ACTIVATE YOUR ARTISTRY - THE CHICAGO REGIONAL

Hello AYA Chicago Studios, Dancers and Parents!   

We are a few short weeks from Activate Your Artistry Chicago. The entire AYA team is so excited about having a safe, inspirational event with all of our attending dancers. To make sure everyone is prepared for the convention weekend, we have assembled all the need to know information for Activate Your Artistry Chicago.  

If you have any questions about the convention weekend that are not answered below, please send an email for a response in 24 hours or less.  

CONVENTION LOCATION:  

Holiday Inn Elk Grove Village 

1000 Busse Road 

Elk Grove Village, IL 60007 

CONVENTION DATES:  

September 26-27, 2020 

PARKING AND ARRIVAL: 

Please park in the back of the hotel and enter through door #5 only.  

You will see a green sign displaying BANQUETS AND CATERING. Dancers will be admitted through this entrance only. 

We kindly request that you do not enter through or crowd the main lobby door and area. 

REGISTRATION CHECK IN TIME: 

Each group or individual has been assigned a specific check in time sent via email to prevent crowding in public areas and to allow sanitization of the registration area between groups.  

REGISTRATION SAFETY INFO:  

When you arrive at the venue, each dancer will have a distance temperature check, verbal wellness check, required hand sanitizing and if the dancer has a dance bag, the bottom of the bag will be spritzed with a quick-drying, sterile alcohol-based solution.  The venue has guaranteed deep cleaning of the premises prior to and during the convention weekend and requires masks to be worn inside the building. 

In addition to that Activate Your Artistry requires all dancers and attending observers to follow our safety guidelines on the COVID safety plan as listed on our website.

Each dancer must have a signed liability waiver on file or they will not be permitted to participate in convention classes.  

If your dancer requires any special medical accommodations, please let the registration table associate know and we will do our best to accommodate.  

CONVENTION SCHEDULE:  

 AYA Chicago will run on a staggered schedule for the safety of all attending dancers.  We kindly request that dancers stay in their assigned ballrooms for the convention weekend.  

LUNCH BREAKS:  

NEW FOR THIS YEAR- Eating in common areas is not permitted. The hallways and lobby area must be kept clear.  For lunch breaks, please either dine in the on-site restaurant, take advantage of the local restaurant options off premises or if your dancer brings lunch, they will be permitted to eat in their convention ballroom.  

We kindly request that each dancer bring a water bottle to the convention as public water stations will be unavailable.

CONCERT GALA:  

NEW FOR THIS YEAR- Each level ballroom will have a small performance after their final class and will be excused for the day immediately following their performance and awards.   

The evening Concert Gala in Chicago will be for competing soloists, groups and convention assistants only due to capacity limitations. In the event your dancer can not stay for their awards, they will be able to retrieve their award on Sunday morning or it will be given to a studio representative.   

Primary Level Performance and Awards on Saturday - 3:30 to 4:00 pm  

Pre-Professional Level Performance and Awards on Saturday - 5:10 to 5:30 pm 

Pro Level Performance and Awards on Saturday – 5:30 to 5:45 pm 

OBSERVER PASSES AND LIVESTREAM: 

To allow the attending dancers space to safely distance and to limit overcrowding, Observer bands will be significantly limited and available on a first come, first served basis.  

Observer bands will not be sold at the door and must be purchased in advance on activateyourartistry.com on the TOUR DATES page. Observer and Director chairs will be placed apart and labeled for your safety. 

NEW FOR THIS YEAR - For your convenience, we will be livestreaming throughout the convention weekend so that you can check in on your dancer in their classes. The livestream link will go live on September 26th at 10:00 am and can be viewed on the TOUR DATES page of our website at the bottom.

Thank you for choosing to make Activate Your Artistry a part of your dance season.