And it is really starting to take its toll, not only on the students, but also the instructors.
One who knows this all too well is Suncountry Dance owner Kerry Seamer, whose business has waned since March.
Due to government restrictions placing dance schools into the same category as gyms, when other industries opened last Thursday the doors of Suncountry Dance stayed shut.
And Mrs Seamer cannot understand why.
“Everywhere opened yesterday but we can’t because dance schools fall under the gym category, which is absolutely ridiculous — we are not a gym,” she said on September 18.
“Kids go to school in groups of 20-plus for six hours a day, but can’t be together in groups of 10 to 15 for an hour in a studio? It is ludicrous.”
Between both her schools in Cobram and Yarrawonga, Mrs Seamer has only had 11 weeks of active work this year.
Like many others in her position, she has used Zoom to keep her students active, but being able to engage kids through a computer screen while simultaneously keeping up attendance numbers is a spinning-plate act no small business owner can keep up with.
“The first time around when we went into lockdown quite a few girls took it on, but towards the end of that term the numbers already began to drop off,” she said.
“They’re doing their schooling on Zoom, and most are sick of sitting in front of a laptop.
“The second time around I offered the Zoom sessions and less than a quarter of the girls signed up.
“Nobody is that keen at the moment, it is only the die-hards and the mums who want to support me.”
And while demand drops off, the bills just keep on piling up.
What eats away at Mrs Seamer is the law’s lack of regard for towns such as Cobram, which has no active coronavirus cases but still cops the backlash related to statewide numbers.
“In regional Victoria there are hardly any cases, especially in Cobram and Yarrawonga — it is just not fair,” she said.
“I have double the rates, double the water, double the rent — I don’t get double the JobKeeper.
“It is such a bad mistake and needs to be fixed.”
Mrs Seamer said her school offered more than just dance, making the recreational chasm created by her studio’s doors staying shut even larger.
Competitions, concerts, pizza nights — all are on hold until Suncountry Dance can re-open.
And nobody knows when that might be.
“It is absolutely heartbreaking for the kids; dance is one of the most popular activities for girls across the country,” Mrs Seamer said.
“Other sports are seasonal, whereas dance runs all year round.
“I have had plenty of awesome messages from parents saying they can’t wait to see me once we are allowed in the studio, but I don’t know when that will be.
“I understand their predicament, but it also means I don’t have any income.”
While the government might categorise dance as a purely leisure-based activity, the issue is so much larger.
“Most dance studios are run individually; they are small businesses — and these are people’s livelihoods at stake.”
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