Dear Community

     We hope that all of you are staying safe and grounded during these turbulent times. This is an unprecedented situation for all of us, one that we are still learning how to navigate as individuals, as artists, and as a studio. However, we wanted to provide an update about our programs and our current plans going forward:

     As many of you know, shelter-in-place has been extended to May 3, with educational institutions closed for the rest of the school year. We look forward to continuing our regular programs when the public health situation resolves, hopefully as early as this summer. Provided that it will be safe to proceed, the movement musical theatre piece Aristos and the dance performance The Sleeping Beauty Excerpts will perform on October 25, 2020, with rehearsals resuming in late summer or early fall. The date for the movement theater piece Peter and Wendy is yet to be determined.

     In the meantime, we are pleased to offer a modified class selection online. For varying reasons, including individual course content, logistical requirements, and instructor availability during this extraordinary time, we have not yet found suitable ways to replicate all of our programs remotely. That being said, if your class is still offered, we dearly hope that you will continue to join us. Amidst the chaos and uncertainty, we would like to give you the ability to continue working with a teacher who is familiar with your artistry, and the opportunity to continue dancing with your community, even from afar.

     In order to weather this storm, we, too, must appeal to you for support. We are committed to financially supporting our beloved staff through this emergency, and because a large part of your tuition payment is now going directly to your teachers, we are unable to reduce course fees on online classes. If you are experiencing financial hardship due to the crisis, we invite you to use the code COVID19 to receive five dollars off your class pass. We understand that this is an uncommonly challenging moment for our entire community and deeply regret that we cannot offer more, but it is the little we can do to help. 

     If you have already paid for a course, but you or your children are unable to continue practicing with us at this time, we can carry over your payment as credit for future HaoExpression courses. We would also be happy to provide a refund, but if you have the means to do so, we would deeply appreciate your donating the tuition back to the studio. Your support during this time will ensure that on the other side of the crisis, the classes you love will resume, and the studio will be able to reopen with its full slate of programs and performances.

     Again, this is an evolving situation, and thus, the staff is constantly discussing how best to adapt their offerings to students’ needs. As we navigate this sudden transition and the new teaching environment that comes with it, we heartily welcome your insight and your feedback. Whether you have a request for future sessions or you need a specific accommodation, do not hesitate to reach out. 

     I would like to end on a personal note. Sometimes when I sit in on a virtual class, I see how the students are eager to learn and to keep improving, dressed the same way as when they come to the studio. I watch them dance to the same music in their separate homes, and I am moved to tears every time. From all of us here at HaoExpression, thank you for being part of our family. I cannot express how grateful I am for this community and how much I look forward to seeing all of you at the studio again. Until then, we will continue to find art and movement and joy even within the chaos. 


 “‘What makes the desert beautiful,' said the little prince, 'is that somewhere it hides a well…’” 


 Sincerely,
Hao Bach-Thai Lueckhoff, Owner/Director
​Written by Muse Lee, Communication Director

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