This has truly been a year that will never be forgotten. Despite all the challenges and uncertainties, all of us at Canyon Concert Ballet never gave up. We are so proud of the CCB family for staying flexible and adapting as conditions continually change! And we are so grateful to you, our supporter, for helping us keep our doors open and dancers moving.
We will never stop dancing!
During the Shut Down (March – June)
Canyon Concert Ballet (CCB) does not believe in giving up so we quickly came up with ways to still provide our mission of dance experiences to all during the shut down. CCB started hosting over 20 free online dance classes each week starting March 25th. While the intent was mainly to serve our over 400 dance students, ages 18 months through adults as old as in their 70s, these classes were (and still are!) available for anyone wishing to be a beautiful mover! The classes happened into June to complete the regular semester dancers are used to having.
In addition to these free dance classes, which were available on Instagram, Zoom, and YouTube (you can check them out on YouTube still today!), CCB hosted weekly dance book story times, class meet-ups, company dancer happy hours, virtual flash mobs, an international dance film festival, and choreography competitions – all virtually and safely! Additionally, CCB premiered a full-length ballet from previous spring productions every Friday in May on YouTube, completely free and accessible for anyone who wished to view them.
All of these programs were free and were intended to keep dancers and their families, as well as the Northern Colorado community, engaged and connected during this isolating time.
With dancers no longer able to come to classes or participate in performances due to the COVID-19 virus, Canyon Concert Ballet utilized technology and creative means to provide dance classes and performance opportunities. The mental, physical, and emotional benefits of dance are well known, and CCB works hard to create a safe and healthy place for anyone wishing to dance!
June to Now!
When we received the green light from the Larimer County Health Department to be able to return to classes and rehearsals, CCB immediately started working on a plan to safely return to in-person dance. With our protocols approved by the Health Department, we held our summer classes and camps as scheduled, with proper masking, social distancing, smaller class sizes, and extra cleaning practices in place. CCB was also able to safely host our two week Summer Intensives in August. Fall classes were able to start up as well and be safely held in-person at the studios on our beautiful new dance floors that were installed in March.
CCB’s ballet company was able to hold auditions and started rehearsals in July for Ballet & Beer and August for The Nutcracker. Our beautiful 4th Annual Ballet & Beer: Latin Nights was held outside at The Lyric Cinema on Friday, September 25 for two sold out shows. While our 39th Annual The Nutcracker was not able to be performed in person or virtually, we are so proud of the dancers who safely rehearsed and danced this production since August.
Our team meets weekly to this day with the Health Department to make sure the safest opportunities are being provided. We are so proud of our team and families for staying flexible and adapting as conditions continue to change. We are planning for a spring full of dance classes for our school and preparing for a spring production with our ballet company as well!
