Reflecting back on 2020
Well. We made it a full year into this weird pandemic.
March 15, 2020, we elected to close the studio to group classes after seeing reports of growing COVID case counts. The next day, March 16, 2020, Governor Inslee mandated our closure and we closed the studio entirely.
Looking back and reflecting over this last year, I feel relieved we made it through the worst, sad for all we've lost, and yet, optimistic about the future we're building.
For all the challenges we've faced, I am proud of how Ascendance has risen to meet each one. In a single year, we done more than I could have ever imagined. We failed a bunch too, and learned so much along the way.
In that year, we've stood up an entirely Virtual studio, and then forged new territory with Hybrid classes. We experimented with Video On Demand and some fancy videography. A brand new online retail store was born and we have shipped products all over the country. Our new Home Pole rental/sales program is taking off like crazy and over 18 (and counting) of you have poles sourced through the studio. We've held virtual community events, virtual workshops, personal video shoots, a virtual showcase and successful fundraiser, and so much more. We've also managed to keep our Scholarship program going in a new form.
It's not been easy, though. To survive this crazy year, we negotiated with vendors, cut expenses to the bare bones, solicited donations left and right, and even signed up to clean the buildings toilets to work down unpaid back rent. Some staff volunteered their time and their pay to keep us going. We worked tirelessly to apply for grants, government aid, tax credits, and loans. Every day has brought a new challenge. Every few weeks an entirely new set of rules to seek out and understand. And each day a new shift in priorities, new data to consider, and so much more. It's tested our team's ability to function seamlessly to the max.
Not going to lie, on some of those more challenging days, it honestly would have been easier to close the doors and give up. The thought entered my mind more than once. This year has been a personal challenge for me, stretching me to the absolute max. Not knowing what each day would bring was hard... Not knowing if we could pay ourselves or our team was hard… Not being able to serve my team with my best self has been hard…
Many tears were shed out of sheer frustration and anger at just how hard and unfair this has been... Oof. Thank you to those who have been there to help pick me and Maggie up when we were at our worst; for your kind words, encouragement, and grace in those moments when we needed it most.
I'm so glad we persevered though! The hard work is worth it, and any time we get to see your dancing faces (whether virtually or now in-studio), we are reminded of exactly why we put in this work. I know how important this place is to so many of you and many of you have personally expressed how much of a lifeline the studio was in some of our darkest COVID days. I also know the best is yet to come, and we need to be here for it!
I'm happy to say that we finally have a positive financial outlook as we head into summer (so long as no new Acts-of-God hit) and are very much looking forward to a return to semi-normalcy as we roll into summer and beyond.
So - Thank you again for all your support and engagement over this past year. It's been wild, y'all! For all we’ve learned and achieved, I’d rather not do that again. Get your vaccines when you’re eligible. We need to squash this thing for good and vaccines are our best shot.
We love ya more than you know. Take care and we will look forward to dancing with you soon.
Tara Steed