Dear Dancers and Parents,
Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order last Thursday suspending face-to-face learning at K-12 schools in Michigan for the remainder of the school year.
With this news, we had to make the unfortunate decision to cancel the 2020 CAAC Dance recital. While we firmly believe art is essential, the safety and security of our dancers and our employees comes first.
While we are devastated by this news, the future remains bright. We are hoping and praying for an opportunity to do a small dance expo instead – but with new developments on this virus every day, it is too soon to make that call.
If you have already purchased tickets for the recital you have two options: you can donate your tickets to the CAAC dance program, or receive a full refund. Please email lisa@theoperahouse.org with your choice. If opting for a refund, please include a photo of your tickets and your PayPal email address. We can issue refunds immediately if you have a PayPal account – all other transactions will take longer because our skeleton staff is working from home.
Regarding dance lessons, we are willing to issue refunds on an as-needed basis; however, this may take a month or more to get information from our office and refunds will be prorated. Like many others, we are at a disadvantage as we all shelter in place. Please contact Kathy King Johnson at kathy@thoperahouse.org if you have an emergency need for funds.
On a final note – I want to thank Jennifer Ostwald and Carrie McCready for their extraordinary efforts to take dance lessons online and for their absolute selflessness in donating the rest of their salaries back to the Opera House to ensure that programs will continue after this crisis. Their contributions to the CAAC dance program are immeasurable, and we are so grateful for their hard work and dedication to the arts.
Yours truly,
Kathy and Lisa