PENINSULA School of Dance Director Melanie Gard has joined dance studios across Victoria in calling for a say in regulations governing their reopening later this month. Picture: Yanni

DANCING schools say authorities determining rules for their reopening on Monday 22 June are out of step with the industry.

More than 170 dance schools are lobbying the Premier Daniel Andrews to let them have a say in regulations being drafted by the Department of Health and Human Services which they say is based on recommendations from the Australian Institute of Sport.

Australian Academy of Dance director Mike Harrison-Lamond said dance studio owners said the AIS was “not our governing body, nor do they have an understanding of our industry”.

He said requiring four square metres a person, 20 people in each enclosed space and no more than 10 people for each activity “is causing mass confusion throughout the industry”.

Mr Harrison-Lamond said dance schools wanted to remove the 10-person restriction and limit numbers to 20 with the four square metres a person rule.

He said it would be uneconomic to limit dance to schools to 10 people “regardless of how big a space is”.

“Restrictions eased but caution required”

First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 2 June 2020