Tiny Dancers.
Maybe this is another example of my “Diversity Colored Glasses”. Or maybe this is just a person looking for community, and tired of swallowing my disappointment when faced with subtle (and not so subtle) messages of “you don’t belong here”.
The text below comes from a real email that I wrote to the owner of a local dance studio. The studio is lovely, and they have classes that could work for P, J, and even me! The owner seems lovely too, and I’m optimistic that this feedback will be well received.
“Thank you for inviting us into your studio this morning. I really appreciate how you guys handle COVID safety and love the small size of the class. P had a wonderful time. I think I’m ready to move forward with enrollment and payment.
That said, I wonder if you might be open to a little customer feedback. As you know, we’re looking for more than a toddler class, and would love to find a dance community for our family. I spent a fair bit of time on your website, and could see that you are mission driven. The center is clearly body positive, and intentionally focused on joy instead of competition - all things that are aligned with our values.
In that vein, I was disappointed to learn about the Christmas-centered holiday show. I fully believe that your center is not religious, but find that to be different from being intentionally inclusive. As a comparison, an organization might say they’re body positive, but if their website only has photos of people size 6 or smaller, a larger-bodied person might not feel particularly included. By the same token, I can see that your studio does not have strong Christian undertones. But when the holiday show doesn’t feature other religions/cultures, it’s tough for families like mine to feel valued. If I misunderstood, and this is not the case, please let me know.
I’m not saying this to be political, only to share my personal experience. I got the feeling that you are a warm person, trying to create something beautiful. And I thought this feedback could provide a meaningful moment for reflection. Maybe this is something to think about for next year.
In the meanwhile, I am relieved to have found a structured movement class for P that feels safe and fits our family’s schedule. Thank you for your consideration.”
The truth is, it’s really hard to find classes that are developmentally appropriate, fun, and fit our schedule. It’s even harder to find an environment that feels safe for my tiny unvaccinated human. So, I’m swallowing some discomfort in signing P up for this class. But whether this place becomes a place of community, a place where all of us return week after week (and even year after year), remains to be seen.
