Performing arts school owner feels the sector has been 'singled out' by Government

Careen Wolfe, owner of two preforming arts schools in Cork,  has slammed the new restrictions as 'making no sense'. 
Performing arts school owner feels the sector has been 'singled out' by Government
Careen Wolfe, co-owner of Studio Wolfe, a school for performing arts, Dosco Business Park, Cork.File picture: Denis Minihane

The rules restricting how many children can take part in a dance class are "unclear and nonsensical" according to the perplexed owner of two major performing arts schools in Cork.

Careen Wolfe is calling on the Government to urgently issue clear and reasonable guidelines to her sector.

She is due to open Studio Wolfe, which caters for 1,200 students every week at their centres in Douglas and Blarney, on September 7, but she feels "trapped in limbo" due to mixed messages from the authorities.

The most recent guidelines “singled out” dance as an activity that could only have six participants per class. However, Sports Ireland said this number could be larger if the classes were split into pods of six.

Ms Wolfe said she is desperate to reopen her studio — both for the students, many of whom have no other extra-curricular interests — and for her family which has no other form of income.

“When we reopened in July we changed how we delivered dance and drama classes. Even the three-year-olds were able to social distance in the new system,” she said.

“We’ve been so compliant, both as a business and as a family but the last set of restrictions unfairly targeted us. 

“Now kids, who have already been hit hard by the coronavirus can’t return to what gives them joy.

“As a sector we’ve been really let down by Government. You can have no more than six people per dance class, but similar activities like karate and gymnastics can continue in larger groups.

“Now a child can’t go to ballet class but I can go to a pub with my friends. It makes no sense.

“Other children can go back to contact sports like GAA or rugby and see their friends, but they can’t come back here to a controlled environment where they have zero physical contact with anyone.” 

Social distancing and temperate checks were in place last term 

Ms Wolfe introduced comprehensive public health measures when she reopened her studios in late June, taking student’s temperature, stopping all physical contact and taping up the floor so that students could stay in 2m distanced boxes while dancing.

 

“We want to reopen on September 7 but it’s a conundrum. Do I open on September 7 taking five children per class? Or do I put partitions up in the room to take multiple pods of six? Then, after we go to that effort and expense will that change?

“It’s so frustrating and disappointing. 

"I had such respect for and faith in our Government but with last week's new conditions, I feel that we’ve been foolish.

“If performing arts schools are not allowed to open in an economically viable way, there is no future for performing arts in Ireland," she said. 

“As a sector, we feel so let down and so confused."

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