Saol Academy of Irish Dance - New Studio!
Donation protected
Summary:
Saol Academy of Irish Dance will be moving to a larger studio location in November 2020 to ensure proper physical distancing between dancers and provide a safe indoor environment during the winter months and beyond. With this move, we will need help funding for new dance floor material to cover the larger space, additional mirrors, and sanitizing equipment such as air purifiers, hand sanitizer, and cleaning supplies to maintain a safe space for the (dancers) school.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Hello! We are Saol Academy of Irish Dance , located on the northwest side of Chicago, IL. Saol Academy was established in 2016 by Kara Wilke, after years of dreaming about opening up her own Irish Dance school. In the summer of 2019, we gained an additional instructor, Caitlin Gash-Angelini, who has become an integral part of the Saol Academy family. Please read further to learn about our school and why we need your help during these difficult times.
At Saol Academy, our mission is to provide Irish dance classes that are fun, build confidence, teach discipline, and inspire pride in the art of Irish Dance. The name of the school, Saol (pronounced “sail”) is the Irish word for “Life”, which speaks to how we believe in inspiring lives through Irish Dance. Every student is encouraged to work hard and achieve their goals - whether it is to keep fit, enjoy Irish dance as a hobby, perform, or compete at the highest levels.
In March of 2020, non-essential businesses in Illinois were ordered to shut down due to Covid-19, and we swiftly switched over to Zoom for our classes to continue instruction, keep connecting with our dancers, and try to instill some normalcy for the students. During the summer months as we were allowed to gather outside in groups of 10 or less, we began holding physically distanced classes in Kara’s backyard. In every class, each dancer has their own individual 4x4 plywood stages spaced out under the cover of multiple pop-up tents for shade.
With the all-encompassing uncertainty of Covid-19, we have only been charging tuition based on the dancer’s attendance, rather than paying up front for full session tuition since March. We did this to allow flexibility for families who might not feel comfortable being outside in a group for a time, need to take extra precautions due to frequent contact with elderly family members, or have difficulty affording dance classes due to their own financial hardships. This means that if a dancer doesn’t show up, then they are not charged for that class and the school does not benefit from that income. During this time, we have also continued to pay full rent and utilities at the current studio, which will likely put the school at a financial loss for 2020. But that’s not why we’re asking for your donation.
Now that the weather is changing, we will not be able to continue the outdoor classes much longer, and need to move indoors. We are determined to continue classes indoor throughout the winter as safely as possible. We know how important it is for the kids to maintain some sense of normalcy and have an outlet during this time.
We take the 6-foot minimum spacing very seriously for everyone's safety. After analyzing measurements at the current location, we realized we could only fit 4 dancers maximum per class. Although this is feasible, it would mean splitting classes, completely changing the schedule, less time in the classes, and restricting dancers to only attend one class per week.
With that being said, and after weeks/months of searching, we will be moving to a new larger location that is almost 3x larger than our current studio! We’ve taken even more measurements, mapped out the flooring, and are confident that we can provide a safe space for Irish Dancing indoors during the winter months. With this move, we will need help funding dance floor material to cover the larger space, additional mirrors, and sanitizing equipment such as air purifiers, hand sanitizer, and cleaning supplies to maintain a safe space for the school.
We would be incredibly grateful for any donation that will help make our new location as safe and welcoming as possible. This school means the world to us, and we’ve sacrificed a great deal to make it what it is today. With your help, we will continue to do everything we can to make Saol Academy the best environment for our dancers and dance families.
Please help us get the word out and share the link via Facebook!
Saol Academy of Irish Dance will be moving to a larger studio location in November 2020 to ensure proper physical distancing between dancers and provide a safe indoor environment during the winter months and beyond. With this move, we will need help funding for new dance floor material to cover the larger space, additional mirrors, and sanitizing equipment such as air purifiers, hand sanitizer, and cleaning supplies to maintain a safe space for the (dancers) school.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Hello! We are Saol Academy of Irish Dance , located on the northwest side of Chicago, IL. Saol Academy was established in 2016 by Kara Wilke, after years of dreaming about opening up her own Irish Dance school. In the summer of 2019, we gained an additional instructor, Caitlin Gash-Angelini, who has become an integral part of the Saol Academy family. Please read further to learn about our school and why we need your help during these difficult times.
At Saol Academy, our mission is to provide Irish dance classes that are fun, build confidence, teach discipline, and inspire pride in the art of Irish Dance. The name of the school, Saol (pronounced “sail”) is the Irish word for “Life”, which speaks to how we believe in inspiring lives through Irish Dance. Every student is encouraged to work hard and achieve their goals - whether it is to keep fit, enjoy Irish dance as a hobby, perform, or compete at the highest levels.
In March of 2020, non-essential businesses in Illinois were ordered to shut down due to Covid-19, and we swiftly switched over to Zoom for our classes to continue instruction, keep connecting with our dancers, and try to instill some normalcy for the students. During the summer months as we were allowed to gather outside in groups of 10 or less, we began holding physically distanced classes in Kara’s backyard. In every class, each dancer has their own individual 4x4 plywood stages spaced out under the cover of multiple pop-up tents for shade.
With the all-encompassing uncertainty of Covid-19, we have only been charging tuition based on the dancer’s attendance, rather than paying up front for full session tuition since March. We did this to allow flexibility for families who might not feel comfortable being outside in a group for a time, need to take extra precautions due to frequent contact with elderly family members, or have difficulty affording dance classes due to their own financial hardships. This means that if a dancer doesn’t show up, then they are not charged for that class and the school does not benefit from that income. During this time, we have also continued to pay full rent and utilities at the current studio, which will likely put the school at a financial loss for 2020. But that’s not why we’re asking for your donation.
Now that the weather is changing, we will not be able to continue the outdoor classes much longer, and need to move indoors. We are determined to continue classes indoor throughout the winter as safely as possible. We know how important it is for the kids to maintain some sense of normalcy and have an outlet during this time.
We take the 6-foot minimum spacing very seriously for everyone's safety. After analyzing measurements at the current location, we realized we could only fit 4 dancers maximum per class. Although this is feasible, it would mean splitting classes, completely changing the schedule, less time in the classes, and restricting dancers to only attend one class per week.
With that being said, and after weeks/months of searching, we will be moving to a new larger location that is almost 3x larger than our current studio! We’ve taken even more measurements, mapped out the flooring, and are confident that we can provide a safe space for Irish Dancing indoors during the winter months. With this move, we will need help funding dance floor material to cover the larger space, additional mirrors, and sanitizing equipment such as air purifiers, hand sanitizer, and cleaning supplies to maintain a safe space for the school.
We would be incredibly grateful for any donation that will help make our new location as safe and welcoming as possible. This school means the world to us, and we’ve sacrificed a great deal to make it what it is today. With your help, we will continue to do everything we can to make Saol Academy the best environment for our dancers and dance families.
Please help us get the word out and share the link via Facebook!
Organizer
Kara Wilke
Organizer
Chicago, IL