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Cornelius business fighting to keep its doors open amid the COVID19 pandemic

After North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper ordered dance studios to shut down It has been struggling to keep its new building open.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Precision Dance studio has been open for 16 years. It just recently moved its location from Charlotte to Cornelius.

But after North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper ordered dance studios to shut down It has been struggling to keep its new building open.

“4 months today we were shut down. That’s a long time for any business to try to sustain with limiting funding,” Tenitra Oates said.

Owner, Tenitra Oates, opens up her studio to kids ages 3 and up.

She said they’re used to competing about 5 times a year.

Dancers travel everywhere from the Bahamas to Maryland and Florida.

“We were competing everything was great actually our business was actually growing in our new location,” Oates said.

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But that growth has come to a halt.

Oates says the recent PPP funding she received to help cover rent and payroll has not been enough.

Slowly but surely she’s now lost 25 to 35 % of her clientele as classes have been forced to be held outside or on Zoom. 

“A lot of students, their attention span is just not there to follow Zoom, and then they start to actually get depressed because they can’t physically see or be around their teachers,” Oates said.

Oates is now running out of options.

With Phase 3 in the state delayed again, she’s now leaning on the community for help.

She’s trying to raise up to $40,000 to keep her business afloat. 

“I’m a woman of faith so we had kind of a prayer session one day where I just got all of the students together on a Sunday and prayed,” Oates said.

Praying that despite what’s happening in the world today, the community can help them keep on dancing. 

To help Precision Dance Studio keep its door open, click here. 
The studio’s website is www.precisiondance.net

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