2023-03-19 Updated Covid-19 Policy
We take the health and safety of our community seriously and we are so grateful that all of our dancers have been ready and willing to do what it takes to look after one another. The recently updated COVID-19 rules are as follows:
We will comply with all Queensland Public Health Directions in place at the time of the event. There are no current Directions in place (as at 19 March 2023).
If you are feeling unwell, please do not attend the event. We are always happy to refund or reschedule in cases of sickness.
While mask-wearing is not required, we support your choice to wear a mask at any time.
Since April 2022, you are no longer required to check-in and to be fully vaccinated, however we continue to encourage all dancers to keep their vaccinations up to date.
Bring your own filled water bottle with your name on it.
While surface contact has only proven to be a rare vector of transmission for COVID-19, good hand hygiene is always a particularly good idea for partnered dancing. Wash your hands with soap regularly. Sanitiser will be available but should be considered secondary to clean hands!
2022-02-01 COVID UPDATE:
Happy New Year! Well, maybe not as happy as we'd hoped, since the post-Christmas Omicron surge has really vexed our vibe. Sullied our suave. Grated our groove. After a long dance break we are thinking about the future and trying to make plans. These ever shifting sands have made it challenging to confidently determine how and when to proceed. We have been tracking the COVID-19 statistics very closely, and while we may already be past the peak of the current hump, it seems clear that we will be dealing with new COVID-19 variants for a long time to come. So at some point, we either have to restart classes with strong risk reduction strategies in place or we remain closed indefinitely. I don't know about you all, but we feel strongly that swing dancing has given too much to the experience and quality of too many people's lives for us to just quit.
We have been extremely fortunate to have been able to operate through the pandemic without having had one single case of COVID-19 transmission occurring in any of our classes or social dances. We recognise that with Omicron out there in the community, this is a record we are unlikely to be able to maintain in the future. However, we are going to proceed with COVID-Safe policies that are designed to try and do exactly that.
If you are sick do not come to dancing. Obvi...
Everyone in our classes and social dances must have proof of vaccination or a valid exemption as a condition of entry.
Everyone must wear masks while at dancing. *Especially* if you are huffing and puffing. Please step out if you need a breather.
Check-in using the “Check In Qld app” is still a requirement.
We still a have a venue capacity limit of 1 person per 2 sq. m of floor space that we must comply with. Therefore we ask that you continue to book classes in advance if possible.
Bring your own filled water bottle with your name on it.
While surface contact has only proven to be a rare vector of transmission for COVID-19, good hand hygiene is always a particularly good idea for partnered dancing.
With all of that in mind, our first swing classes of the year will be Monday night Lindy Hop on the 14th of February with Nick and Susie! Tuesday Balboa and Thursday Lindy Hop will recommence the following week on the 22nd and 24th. The start of the year is always a great time to get your friends and family into swing dancing, so let them know it's happening! See below for more details.
We have no social dance planned for February, but we are trying to line up a couple of dances with live bands for next month, including our Pocket Dance on the 18th of March!
2022-01-07 COVID UPDATE:
Dear dancers, With the rise of COVID numbers over the past few days, we are making the difficult decision to delay the start of classes and social dancing until February. We can't make any definite decisions on dates until the surge has passed, but we are hopeful it won't be too long! Stay safe, Rob and Emma
2021-10-08 COVID UPDATE:
Hi everyone, From today we are returning to stage 3 covid restrictions. Hooray! You still need to bring your mask with you, but it can be taken off while exercising vigorously. As far as we can tell all of our students have now had at least one covid vaccine shot and we know that most have been fully vaccinated for some time now. This is really excellent and it takes a huge load off our minds. Thank you, thank you, thank you! We love that our dancers are so community-minded and do what it takes to reduce the risk and look after one and other.
Nick and Susie's swing-out workshop will be on like Donkey Kong tomorrow (Sat 9 Oct) and there are 3 lead passes left (follows sold out). Don't forget to bring a water bottle with your name on it and your dance note book!
Tickets for the Friday 15 Oct Pocket Dance go on sale at midday tomorrow! Yes, there will be an absolute beginner class at the start so round up your friends. This dance will sell out fast!
See you on the dance floor!
2021-09-30 COVID UPDATE:
Hi everyone, From today we are returning to level 2 covid restrictions, however, our classes will continue to run. We haven't run classes during level 2 before, even though we were technically permitted to do so (thanks AusdanceQLD!).
So what has changed? As well as rigorous check-ins and mask-wearing, we are now also requesting that people only attend if they have had at least one dose of a covid vaccination. We think that this covers approximately 100% of our students already, so we don't foresee this being a huge deal. To be clear, we will not yet be asking to see your vaccination card, but it should surprise no one that Corner Pocket Swing is moving in that direction.
See you on the dance floor!
"Keep them swinging. Keep them safe."--Gandalf
2021-08-30 COVID UPDATE:
Hi everyone,
With Queensland’s border closed and community transmissions in hand, restrictions on dancing have lifted! So next week (7th Sept) we will be reigniting our boosters and relaunching Tuesday Balboa and Thursday Lindy classes. We will also be running our Pocket Social Dance on Friday the 17th of September. Our web store will be open for bookings from midday 31st of August.
See you on the dance floor!
Rob & Emma
2021-08-09 COVID UPDATE:
Hi there, dancers! We hope you have all been keeping well through this difficult time. Normally hard times can be drastically improved through furious dancing, but not these particular hard times.
It's the worst. We're not ok.
Ausdance stated last night that dance classes can be run, however, this morning's press conference clarified that dance classes can only be run with social distancing, not partner dancing. So it will be another two weeks of monitoring and waiting.
The Delta strain has proven to be more infectious and more virulent than previous evolutions of the virus. We are therefore more concerned about the risk of running dance classes than before. Having said that, we do recognise the vital importance of maintaining good mental health and the role that swing dancing plays in that regard for many of our students. So obviously we would like to get back to dancing as soon as it is reasonably safe to do so.
Both Emma and I are now fully vaccinated and we strongly encourage everyone to do likewise if you can.
Please take good care of yourselves and check on your friends, Rob and Emma
2021-07-23 COVID UPDATE:
Dear dancers,
With a further 7-day extension to the current mask mandate in Queensland (and the burgeoning situation across Australia), the recommencement of all classes will once again be postponed for another week. As much as we are itching to get back onto the dance floor and to see your lovely faces again, we value the health and safety of our community even more. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and let you know when circumstances permit us to dance together safely once again.
Much love,
Rob & Emma
2021-07-15 COVID UPDATE:
We are very sad to announce that due to the 7-day extension of the current restrictions we are cancelling the social dance tomorrow and all classes next week. We will be processing all the refunds tonight. We know this is a disappointing turn of events, but we feel that it is especially important to maintain an abundance of caution, given that our activity presents a high level of risk as compared to most other recreational activities.
We miss your faces and we are looking forward to dancing with you all again as soon as we can do so safely.
Much love,
Rob & Emma
2021-07-09 COVID UPDATE - Big thanks to Brisbanites for being totally awesome again - fistbump. Covid cases are well in hand for the time being and we are feeling totally jazzed about returning to dance classes and socials from the end of the mask mandate on Friday the 16th of July! Fortuitously this means that we'll be able to run our monthly social dance that night... And yes, we are allowed to call it "social dancing" again, lol. Checkout the timetable and the store to see what we have available and...
See you on the dance floor!
Love Rob and Emma
2021-03-29 COVID UPDATE:
Brisbane is going under a 3-day lockdown from 5pm today. We will not be running any classes this week. We will keep an eye on the situation and update you as we know more. We will automatically refund everyone who has paid for a class this week.
Wear a mask and stay safe out there!
Love, Rob and Emma
2021-02-22 COVID UPDATE
Dancing in Brisbane is in full swing! Under the current Queensland Government restrictions, we must adhere to electronic contact tracing for all classes and Pocket Dance events. Lindy and Balboa started the year with a bang and some classes got fully booked very quickly. Bookings for each class will become available up in the store a week in advance, and our second weekend workshop of the year is already available to book. Don’t forget to jump on the store at midday on the 6th March to book for the Pocket Dance (19th March) - these sell out fast! Capacity is still limited, so booking in advance is recommended for all events.
Stay safe,
Rob and Emma
2021-01-31 COVID UPDATE
Dancing is back! Under the current Queensland Government restrictions, we must adhere to electronic contact tracing for all classes and Pocket Dance events. Balboa and Thursdays@Newstead have already started with a bang, with the first Newstead class selling out very quickly. Registrations will go up in the store a week in advance for classes, and registrations are already open for our first workshop of the year. Don’t forget to register at midday on the 13th February for the Pocket Social (18th February) - these sell out fast! Numbers are still limited, so booking in advance is recommended for all events.
Stay safe
Rob and Emma
2021-01-11 COVID UPDATE:
The Queensland Government's latest 10-day restriction period does allow us to run classes under the DPPA covid safe plan. However, we have decided out of an abundance of caution to hold off teaching classes during this period. When the restriction period ends on the 22nd of January we will kick off our year of dancing with a Pocket Dance, assuming nothing diabolical happens between now and then! Registrations for the dance will go live in the store on our website at 6pm on Monday the 18th. If you have registered for classes we will move your registration to the 26th for Balboa and the 28th for Lindy. Let us know if would rather cancel your booking. That's no problem.
Stay safe,
Rob and Emma
2021-01-08 Friday 10am COVID UPDATE:
As we’re sure many of you have already heard, the Greater Brisbane Area is going into a 3-day lockdown due to the discovery of a UK variant case who may have been infectious in the community for 5 days. We are going to delay the start of dancing by a week, to allow the situation to become more clear before we make any further decisions or announcements.
If you have already booked for next week's classes, we will push your registration back to the following week, unless you let us know you would like us to cancel it. Tickets for the Pocket Dance will not be going on sale tomorrow.
Stay safe
Rob and Emma
2020-10-28 The DPPA Industry COVID Safe Plan. has recently been updated to include Recreational Structured Partner Dancing (the activity formerly known as social dancing). To be permitted to run a RSPD we are required to follow the DPPA plan with a couple of additions. Here are the main points:
IF YOU ARE SICK DO NOT COME
Observe the maximum number of people allowed under the DPPA (i.e. bookings essential)
No alcohol is to be consumed at or directly prior to the event.
Communal food is not permitted.
Wash your hands with SOAP at entry and exit time.
Use hand sanitizer between dances.
Masks are cool but not required
Bring your own filled water bottle
2020-08-12 BALBOA CLASSES ARE BACK! - As Queensland is now in Stage 3 of COVID-19 restrictions we are now able to offer dance classes again. We are operating under the Dance and Physical Performing Arts Industry COVID Safe Plan which can be found at https://www.covid19.qld.gov.au/government-actions/covid-safe-businesses AND https://ausdanceqld.org.au. This plan, which has been approved by Queensland Health, allows contact between dancers partaking in a class. It is our interpretation that social dancing is not currently permitted under Stage 3 restrictions in any other context so we will be playing plenty of music in and around classes so you can get your fix!
We have been successfully operating partnered Lindy Hop classes with rotation for 4 weeks on Thursday nights at the Danish Club. We have been asking people to pre-register and pay for each class through the store on this website in order to implement these elements of the DPPA plan:
Collect contact tracing details
Streamline and minimize queuing at check-in
Preference contactless payment
Insure we adhere to our venue capacity limit
We have a strong commitment to ensuring our community's health. If you have any concerns or questions about our processes and procedures, or any aspect of managing Corner Pocket Swing in this transition period, please don't hesitate to contact us at info@cornerpocketswing.com.au or you may find an answer on our FAQ page: https://cornerpocketswing.com.au/faq
Much love,
Rob and Emma
2020-07-10 LINDY HOP CLASSES ARE RETURNING - As Queensland is now in Stage 3 of COVID-19 restrictions we are now able to offer dance classes again. We will be operating under the Dance and Physical Performing Arts Industry COVID Safe Plan which can be found at https://www.covid19.qld.gov.au/government-actions/covid-safe-businesses AND https://ausdanceqld.org.au. This plan, which has been approved by Queensland Health, allows contact between dancers partaking in a class. It is our interpretation that social dancing is not currently permitted under Stage 3 restrictions in any context.
Initially we will only be operating Lindy Hop classes on Thursday nights at the Danish Club. As cantact tracing is required and venue capacity limits apply we would appreciate it if you would pre-register and pay through the store on this website.
We have a strong commitment to ensuring our community's health. If you have any concerns or questions about our processes and procedures, or any aspect of managing Corner Pocket Swing in this transition period, please don't hesitate to contact us at info@cornerpocketswing.com.au or you may find an answer on our FAQ page: https://cornerpocketswing.com.au/faq
Much love,
Rob and Emma
2020-03-15 SHUTDOWN
In the last 24 hours, it has become apparent that it is no longer in the public interest to continue running dance classes and socials. We are suspending all of our classes and social dances for 2 weeks and we will reassess the situation at that point. Class card expiry dates will be extended by the duration of the shutdown.
We appreciate everyone’s understanding and hope you all stay well through this difficult time.
We imagine everyone will be extra keen to jump back into dancing again as soon as possible. In the meantime, we will be sharing links to online classes and virtual events that we can all enjoy.
Much love,
Rob and Emma
2020-03-13 CORONAVIRUS UPDATE
Hi everyone, just a quick update about our current position with regards to COVID-19.
We have observed that people have been acting responsibly with their hygiene and some people are staying away form classes and socials due to their own risk factors. We absolutely support that decision and we are happy to refund people who have registered for a workshop but need to pull out for any reason. So far our region seems to have a very low number of cases and we are being encouraged by the government to continue with gatherings as normal. Obviously, this situation could change rapidly and we will be taking advice from the health authorities when the time comes. Until then lets dance while we still can! But please remember to wash your hands with soap when you arrive at any dance venue and DO NOT come to dance if you might be sick.
2020-03-05
IMPORTANT information for the Brisbane swing dance community from Corner Pocket Swing:
If you’re like us you'll probably not be surprised if we start to see the latest virus spreading throughout the population of Brisbane in the near future. We all have a responsibility to do what we can to slow down the rate of transmission so that hospitals can cope with the number of people needing to get special care. COVID-19 is reported to be a highly infectious disease that can be transmitted in liquid droplets by simply being close enough to talk to someone. For this reason, partnered dance classes and socials do present a risk for transmission, but if good hygiene practices are observed, then perhaps no more risky than other types of gatherings.
In order to do our part to reduce the risk, we ask that all students adhere to these rules:
If you have a cough or a higher than normal temperature, don’t go dancing.
If you have been travelling in places where there are infections or if you’ve been in contact with someone who might be infectious, wait at least 2 weeks or until you are sure you aren’t carrying the virus before you go dancing.
When you arrive at any dance venue the first thing you must do is wash your hands with soap for 20 seconds.
Before you leave a dance venue, wash your hands with soap again.
During classes and socials, there will also be hand sanitizer available for you to use if you wish, but it is not as effective as soap, so don’t skip the hand washing.
Assess your personal level of risk when deciding to attend a dance. You might decide to err on the side of caution and stay away if you have an existing health condition that puts you at higher risk OR if you are in a higher risk age bracket OR if you have regular close contact with elderly people.
We all want to keep dancing, so we must look after each other and act responsibly. ❤️