June 25, 2020 Update

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Hello C3 Community!

We’ve got some news about how we are progressing through our own circus re-opening. Read below:

Phase 2 Step 2 of reopening the Massachusetts economy began this past Monday, June 22nd. Recreational youth programming (with some restrictions) were allowed during Phase 2 Step 1 so we are excited to be beginning our Youth Summer Program next week! This past week we took time to review the guidelines for Step 2 here in MA. It was clear at that point that the options for how we could run adult circus programming held some significant restrictions. With these guidelines and restrictions in mind, we have decided—at least for now—not to reopen C3 for recreational adult programming during Phase 2. We will likely open for adult programming, including some group classes, during Phase 3. Phase 3 dates have not yet been released. As we stay up to date with the MA Phased Reopening Plans, we will continue to keep you in the loop!

In the meantime we hope to see you online for classes, joining us for our One Song Workouts at 1pm M-F on Instagram, or participating in our 10-Minute Break Series.

Lastly, if you are still interested in supporting our staff, you can do so in one of three ways: take an ONLINE CLASS, DONATE if you are able, or SEND A NOTE OF SUPPORT TO ONE OR MORE C3 COACHES! We are facing a massive loss of income from canceled classes and programs. Any support helps, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

With Gratitude,

-Sophia, Steve, Ellen, and Roger

May 28, 2020 Update

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Hello C3 Community!

Today we’ve got a couple of updates for you about our online classes and also how and when we plan to reopen our doors in JP in the coming weeks/months.

1. Sign Up for Online Classes: Our online class schedule is now posted through June 14th! We’ve got new rounds of our mini-sessions in Kinesiology, Liberation Health Model, Trapeze & Hoop Conditioning, Circus Science & Anatomy, Living Room Tumbling, and Grounded Beats. We also have a couple of new classes on the schedule. Don’t forget to buy and use an Online Class MultiPass if you want to be able to cancel and reschedule your class reservations.

2. Phased Reopening: On Monday, May 18th, Governor Baker announced his phased plan for reopening the Massachusetts economy. The plan involves four phases. Each phase will be a minimum of three weeks but may take longer depending on how each phase goes with regard to COVID-19 data in MA. C3 is in phase two or three depending on the type of programming we offer but is definitely NOT in phase one. This means that C3 will start opening no earlier than mid-late June, and most likely later. It is also possible that we may be able to open for some types of programming before we open for others—for example, private lessons or camps might start before group classes. We’ll know more in the next couple of weeks and will be in touch with details soon.On top of these state guidelines, we will be creating our own circus-specific phased approach for opening our doors. We’ll be taking into account what is best for the C3 staff and community as we make this plan. Over the next few weeks we will be releasing the details of our COVID response plan, and will continue to provide details about our reopening timeline to you as our plan becomes more clear.

Thank you for your patience and support through this time. While we await the reopening plan we hope to see you online for classes, joining us for Circus Abs at 1pm M-F on Instagram, or participating in our 10-Minute Break Series.

3. Ways to Support Our Staff: Many of you have asked how you can support C3’s teachers in the face of this closure. You can do so in one of three ways:

We are facing a massive loss of income from canceled classes and programs. Any support helps, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

With Gratitude,

-Sophia, Steve, Ellen, and Roger

April 27, 2020 Update

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To Our Wonderful C3 Community,

C3 has elected to close our doors until further notice to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community. We made the tough but necessary decision to voluntarily close our doors on Friday March 13th, and with current state mandates ordering all non-essential businesses to remain closed, we are unsure when we will be able to reopen. Although we don’t know when we will re-open the studio, fear not! We WILL reopen and will be so excited when we can! In the interim, we are committed to providing our staff with financial support to the very best of our ability through this closure. Specifically, we are dedicated to paying our coaches and other staff members who depend on C3 for a significant portion of the income at least through the month of April.

Throughout the first 2.5 years of C3’s existence, we have felt so welcomed and supported by this Jamaica Plain community. During this recent uncertain time, we have continued to feel overwhelmed by how many of you have reached out with offers of support and love. We feel such gratitude towards you all!

Many of you have asked how you can support C3’s teachers in the face of this closure. Here are some ways you can help: 

1. If you are able, please donate. We are facing a massive loss of income from canceled classes and programs. Any amount helps, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

 2. Join us for online classes! Students who were enrolled for Spring Session classes can use their remaining class credits to take online classes and will receive instructions on how to do this in a separate email. All classes are set up as one-time drop-ins so you can sign up for classes individually.

In addition, all online classes are open to the public, so you can feel free to pass these circus-learning opportunities on to your communities! Many classes are geared toward students of all levels, so even if you know folks who haven’t done circus before and want to give it a try, there are opportunities for everyone. There are also classes geared toward intermediate and advanced circus students, so if you’re looking for more of a challenge, we have that too! Check out our full online class schedule and sign up here:

3. Send a note of support to our coaches. Perhaps you want to let them know that you are thinking of them during this time? Maybe you are remembering a specific skill you learned from them or something that they did that made circus extra fun for you? Whatever thoughts come to mind, we’d love to hear them! Use this form to send a note to one or all of our coaches! We’ll compile the notes and will forward them along to our coaches.

We will keep you updated in the coming days and weeks as we have a better sense of when we might be able to resume normal operations. Thank you for your understanding and patience as we navigate this difficult and unprecedented time. Our gratitude for your community spirit is endless. We look forward to seeing your faces in the coming days as we connect through circus online!

Best,

Sophia, Steve, Ellen, and Roger

March 21, 2020 Update

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Hello Community!

Things continue to rapidly change around us. In order to do our part in keeping our broader community safe, we have made the decision to close our physical space until further notice. Although we don’t know when we will re-open the studio, fear not! We WILL re-open and will be so excited when we can! We are continuing to monitor the situation and will update you when there is new information.

Thank you for your support during this unprecedented time. If you are interested in helping out by donating to our staff, utilities, or other operating costs, shoot us an email and we’d be happy to talk. As a small business, this is a scary time but we feel lucky to be so encouraged and supported by you, our C3 community.

Here’s more circus adventures together! We’ve just launched online classes for youth, families, and adults. Please CHECK OUT THE SCHEDULE if you’d like to continue circusing with us during this time! While we can’t be in the studio right now, we can still be a circus together!

Best to all,

Sophia, Steve, Ellen, and Roger

March 15, 2020 Update

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To Our Wonderful C3 community:

As you’ve probably heard, C3 has elected to close through Sunday March 29th to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community. As of right now, we plan to resume regularly scheduled classes and activities on Monday March 30th. We will be in touch if that plan changes due to new developments in the coming days. Please visit our website, check our Facebook page, or join the C3 Student Group on Facebook for the most up-to-date information.

Yesterday, we sent the following email to all students and families currently enrolled in session classes. If you are registered for classes but did not receive this email, please read below and take action by March 20th:

In figuring out how to handle this unprecedented closure, we’re working hard to balance the needs and welfare of our students, our staff, and the health of the business itself. We’re coming to you today with full transparency in hopes that we can work together to find our way through this.

As we’re sure you can imagine, canceling a week’s worth of activities is a massive financial hit to a small business like ours. At C3, we are grateful to be strong and stable enough that with careful decision-making and community support we know we can make it through this uncertain time. We know that not all members of our community – including many members of our staff, who make their living as artists and performers – are in the same situation, and that business closures, event cancellations, and lost work may mean that many are feeling significant financial strain. We also know that many of our students are facing financial pressure as well.

In order to support our staff, C3 is committed to providing full pay to all instructors whose classes are canceled for the next two weeks. Should the closure extend beyond this two-week period, we will continue to provide our staff with financial support to the very best of our ability.

With that in mind, we are offering students affected by canceled classes four options:

  1. You may choose to receive a refund for the value of the canceled classes. Please provide your full name and mailing address, and we will send you a paper check.

  2. You may choose to receive an Amilia account credit for the dollar value of the canceled classes. The credit will never expire, and can be used toward any future group session class, group class drop-in, or workshop at C3.

  3. You may choose to receive make-up class credits which will not expire. We are offering a one-time exception to policy, and allowing make-up classes from this cancellation to be carried over to future sessions. You may use the make-up class credits in accordance with our missed class/make-up policy.

  4. Average weekly payroll at C3 is a little over $7,000. If you are able, we ask that you consider donating the value of the canceled classes to help C3 cover payroll costs during the closure. Allowing C3 to keep the funds from these canceled classes will make a big difference to the health of the business as we compensate our instructors for the work they are missing and look ahead to a potential extended closure.

In order to help us track responses, we have created a Google Form. Please CLICK HERE to fill out the form with your choice. You will need to complete the form once for each session class for which you or your child is registered.

Please fill out the form by Friday March 20th. If we don’t hear from you by 3/20, we will assume you have chosen to donate the cost of your missed class to support the C3 coaching staff.

Note that we will be putting together a number of remote circus-learning options with our coaches during this two-week closure and hope that you’ll join us in continuing to build our circus community during this time. Watch out for an update regarding remote circus-learning soon!

Throughout the first 2.5 years of C3’s existence, we have felt so welcomed and supported by this Jamaica Plain community. We are wishing you the best during this challenging time and are with you in circus spirit!

In Gratitude,

The C3 Owner Team (Sophia, Steve, Ellen, and Roger)

March 12, 2020 Update

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Dear C3 Community Members,

We hope this message finds you and your communities in good health. As news continues to unfold regarding COVID-19 here in Boston, we have been taking extra precautionary measures to keep the C3 studio and community safe. That said, news about the spread of COVID-19 is updating rapidly at this point, and the lay of the land in Boston seems to be changing minute-to-minute.  With the current recommendations of limiting large gatherings in mind, we have decided to close C3 from Friday 3/13 through Sunday 3/15. This short closure will give us the time we need to evaluate new information and make decisions with confidence about the future. We anticipate re-opening for classes on Monday 3/16 and hope that by then we will have more information and certainty about COVID-19 and how to respond here in Boston. We will be in touch with students on Sunday 3/15 if there is any change to this plan.

Classes are running as planned today, Thursday 3/12. We will email all current students over the weekend with our new canceled class protocols and options for this closure.

We will continue to follow public health guidelines from the state as we make decisions. We promise to keep you informed so that you can plan ahead as best you can. For more information now, you can look to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, as well as the CDC and WHO. Thank you for your understanding as we navigate this difficult time. Reach out to info@commonwealthcircus.com at any time with questions or concerns. We will post updates on the C3 Student Facebook page and will send emails to all registered students with any new developments.

Best,

-The C3 Owners (Sophia, Steve, Ellen, and Roger)