1728718951-550?v=1

Local Businesses Shift to Survive in Changing Times

With multiple unexpected closure announcements and fears about Covid-19, many businesses are struggling to survive. Adapting to the new normal requires businesses to think out of the box and make changes in order to stay afloat during these trying times.

California Dance Theatre

For 30 years California Dance Theatre in Westlake Village has educated thousands of community dancers and sent many of them on to full-blown performing careers of their own with ballet companies, on Broadway and in television and film.

It all started on September 1, 1985, when three professional women (Joyce Hurley, Lori Sorensen and Kim Hurley Maselli) opened its doors. Each had illustrious dance careers of their own and Kim had just finished a four-year run on the hit TV series, “FAME” and previously danced in New York City with American Ballet Theatre ll. These women instilled a love of dance into the hearts of many who now are patrons of Pacific Festival Ballet and faithfully attend seasonal performances at the Bank of America Performing Arts Center.

In mid-March, bustling studios filled with dancers become empty. Music from rehearsal rooms for upcoming performances ceased. While the doors may be locked, the passion for dance is unbridled. Since reinventing a dance studio has been no easy task, Kim and husband, Michael Maselli (now the executive director) went into high gear finding ways to engage and encourage their student body and families by shifting the CDT dance curriculum to have an online presence. A YouTube channel was created as faculty rallied by donating filmed dance instruction from home that students could take for free. Teacher Talks were released weekly with encouraging antics and words of wisdom from teacher to student. Zoom faculty meetings and daily online dance classes replaced the hustle and bustle of studio life.

“What I realize,” says Office Manager Darby Ohlrich, “is the sense of community that has been built for so many years has a strong bond. It is not the building that unites us each day but our love for dance and each other.” As the preparations begin for California Dance Theatre’s 35th season, the celebration will look quite different.

“We have installed TV monitors in three of our five studios,” says Michael. “This gives students and their families the option to continue their dance training from home or in person.”

CalDanceTheatre.com

 

FOY Life

“During this very stressful time in our history, our goal has been to heal in any way that works best for our community. With that in mind, FOY Life will continue to work toward meeting the healing needs of everyone who walks through our doors,” shares FOY Life’s Deanna Farnell. Located in Agoura Hills, the holistic healing center offers teas, nutritional guidance, herbal remedies and a full range of body, mind and spirit therapies.

“One way FOY Life has shifted is we have started a program called FOY Wellness and Recovery where we offer services for mental health and addiction. This is the first of its kind, as we are using alternative, holistic healing to support our program. Our unique program combines Eastern meets Western healing which allows a two-prong, multi-faceted approach to recovery. We are using our nutrition and teas to assist with the healing process,” explains Farnell. “We have run a pilot program for the past eight weeks and the results have been beyond our wildest expectations. We couldn't be more thrilled with the services we are providing, and the people that are experiencing FOY are thriving in our environment. It has been such a fulfilling way to give back.”

FOY Life plans to continue offering individual treatments.

“FOY is a special place where everyone that finds us has a common theme of how they interpret the space—peaceful, tranquil with amazing smells, and a feeling of security and warmth. Everyone is made to feel special,” Farnell says. 

“We are truly working to revolutionize all aspects of non-traditional healing,” says Farnell. “We will continue to refine our program and offerings to keep current with the needs of our customers.”

FOYLife.net

 

Harmony Family Yoga

The grand opening of Harmony Family Yoga Studio in Westlake Village occurred in mid-January and after just one full month of operation, the studio had to close the studio due to Covid-19. They quickly shifted in-person yoga and meditation classes to a livestreaming platform so students could participate from home.

In order to stay engaged with students, the studio changed its monthly newsletter into a weekly email offering wellness tips and mindfulness techniques. Additionally, Harmony Family Yoga offered chair yoga classes for seniors free of charge to help them stay active and out of isolation. 

Harmony Family Yoga reopened during the second week of July with newly upgraded features and reorganized space. Offering reduced-size group yoga classes in the mornings, the studio became a private Zen yoga sanctuary for one-to-one coaching for individuals, couples and families in the afternoon.

Harmony Family Yoga also added new services, including sound healing, mindfulness arts and crafts, and summer-themed children and teen yoga. Current offerings include special virtual free consultations and in-studio trials to welcome clients back. While continuing to monitor the current situation and evolving rules, Harmony Family Yoga maintains a physical and virtual presence, as well as continues to create wellness content for children and families in Conejo Valley.

HarmonyFamilyYoga.com

Tribú Language School

In Westlake Village, Tribú Language School offers language classes and tutoring in Spanish, French, Mandarin and Japanese for all ages. They are planning to open the first bilingual preschool in the Conejo Valley called Tribú Lil’ Learners at a new location.

“We are excited to move and expand our location to a 3,000-square-foot space,” shares Founder Angie Peña. “We will be adding multiple cultural enrichment activities and events for families in the Conejo Valley.”

Looking on the bright side, TribúLearning School’s leadership strives to continue serving students.

“Due to the pandemic, we took all of our classes online as of March,” Peña says. “The benefit of this has been that many people out of the area have been able to join our classes. We also created Language Boxes for parents: Discover Spanish for ages 3-5 and Explore Spanish for ages 5-10. The boxes can be purchased and contain all materials and lessons needed to practice Spanish for six weeks.”

TribuLanguageSchool.com

Related Businesses

The Nelson-Atkins Museum

Community Services

The Nelson-Atkins Museum

Kansas City, MO

The Nelson-Atkins is a comprehensive art museum with works of art dating from ancient to contemporary.

Animal Hospital of West Chester

Pet Services

Animal Hospital of West Chester

West Chester, OH

We are a full service medical and surgical veterinary hospital for all types of cats and dogs and specialize in taking care...

The Fetchington Luxury Pet Hotel

Pet Services

The Fetchington Luxury Pet Hotel

West Chester, OH

See More

Related Articles

See More