Squeezing Lemons ...

The TOXIC Studios column isn't an alarmist piece describing improbable risks and imaginary harm.

It is an effort to make lemonade from lemons. It is a way to share research in the hope that families will learn how to evaluate and find safe studios. This column may very well be our swan song.

Indoor air pollution can make you sick. Struggling for air, you may find little motivation to dance or to promote the art form. If these toxins also mess with your head it can be very difficult to see the problem and begin the hunt for cause and cure.

Imagine being unable to spell the name of your spouse or getting uptight about remembering your mailing address. When the memory slips away it is pretty difficult to repeat combinations or to write or to run a business. Three years is a long time to be shamed into silence. The formaldehyde fog is finally clearing.

This lemonade stand is a public education effort that could give DanceArt.com a reason to exist as we move into and beyond our tenth year online. Dance is most compelling when you can participate. When you can't go on stage, backstage, to the house seats or to class it may be time to move on to other interests. Dance on DVD just doesn't cut it.

Dancers fear getting sidelined by injury or age, forcing a reluctant retirement from the studio. The irony is that TOXIC Studios can force a dancer to withdraw from life, allergic to things and foods once loved. The health and business impact of IAQ problems isn't imaginary and is critically close to wiping out this web site and our interest in promoting dance.

Yes, maybe this is also a shameless effort to find a healthy studio in which to resume dance classes while helping readers do the same. This should not be an impossible goal but perhaps your studios will be more responsive than those near us.

Your comments are welcome here. What should we do with this blog? Do you want write and read about healthy studios in your area? Do you want to review and discuss the studios that need the most work? Trade safe product tips? Speak up and help shape the future of this thing.

David