We're coming home!

As you might have seen from our website, we are re-opening soon! We are so excited to see everyone but we wanted to take this opportunity to go through some of the work that we have been doing behind the scenes, both specifically at SFAA and through our lovely home JDStudio, to keep you all safe on our return. Click the link to see what we've been up to!

The pole and aerial industry falls into a gap between regulated sports such as gymnastics and artistic/creative expressions such as theatre/circus. It might shock you all to know that there is no legal requirement for certain qualifications to teach in the industry, and currently no real way for students to check pole schools for qualifications. This is why we shout about it! All of our instructors have had the most comprehensive training available to the pole and aerial community - We have all qualified with Spin City or Xpert (in most cases, both!) and we all continue to grow our knowledge through various additional courses, workshops and learning materials, not just in pole and aerial… Our team has done workshops up and down the country in things like injury prevention, safeguarding, safety in rigging, physiology and anatomy. All of our instructors are insured, always, for the things that they are teaching, our equipment is checked regularly and our policies and procedures (as well as those of the studio) are regularly checked and updated accordingly. 

I give you this back story so that you know that when we say we have done everything we can, you know that we mean it. The minimum requirements for the industry is not where we stop and rest! 

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So, let’s talk about Covid, the journey we’ve taken so far and a bit about where we are headed. 
We started by closing the studio, just ahead of the official announcement. In the space of one weekend, Zorena had virtually single-handedly transformed a business that focussed solely on face to face participation, into an online fitness club.

During lockdown we ran three successful online courses, SoFit focussing on nutrition and fitness, SoFlex on stretch techniques and our Burlesque course. We ran 7 online socials, with a variety of games and chat, 12 free mini-workouts which were accessible to all students and a couple of workshops, alongside regular classes such as outdoor private classes, handstands, bodysculpt and HIIT. One thing we all missed immediately in lockdown was each other, so we wanted to make sure that we didn’t lose our community spirit!

That’s where we’ve been - but what about the re-opening? 

• We have slashed class numbers to allow for one person per piece of equipment
  
• One person per equipment gives us the opportunity to clean equipment in between classes, so there will be no sharing.  
  
• The equipment is spaced to ensure that social distancing is adhered to. 
  
• Class times are shorter. This is to allow us to clean the equipment, flooring, door handles, switches etc. in between every class. 
  
• We have purchased cleaning supplies, so that every attendee will be provided with a cloth to wipe down and clean their own equipment 
  
• Vodka will be used to clean the equipment by the student before and after use. 
  
• Under 18’s will not be given the vodka to use. 
  
• In between classes 75% Isopropyl cleaning solution will be used by the instructors on ALL equipment. 
  
• The floor will be cleaned with dettol in between classes and again with a deeper floor cleaner after classes have finished for the day.
  
• Fabric based equipment such as the hammocks will be quarantined for 48hours after use, as per current Covid guidelines. 
  
• Untaped hoops will be used, to allow for more efficient cleaning. If taped hoops are necessary, for any reason agreed by your instructor, then those will be quarantined for 48hours, in the same manner as hammocks. 
  
• The studio has been fogged, and a full Covid procedure pack has been created. 
  
• There will be no spotting unless you are in immediate risk. We would call this a rescue spot, and this would be an unplanned spot to prevent injury or falls. 
  
• For this reason, classes will be for age 14+ as a general rule, although exceptions may be made. For exceptions, please email us to clarify. This is due to the inability to spot and the increased protocols. 
  
• Instructors will be supplied with PPE.
  
• Sanitiser is provided at the studio, and we will be encouraging people to use their own. 
  
• Our instructors will be trained in specific verbal cueing and when a spot may be needed. 
  
• The floor will be marked with boxes to help social distancing. 
  
• We are continuing our online provisions for shielding and vulnerable students (or anyone who prefers to stretch at home) 
  
• We already use a fully cashless online booking system, all waivers, documents and payments are made online.
  
• Air conditioning and ventilation has been confirmed and tested. 
  
• You will have a designated area for your possessions, we would ask that you only bring in what you need for class
  
• There will be no waiting area to reduce the risk of unnecessary groups forming. 
  
• There will be no refreshments available, please ensure you bring water to class
  
• We have reviewed with our insurance companies (via our resident insurance/covid specialist) that we are covered to teach in this environment.
  
• We have attended seminars on post covid safety in the pole industry and absorbed documents from other industry leaders on how to return safely. ​
  

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Well! Thank you for reading all this - we are so grateful to have such wonderful students and we know that the new procedures are different to how we normally operate, but we are certain that our gang will work together to make sure that we are fully (and safely) operational in no time. 

Classes are now able to be booked- through the website or the teamup members app!

We’d just like to finish this blog post by saying a huge THANK YOU to all our students who have supported us by attending classes, socials, commenting on our page and sharing this experience with us. We couldn’t do this without you <3 

SFAA team xx