Temporary Closure

May 11, 2020 Update

As our state and community slowly begin to transition back to work and business, we too are looking to the future of our programming. Thank you again for your survey responses and feedback! It was critical to our approach for a return to in-person classes. Our phased reopening with both virtual and in-person classes takes into account family and faculty input and is in keeping with the gradual reopening of business sectors throughout May and June as announced by Governor Beshear. We made a number of necessary adjustments and are now ready to launch our updated summer schedule!

We truly recognize and appreciate the varying degrees of interest, willingness and ability to return to in-person instruction. It is a very personal decision that each family must make. Please know that we will be following CDC guidelines for facility readiness, health screenings, cleaning & hygiene practices and social distancing. A detailed summary of the health and safety protocols being implemented at The Louisville Ballet School (at both downtown and St. Matthews facilities) will be available in tomorrow’s Tutu Tuesday.

The updated Summer 2020 Semester schedule is now available! Click here to review summer offerings.

Changes include the following:

Pre-School Dance Parties on June 9 and 11 CANCELLED
Movement & Make Believe on June 22-26 CANCELLED
Weekly Wednesdays for Classical Ballet ages 6-9, Jazz/Tap, and Hip Hop CANCELLED
Summer Dance Camp in June and July CANCELLED
Summer Master Class Series CANCELLED
Pre-School Dance Parties on July 21 and 23 have been updated with a 9:00 am start time.
Movement & Make Believe on July 13-17 has been updated with a 9:00 am start time.
Weekly Wednesday Creative Movement and Pre-Ballet classes will now be offered exclusively as virtual classes.
Classical Ballet IV/V and Classical Ballet VI-IX classes have been added to the Weekly Wednesday schedule with virtual classes in June; transitioning to in-person classes in July.
The Junior Intensive has an updated start date – it will now run July 13 – 24.
All class size capacities have been lowered based on studio size and social distancing requirements.

Reminders:

Families who had already enrolled in a Summer Semester program will be contacted by email with the option to update enrollment.
Summer registration will re-open to the public on Friday, May 15.
Contactless payment is being prioritized. Parents must register online and make payments via the Parent Portal. At this time, we are discouraging the use of money and checks.

The safety and well-being of students, families, faculty and staff remain our first priority. As we have learned over the past 8 weeks, this situation remains very fluid. We will continue to follow the guidance of state and local government and health officials and will adapt as needed. We are committed to providing a safe and healthy environment to the best of our ability. Thank you for your continued support!

April 21, 2020 Update

Message from School Principal
Christy Corbitt Krieger

It is with tremendous sorrow that we have made the difficult decision to cancel the remainder of our Spring Semester at The Louisville Ballet School. As you are already aware, the majority of our faculty and staff have been furloughed since March 30 as part of many efforts to keep our organization strong, resilient and able to weather this temporary storm. Fortunately, we were able to provide exclusive virtual instruction for current students starting in early April and it is our intention to continue these offerings through May 23. We do recognize that these virtual classes do not replace a full studio class, and it has never been our intention to charge full tuition for these offerings.

Each of us are facing troubling times, and performing arts organizations nationwide are feeling these hits a bit sooner than many due to the nature of our industry. As Fund for the Arts has perfectly articulated: The Arts and Culture sector, which provides more than 17-thousand jobs in Greater Louisville, is centered around bringing people together. Nonprofit arts organizations rely on earned revenue from ticket sales and contributions. When doors close and performances or events are postponed due to the coronavirus, income is lost. The impact of that is severe. It is important to note, a loss of revenue for local arts organizations is not a loss of profit, it is a loss of the funds that provide paychecks for artists, staff memebers, and contract workers.

It is with great hope that if you have the resources, you might consider donating the remainder of your Spring Semester tuition already paid to The Louisville Ballet School to assist in weathering this temporary storm. We will be sending out a survey later this week for you to indicate your preference on how you would like to use the remainder of your tuition fee.

Please know that we are eagerly looking forward to June as it is our hope for all summer programs to run as originally scheduled. We will be employing hygiene provisions in line with CDC recommendations, including but not limited to smaller class sizes, staggered class start times, and sanitizing procedures at the beginning and end of each class. This remains a fluid situation, so we will continue to be flexible in our approach and follow the guidance of state and local government and health officials.

April 7, 2020 Update

Please note: we are extending our closure through Saturday, May 2, 2020.

March 24, 2020 Update

Update, please note that our School closure will now be in place through April 19, in keeping with the tentative JCPS return to school date of Monday, April 20.

Faculty and staff are working very hard to create classes and exercises for dancers of all ages to practice at home! We have a created The Louisville Ballet School YouTube channel to keep all of our videos in one place. We currently have body conditioning and creative movement available with more on the way! Be sure to subscribe for the latest offerings!

• The temporary closure is effective March 13 – April 19. We will resume classes and rehearsals as regularly scheduled beginning Monday, April 20, 2020.

• We will continue to provide the full spring semester by extending classes through Saturday, June 6, 2020

• We are working on a revised assessment and conference schedule for the Classical Ballet and Pre-Professional Programs.

• We are working on a revised payment processing and postponing the April 10 installment date.

We are truly sorry for any inconvenience this may incur, but nothing is more important than the health of our families. We thank you for your patience and understanding as we evaluate the best ways in which to stay healthy and mitigate the spread of coronavirus in our community.

IMPORTANT DATES:
School Closure: March 13 – May 2, 2020 – NO CLASSES
Semester Extension: May 11 – June 6, 2020
Memorial Day: Monday, May 25, 2020 – NO CLASSES

Please note: Reduced staff are working remotely during the School’s temporary closure. Please contact us via email.

March 12, 2020 Update

Dear Students and Families,

As an invested member of this community, we have a social and moral responsibility to assist in the efforts to mitigate the spread of coronavirus in Louisville and surrounding areas. We remain committed to the health and safety of our faculty, students and families. For that reason, The Louisville Ballet School will temporarily close for a period of 2 weeks leading into the already scheduled Spring Break week. No classes or rehearsals will be conducted during this timeframe. The temporary closure is effective Friday, March 13 through April 4. We will resume classes and rehearsals as regularly scheduled beginning Monday, April 6, 2020.

We will continue to provide the full spring semester by extending classes through Saturday, May 30, 2020. A Spring Make-Up Week will be scheduled the week of June 1-5, 2020, modified around any Summer Semester offerings.

Please note that we are working on a revised assessment and conference schedule for the Classical Ballet and Pre-Professional Programs. More information to come! Spring Dance Festival will continue as scheduled with schedule adjustments to be posted soon.

We will continue to closely monitor local news and health advisories to stay best informed on the spread of coronavirus and will stay in regular communication with you regarding additional schedule changes should they arise. We are truly sorry for any inconvenience this may incur, but nothing is more important than the health of our families.

Additionally, payment processing will run as scheduled with installment dates on Fridays, March 13 & April 10. For questions or concerns regarding your selected payment plan or account information, please contact the Registration & Enrollment Manager, Tara Gardner at tgardner@louisvilleballet.org.

We thank you for your patience and understanding as we evaluate the best ways in which to stay healthy and mitigate the spread of coronavirus in our community.

Please add these dates to your update your LBS calendar:

School Closure: March 13 – April 4, 2020 – NO CLASSES
SDF Production Week: May 12 -16 – NO CLASSES
- Children’s & Classical Ballet Program classes will be held offered on Monday, May 11 in lieu of Memorial Day.
Semester Extension: May 18 – May 30, 2020
Memorial Day: Monday, May 25, 2020 – NO CLASSES
Spring Semester Make-Up Week: June 1 – 5, 2020

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your Program Manager:

Children’s Program Manager
Audra Brian, abrian@louisvilleballet.org

Classical Ballet Program Manager
Tawnee Thompson, tthompson@louisvilleballet.org

Pre-Professional Program Manager
Brandon Ragland, bragland@louisvilleballet.org

Louisville Ballet Youth Ensemble Manager
Brienne Wiltsie Keehner, bkeehner@louisvilleballet.org

Mind. Body. Balance. Program Manager
Ashley Thursby, athursby@louisvilleballet.org

Look out for future communications from our administrative team! Stay in touch by following us on Facebook and Instagram (@louballetschool).

Visit the CDC website for more information regarding COVID-19 and what you can do to stay healthy.