB Dance and Performing Arts Centre for 33 years, having students back in their studios from Monday will be "full of excitement".
"We endeavored to find something to keep the students connected to dance so we transitioned to completely online classes and programs for both our recreation and academy students," artistic director Britt Williams said.
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"It was probably three times more time consuming than having the kids in the studio for their classes.
"You might spend an hour filming, two hours editing and three hours uploading each class and we teach between 45 and 50 classes each week.
"There is a lot of work now in organising the class sizes and staggered class times but we are just excited to do what we can to get them back in the studio.
"Getting that green light was such a relief and we are all just eager to get back in there.
"The hardest thing for the kids during this time away was the change in environment.
"It is very hard to replicate their experience within the studio and I think the lack of connection is what we all struggled with the most."
Miss Williams said the time away has made the Evolve team more passionate about what they do.
"We kind of really took some time to appreciate what we get to do and it was definitely an 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' kind of moment for us," she said.
The NSW health guidelines allow 10 students in each class as well as a teacher.
This has meant Evolve, which currently has more than 300 students, will have to split some classes in three.
"The capacity is 10 per room which is a third of some of our classes but we will just make sure we are following all the guidelines to ensure the safety of the kids," Miss Williams said.
"We have signs on the dancefloor which are 1.5 metres apart for the students and we will ensure they are sanitised when they come into the studio."
Gyms will also open their doors on Saturday but numbers will also be restricted based on the size of the gym.
The four square metre rule will apply, with a cap on 100 people in large gyms.
Fitness fanatics south of the Border will have to wait until June 22 when gyms reopen in Victoria, this is also when studios can open again for Wodonga dancers with restrictions on numbers also in place.
