COVID-19 UPDATE
2022 REGIONAL TOUR COVID-19 PROTOCOL - (updated 8-9-2021)
There continues to be much uncertainty regarding the future of COVID. ONSTAGE NEW YORK will continue to monitor the ever changing local, state, and national protocols and follow CDC guidance. We feel a strong responsibility to care for all of our community, including those under age 12 that are not eligible for vaccinations. These are our current Covid policies- subject to change as guidelines continue to change across the country.
- ONSTAGE NY will continue their partnership with SURFACETECK, a 30-year industry leader in pathogen sanitization. All common areas will be disinfected at the start of each weekend using the CDC/EPA/FDA approved antimicrobial agent, PROTEKT. PROTEKT uses scientific formulas to create a protective barrier when applied to surfaces, which greatly limits the transfer of germs and risk of exposure.
- ONSTAGE NY is continuing COVID-testing protocols for all ONSTAGE NY traveling team members in partnership with Genus3 Labs and the Lab Alliance.
- ONSTAGE NY will partner with all host venues to meet local safety regulations and will review each venue’s additional cleanliness and safety policies.
- If any ONSTAGE NY event must be wholly cancelled due to Covid-19, ONSTAGE NY will issue full refunds to all registered studios (within 2 weeks).
- All merchandise and registration transactions will be cashless. There will be a no try-on & no exchange policy for all merchandise.
Competition Policies
- Our goal for competition scheduling this season is to NOT use block scheduling. However, with everchanging Covid regulations we could be required to use block schedules per the venue or municipality rules.
- Masks are not required to be worn onstage during competition performance. In some cities, masks may be required onstage by the local venue or health department. If so, ONSTAGE NY will update all registered studios as soon as we are informed.
- NO deductions for wearing a face mask while performing.
- Performers are encouraged to come dressed to compete, to minimize use of the dressing room.
Awards Ceremony Policies
- We will use a ‘graduation style’ ceremony where one studio representative from each entry will come to the stage to receive their award. Performers, Teachers & Families are welcome to be in the audience.
- All Awards will be live streamed.
- We encourage our “award donation” option that is already in place and all award donations may be made to a COVID-19 relief organization.
All protocols are subject to change based on municipality or government mandates.
The Onstage NY team is working remotely for the foreseeable future. The best way to contact us is via email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We will get back with you as soon as we can. Thank you for your patience and stay safe!
Still have questions? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
April 3, 2020
Onstage NY Regional Tour Update:
As of today, we are adding Fort Worth, TX, May 8-10, to the list of postponed competitions. Emails have gone out to all registered studios and their owners/directors with full information.
Stay tuned for replacement date information very soon! Most importantly, do everything you can to stay safe and WELL!
April 2, 2020
Did this really begin for us all less than three short weeks ago? First and foremost, know that we miss our Onstage NY family around the country very much. We sincerely hope that you continue to make taking care of YOU at the very top of the list right now – so important that we all proceed with an abundance of caution in these challenging times. We have one Regional update and some summer answers to questions that have been coming our way:
REGIONAL TOUR
- ALL Onstage NY Regional Competitions that have been postponed have been communicated to the studio owners. Yesterday, we added Worcester, on April 24-26, as postponed. All Studio Owners have been notified and we will continue to communicate with studio owners on all updates- we’re asking parents to please check with your studio with any questions or for additional information.
- Onstage NY Regional Competitions in Portland, Oregon and Manahawkin, NJ are still currently scheduled, but we do anticipate this could likely change. Studios will be the first to hear of any changes or postponements.
- Stay tuned for makeup dates for postponed cities in late May / June, co-hosted with our sister company NYCDA.
Summer NATIONALS in Florida
- Our host venue, Hilton Orlando, says that we are still ON for this summer! We continue to be hopeful and will stay in touch with any updates on this page. Dates: July 12-16, 2020
- National Finals Competition - No qualification necessary for 2020! All entries may compete without pre-qualifying. Other regular competition guidelines will apply.
- Online Registration open now.
- Also check out Nationals with our sister company, NYC Dance Alliance! Sheraton NY in NYC. More info at: nycdance.com. All entries will be qualified for the NYCDA Nationals, as well.
NYCDA SUMMER DANCE INTENSIVES
- We are awaiting new information from our host venue, PACE University, who is currently also working remotely. At this time, we are currently still ON.
Check back for updates!
March 30, 2020
These are wild and crazy times that we are living in – unprecedented! The fact that the everchanging landscape produces new information and increased challenges each day has meant a constantly evolving way of dealing with all of it for ALL of us, we know. We are sending our best to all of our dance studio owners that are dealing with all of this in your business world, as well.
We have gotten confirmation from the following venues that we will need to postpone/cancel our event:
Hackensack April 3-5
Caldwell April 17-19
Woodbridge April 17-19
Pittsburgh April 24-26
Niagara Falls May 8 -10
This COVID-19 pandemic is evolving by the hour and of course, and while none of us has the full scope of information, we do know that it isn’t currently responsible for NYCDA and Onstage NY to choose to bring people together in a large group setting for the time being. We are working on replacement events in late May and June, so be on the lookout for new information. All studio owners/directors have gotten communication directly from our offices. We are asking that all parents and performers go through their studio if they have questions for the Onstage NY office, so that we can coordinate all answers through your hometown studio.
We continue to send our wishes for your safety and wellness – take care of each other!
March 17, 2020
Dear Onstage New York family,
These are crazy times we are living in! Who would have thought we would be experiencing something like this even a few weeks ago?
We hope you will read the posts below, some of which contain our safety protocols that were put into place at the beginning of the crisis, and that will remain with us moving forward, at the point of continuation of events. We are still monitoring this situation closely and will always stay committed to the health and safety of our performers and families coming to our Onstage NY events. As many of you I’m sure have expected, given the Ohio ban of groups over 100 and the CDC recommendation of avoiding groups over 50 in the upcoming weeks, we are officially postponing/cancelling the Onstage NY Youngstown event on March 27-29.
This COVID-19 pandemic is evolving by the hour, and while none of us has the full scope of information, we do know that it isn’t currently responsible for NYCDA and Onstage NY to choose to bring people together in a large group in the upcoming weeks. We are currently evaluating each weekend separately, moving forward and communicating as efficiently and quickly as possible given our collective circumstances.
Again, we already have a team researching venues and dates for bonus “replacement” events around the country by mid-May/June. We are listening and know that many studios and dancers are concerned about missing the Onstage NY experience, in particular qualifying for Nationals. We will be in touch about these events at our earliest chance!
We are here to answer questions or concerns. Because we are turning around this decision as you read this, we are asking for your patience and understanding while we get back with you with any answers you may need. Please know that we are truly disappointed about this decision, but at this time, know that the right decision is to focus on the health and safety of our people….YOU and our team, and we don’t want to make any decisions that would jeopardize that.
Please continue to come back here, the COVID-19 Update section of our website. We will continue to update with any new information as it develops and all of the precautionary protocols will remain in place for all future events we will hold.
We want you to know that we have been continuing to closely monitor the COVID-19 situation and listen to all policies and suggestions regarding maintaining a safe and healthy environment for dancers and families coming to our events. In light of the rapidly changing landscape and compelling new information, especially within the last 48 hours, we have made the difficult decision to postpone/cancel our events next weekend, March 20-22. This includes Onstage NY Savannah, GA and Lowell, MA. Additionally, our San Rafael, CA venue has made the decision to cancel our event on March 27-29. As many of you may have seen, many states have banned gatherings of large groups, and there have been massive cancellations of schools, universities, concerts, rallies - and yesterday, all of Broadway has closed for one month. This COVID-19 pandemic is evolving by the hour, and while none of us has the full scope of information, we do know that it isn’t currently responsible for NYCDA and Onstage NY to choose to bring people together in a large group setting next weekend. We are currently evaluating each weekend separately, moving forward and communicating as efficiently as possible given our collective circumstances.
We want you to know that we already have a team researching venues and dates for bonus “replacement” events around the country within the upcoming 12 weeks. We are listening and know that many studios and dancers are concerned about missing the Onstage NY experience, in particular qualifying for Nationals. We will be in touch about these events at our earliest chance!
We are here to answer questions or concerns. Because we are turning around this decision as you read this, we are asking for your patience and understanding while we get back with you with any answers you made need. Please know that we are truly disappointed about this decision, but at this time, know that the right decision is to focus on the health and safety of our people….YOU and our team, and we don’t want to make any decisions that would jeopardize that.
Lastly, we want to encourage you to continue to come back here, the COVID-19 Update section of our website. We will be updating with any new information as it develops and all of the precautionary protocols will remain in place for all future events we will hold.
Dear Onstage New York family,
We would like to take this opportunity to update and expand on our message regarding the COVID-19 virus and our continued monitoring of the situation. The health and well-being of the dancers, their families, and our employees are of highest importance to Onstage NY. Dance studios registered for March have received a previous version of this message, but we hope you’ll take the time to fully read this update. We encourage you to share this with your dancers and families coming to Onstage NY in the upcoming weeks.
With the coronavirus (COVID-19) increasing its presence in the U.S., we want to confirm the steps we are taking at our NYCDA events. Please be assured that our top priority is to maintain a safe and healthy environment for the dancers and their families. We are following the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) closely and as new or additional directions are issued, we are adjusting protocols as directed by U.S. and state health departments. Because we are traveling to different states, note that we are paying close attention to each state’s individual guidelines.
Onstage NY is being proactive about taking the preventative measures that have been suggested by the CDC and State health departments. The medical community is clear that our best defense against contagious illnesses is using best hygiene practices and awareness. We utilized the following plans last week and had great events. Our team on the road will continue to utilize the following plans:
- Onstage NY is providing antibacterial hand sanitizer and wipes at the backstage entrance. Additionally, we will be reminding dancers and their families to wash their hands regularly with soap and water, for at least 20 seconds. Verbal and written reminders will be utilized in all dance spaces.
- Onstage NY is increasing our regular cleaning protocol of surfaces and the marley dance floor onstage, and will be using alcohol based cleaner in these doubled efforts.
- We are making our events a “hug and handshake free zone” – as hard as that is, it is important to lower the risk of spreading infection. We will make those announcements regularly.
- We are evaluating and changing all our large group award ceremonies, and all be modified based on the attendance. We strongly encourage senior family members or dancers and family members that have a compromised immune system to choose to not participate in the weekend competition event.
- We are firmly asking all dancers or family members who have been in contact with a person who has tested positive for the virus within the past two weeks, to not attend large group events during the known incubation period of 14 days. This especially includes any studios that have dance family members that have traveled to the critically affected countries (level 3 via the CDC).
- We encourage parents to talk with their studio owners about what their options are for registration changes in the case that they have a performer that has been sick or exposed to COVID-19 in some way. All registration changes should be through the dance studio. Onstage NY will offer a full credit in the STUDIO account for any changed/cancelled registrations. These credits will be good for use at any regional or national convention for two years from the date of missed convention.
- We will continue to work with all host venues and support their practices and suggestions.
COVID‐19 is associated with such symptoms as fever, cough, and shortness of breath. The CDC recommends these proven steps to help prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses:
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after using the restroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol‐based hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol.
We fully understand the concern that we are all feeling about the possible spread of COVID-19 and want to assure our Onstage NY family that we are taking all suggested precautions to maintain safe events for our dancers and families. We are committed to monitoring all developments and will certainly keep you all informed of any new and relevant information that could impact the health and safety of our dancers, teachers, families and our employees.
