While most businesses in regional Victoria celebrate reopening their doors, dance schools stay closed.
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Ararat Dance Centre teacher Karly Harris was "shocked" to discover dance schools had been categorised alongside gyms.
"With the current restrictions we have to wait until November 23 which is after our concert date, so we are done for the year which is devastating," she said.
"The DHHS website has quite conflicting information. There was a new area added called 'creative studios' and we thought we would come under that.
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"It's so hard to tell the kids that their friends are going to be starting cricket and tennis but they can't start dancing.
"People can even take their caravans and travel away but kids can't come and do their local dance class."
Ararat Dance Centre has 85 children and Ms Harris said dance was an important after-school activity for many.
"Some families have said their kids are really not coping and they have realised how much dance is part of their life," she said.
"I also have two adult groups of 20. That's their social outing for the week, they come and tap dance. This is their outlet as well.
"The Ararat Eisteddfod also would usually start Friday which runs for 10 days and brings so much business to the town."
Ms Harris said their Covid-safe plan involves regular wiping of surfaces and not allowing parents on-site.
"We would like to go back to where we were at the start of term three. We had all of the measurements in place and we all wore masks for classes," she said.
"I am really lucky my front studio can hold 22 people with the 4 metres square rule and the back studio can hold 16.
"I am also a teacher at Ararat West Primary School. Kids in primary school don't even have to wear masks and social distance.
"At our dance studio we have the floor marked out for social distance. You do everything right ... it's just a bit disappointing."
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Ms Harris said the dancing industry had not received much support from Ausdance Victoria.
"They are supposed to be our peak body. So a big band of Melbourne dance studio owners have come together and created this new alliance on Facebook," she said.
"A lot of studio owners have not been able to access any support through jobkeeper or any of the grants because they are set up as sole traders with contracted teachers that freelance around.
"My sister is in the Australian Ballet, she is really suffering at the moment. The whole performing arts has been decimated really.
"The Australian Ballet are even struggling to get their company dancers back to the studio because they are not seen as elite."
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