Dance classes finally restart
A dance teacher has been given the go-ahead to resume classes after admitting she could have hung up her tap shoes due to the Scottish Government’s Covid-19 policy.
Audrey Clark has ran her dance school for over 30 years but was unable to teach from her base at St Mary’s Church in Cleland since the pandemic began.
However, as a small number of council-run centres opened on Monday, Audrey was left cooling her heels and wondering when she will be allowed to resume classes with her kids.
And this week she finally got the good news she would be able to resume classes.
The 52-year-old said:“I have been running a dance school for more than 30 years in Cleland and in Caldercruix.
“Four weeks ago we thought we had got the go-ahead to go back then it was put back. Finally we were given to go-ahead to start again this week.
“I was really angry as it seemed that it was just dance classes in some council-run centres or ones who have their own studios but about 80 per cent of dance schools still run from the likes of chapel or church halls.
“We were told that if we did re-open we would only have a maximum of eight children and they would have to be from just three households.
“We had already organised a one-way system and have plenty of hand sanitizer.
“I’m just glad there is some light at the end of the tunnel.”
Audrey, who also works as a dance tutor with a local authority, wrote to her local MSP, Alex Neil, about the issue and wanted to see changes being made to help businesses like her own.
She added:“My main gripe was with the Scottish Government because the guidance is very confusing.
“About 95 per cent of our kids are under 12 so they don’t have to socially distance in schools but do in a hall for a class. It doesn’t make sense.”
Shotts MSP Alex Neil told the Wishaw Press he had written to Fiona Hyslop, the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Fair Work and Culture, to ask her to take action to sort out the problem.
He added:“We want to see dance schools return to as near as normal as possible as soon as possible.”