welcome to the future of luminesque!
We’ve just dropped the 2026/2027 season and it’s packed with exciting updates! New programs, new levels, new show themes for next year… and while we’re so unbelievably stoked about these shifts, we know change can be disorienting. So this letter is us (Vanessa and Emily) sharing the “why” behind them all.
WHY CHANGE AT ALL?
We’ve been on the front lines all year, listening deeply to all the feedback from the community about what’s working (and not) about Luminesque. We’ve also been diving into data and feedback from the past 10 years as we come up on our anniversary in 2027. All this to say - we identified opportunities for growth and sticking points holding us back, and worked with the team, industry advisors, and trusted dancers (i.e. JEDI committee) for over a year on solutions.
WHAT’S CHANGING?
Below is the TL;DR list of all the shifts, but if you’d like an explanation of the “why” behind each one, you’ll find that below the FAQ. If you’re aiming to read this update in full, it’ll likely take 20-30 mins.
ALL PROGRAMS COST LESS
Price drops on all progressive programs
Simplified pricing/payment plan structure
PRIDE Vancouver sponsored scholarships
MORE/EARLIER CLASS TIMES
Expanded schedule at Studio 4 Athletics in Victoria
New full-time home studio space in Squamish
Reviving North Vancouver progress courses (gradually)
EXPANDED OUR TEACHING TEAM
New teachers in Victoria, Squamish & Vancouver
We’re still hiring more! Apply or tell your friends.
NEW + REFRESHED PROGRAMS
Rebrand & expansion of the Company program
New level added to Progress: “Lace-Ups”
Adding a new performance program: Essence
Retiring New To Luminesque courses
Adding “Team Commitments” to the Progress program
Retiring “By Application” courses (don’t panic!)
Pausing Express for 2026/2027 to redesign the solos program
IMPROVED CROSS-TRAINING
Adding a new training progressive program: Finesse
Expanding New To Heels course availability
Pausing preview classes for the foreseeable future
Pausing drop-in classes for the foreseeable future
Scaling back workshops for the foreseeable future
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
I’m a LumiLifer (or thinking of becoming one). What does this all mean for me?
LumiLifers get first pick of ALL Fall and Spring courses - not just Progress. This means you can pre-register for Finesse, Essence and Progress all before the public on MAY 28.
By default, LumiLifer passes include two Progress courses - one in Fall, and one in Spring. But now there’s another way to claim it: one Progress course, one Essence course, and two NewToHeels/Finesse courses (same monetary value). This means:
If you really want to go all out this Fall: Take NewToHeels/Finesse this summer, Progress this Fall, and another Finesse into Essence this Fall, too! Then you’d have claimed your full LumiLifer allotment all in one term. This frees you up to go on vacation in Spring, or just buy next term a la carte. Please note if you’re on a payment plan, it must continue all the way until the 12 are paid, even though you’ll be done dancing at the end of Fall.
If you’d like a chill Fall or Spring: Take Progress in one term, and them Essence in the other term. Sprinkle your 2 NewToHeels/Finesse training courses throughout the year whenever you have time (they’re offered on a constantly rotating schedule all year).
If you’d like to keep the usual pace: Take 1 Progress course in Fall, 1 Progress course in Spring, and then buy any add-ons a la carte, as you like.
I’m currently in New To Lumi, or was last year - should I move into Lace-Ups for Fall?
By default, you’ll need to complete two terms of Kitten Heels specifically before moving into Lace-Ups. This is because Kitten Heels has the two dances, two teachers, two hours of class experience - which is what we’re looking for folks to have twice before moving into Lace-Ups. Trust you’ll still have a great time and a good push in Kitten Heels this term, as we anticipate most “true new” dancers will be going into NewToHeels or Essence this Fall.
Why do all the courses have strangely specific times?
Now that we have consistent blocks in a “home studio” by location, we want to help facilitate more community crossover and protect the private container of each class. We’ve adjusted all courses to be shorter by 5 minutes and stacked the breaks, so there will always be a 10-minute buffer between courses. This gives the space to chat, get settled, wind down, and take a few minutes to transition before class begins/ends promptly on time.
If it helps your brain - since dancers are allowed in the space during the crossover, you can commit it to memory as the usual X:00-X:00 time slot. Just know your teacher will either be wrapping up 5 minutes before the hour, or officially starting class 5 minutes after the hour.
Where do new students go now that New To Lumi is gone? Where should I send my friends?
If they’re beginners, we recommend New To Heels first. From there, they can move into Essence Beginner if they want a lower-commitment, show-focused experience, or into Progress Kitten Heels if they’re craving deeper progression and community connection.
If they’re intermediate dancers, we recommend Finesse followed by Essence Int/Adv. They can also take a placement class and join Progress at the Pumps or Stilettos level, if they really want to dig into dancer progression and embodied storytelling.
Can my friends with dance experience dance/perform with me now?
Finally, YES! Friends with dance experience can take a placement class for the chance to join Pumps or Stilettos with you. If you’re in Kitten Heels, your friends can join you too without any placement! Lace-Ups is reserved mostly for dancers who’ve been with Luminesque for more than two terms, with rare exceptions.
You can also choose to do Essence with them, either alongside Progress or instead of Progress, depending on your capacity and goals.
Why does Victoria not have Lace-Ups or Stilettos in Fall?
We closely calculate how many dancers of each level we expect each term and design the schedule around capacities. We anticipate with the addition of Luminary: company program that we won’t have enough Stilettos dancers to run a full course (but if that proves not to be the case, we’ll add one before Fall starts). We know that we don’t currently have enough Kitten Heels dancers that have completed two terms to support a full Lace-Ups class. That said, we know we will in Spring, so it’ll be added then, and you can already view that schedule on the Progress page!
I was loving the commitment of my fellow dancers in By Application courses - will that go away now?
We fully acknowledge the special bonds and cohorts that were forming in By Application courses. We also want to continually challenge cultures of exclusion within our community-based company.
Our hope is that with the culture and protocol shifts in Progress, along with the addition of Essence - every Progress course will feel like By Application courses did - with ample care, commitment and teamwork. Lace-Ups is essentialy what By Application Kittens has become, without all the red tape.
This shift makes that special By App feeling accessible to more dancers with fewer barriers and less bureaucracy. The addition of Lace-Ups will also smooth out some of the messy edges in the transition from Kitten Heels into Pumps, which then in turn releases the pressure to move into Stilettos.
The primary goal of these level shifts is to truly create cohorts people feel comfortable growing within for years, without needing “the chase” of moving levels to feel fulfilled.
If you’re an intermediate or advanced dancer who is really craving a close-knit, high-commitment, rapid-growth environment, we strongly encourage you to audition for Company, now Luminary.
I’ve been loving Progress, should I switch to Essence?
If the main thing you’ve enjoyed is just a weekly dance class that performs in a show, maybe! Especially if you’ve been feeling too busy/overextended to attend regularly.
But if what you’ve loved is the community connection, dynamic choreography, and continual dance progression, Progress is likely still where those will be most deeply nurtured.
We also reserve the most ideal time slots and most impactful songs/choreography for the Progress program - so while Essence will be fun, it would feel like a step back from what Progress has been. But if a lower commitment, more flexible experience is what you’re after, it’s a great new option!
For dancers who want an extra challenge, a boost to choreography retention, and more time on stage, we recommend adding Essence alongside Progress, time/funds permitting.
You changed the name of the Company program, but is anything else about it changing?
Other than expanding the program to Victoria and dropping the price, no. Everything you know and love about Company will stay the same. Plus, it’s still technically a “company program” - it’s just called Luminary now - a special name that recognizes you as pillars of our community!
I have a drop-in pass but you’re retiring drop-ins, what happens to that?
We encourage you to use up your punch passes as much as you can this summer! Any punch passes with classes remaining at the end of summer can be converted into prorated account credit by request. Just email glow@luminesquedance.com in September and we’ll sort it out.
With the new level adjustment, is there a new placement rubric?
We’ve made adjustments to the factors that go into placement, which can be read under “Level Cohorts” on the new Progress page.
Most simply put, commitment and attitude have been deemphasized since we have the same expectations of everyone in Progress now regardless of level - and it’s now mostly focused on specific tangible skills and abilities. We aim to publish these in more detail in the coming months.
Why do you require placement for Progress but not for Essence?
Essence dancers take on a lot less risk - no floorwork, intimacy, and simplified spacing. They also explore less challenging themes and stories in their dances, and have fewer stylistic/dynamic movements in their pieces. This means we’re confident they can execute what we have planned for them safely without needing to undergo a placement. If a dancer self-assesses into Int/Adv, we reserve the right to suggest they move to Beginner if they are endangering themselves.
Progress takes everything so much farther - movement vocabulary, learning, cohort connection, embodied storytelling, sexual/sensual expression, vulnerability, intimacy, floorwork, and partner work. Therefore we need to be certain that everyone in a given level can safely keep up.
Do Essence and Progress perform in the same shows?
Yes! Just like New To Lumi and Returning dancers both danced in the same big production, Essence and Progress both work towards the same show, just with varying levels of depth in embodied storytelling and choreographic complexity (Essence as less, Progress as more).
You can learn more about the show themes on the new Progress page.
If you’re dropping your prices, how are you going to afford to stay afloat?
Good question! We’ve run the numbers a hundred times, and we truly believe that with streamlined operations, new program additions, and your help selling tickets - we can finally strike a healthier balance between financial sustainability and greater accessibility.
While this is a risk, it’s one we take with full faith that human connection and community are more important now than ever. Vanessa and Emily (and the rest of the team!) are doubling down and fully committed to this path. While Luminesque is a business, it’s also a livelihood for dozens of artists, a precious space for hundreds of dancers, and how we provide for our families - so we make these moves carefully AND with the full-bodied belief we will thrive despite the many challenges we face. We’ve made it through so much so far - this recession is just the next hurdle.
We of course reserve the right to increase prices in the future if we need to pivot, but we’re hoping that we can all work together to keep Luminesque thriving by engaging more dancers and audience members. The longevity of our community is always our #1 focus. So we just ask that now more than ever you help us spread the word to your friends and supporters this year. 💛
THE “WHY” BEHIND EACH SHIFT
PRICE DROPS
We know the cost of living has been rising, and we’ve heard from many of you that affording dance has become harder. At the same time, the cost of running our programs has continued to rise, which means this shift has required a lot of care and number crunching behind the scenes.
Our goal is to find a more sustainable balance: making Luminesque more accessible to more dancers, while still keeping the community healthy enough to continue long term.
We’ve simplified parts of our operations to reduce overhead, and we’re passing those savings directly back to you through lower prices. Ticket sales have also been growing, which helps subsidize the program and allows us to make this shift with more confidence.
SIMPLIFIED PRICING STRUCTURE
We’ve heard your feedback that our pricing and payment plans have sometimes felt complex, confusing, or hard to understand. When something feels unclear, it can also be hard to feel fully good about committing to it, and we really want our registration process to feel more easy and transparent.
In the past, we offered a sliding scale model, but only three people ever opted into the sponsor tier, even though we gave out over 50 support-tier spaces over the years. We were grateful to be able to offer that support, but the model was becoming financially unsustainable, especially alongside the amount of owner-sponsored scholarships we’ve been awarding as well.
To make things more accessible and easier to navigate, we’ve simplified both our pricing model and our payment methods. Each course can now be paid for up front, or through one standardized monthly payment plan.
PRIDE-SPONSORED SCHOLARSHIPS
We’ve gratefully received a significant donation from the Vancouver Pride Society, in part because of the work we’ve been doing to support LGBTQIA2S+ dancers in our community.
We recognize that trans dancers, in particular, often experience marginalization both in life and in dance spaces. Our hope is that these scholarships help more queer and trans dancers find a safer space to move, express, connect, and be fully themselves here.
We’re also excited to announce we’ll be seeing you at Vancouver and Victoria Pride this year! Please reach out if you’d like to get involved.
EXPANDED STUDIO 4 ATHLETICS SCHEDULE
We’ve been looking for a more consistent home in Victoria since Vanessa and Emily first moved here. Over time, we’ve also heard from both staff and students that only offering later class times has been a real strain for many.
Linley from PoleCoven has decided to move locations, which has opened up more space at Studio 4 Athletics. (If you’re a PoleCoven dancer reading this, we encourage you to reach out to Linley directly for more clarity about her plans moving forward).
We’ve formed a long-term partnership with S4A, which means we can offer classes from 5:00 to 10:00 PM Monday to Thursday, as well as additional weekend times, for years to come.
This gives our Victoria community more consistency, more accessibility, and more room to grow together. We’re so excited to finally have a fuller-time home here!
NEW FULL TIME HOME STUDIO IN SQUAMISH
We’ve been looking for a new home in Squamish since we lost our previous space a couple of years ago. Rising costs made that extremely difficult, so we’ve been doing our best within the limited Dance Directions and Act Alive schedules.
Then Corrie, a long-time student, took it upon herself to help find us a new home. She brought in partners, Karley and Chelsea, to help make it happen, and together they’ve created Studio 3.
We’ve now formed a long-term partnership with their new space, which means we can host classes from 6:00 to 10:00 PM Monday to Thursday for years to come. This is a huge step for our Squamish dancers, and we’re so excited for the stability and possibility this creates.
REVIVING NORTH VANCOUVER PROGRAMS
North Vancouver has been a harder location to sustain because costs, availability, and staffing continue to be real challenges. Even so, we’re still committed to trying to revive this location and support the dancers who call it home.
We’ve kept the Stilettos class for next season, and we’ve added an additional Lace-Ups class to support more levels. We’ll continue consulting, listening, and exploring solutions that could help North Van grow in a healthy and sustainable way.
EXPANDED OUR TEACHING TEAM
We’re always looking to bring more diverse perspectives, backgrounds, identities, and styles into our teaching team so we can serve our incredible range of over 400+ dancers. Our schedules in Victoria and Squamish have been especially limited, but with more studio space now available, we can finally welcome more staff into those communities.
We’ve hired some wonderful new teachers, some who applied and some who were mentored into these roles. They are located across different cities and bring a wide range of backgrounds, skills, and lived experiences.
Please welcome Carter (they/them), Flora (they/them), Kenzie (she/her), Lindsay (she/her), Maya (she/her) Sophia (she/her) - and Sydney (she/her), who we hired last year is teaching Progress now! More info about our new team members is coming soon, but you can check them out on our Team page.
We’re still looking for more teachers, especially from underrepresented identities or with skills that differ from our current team’s capacity. Please apply here, or send the posting to friends with dance teaching experience who you think would be a good fit for our community.
REBRAND + EXPAND COMPANY (NOW: LUMINARY)
We’ve also dropped the price of Company, and are expanding the program to Victoria. This brings back the opportunity to tour parts of the showcase and allows Company dancers to guest perform group numbers in the opposing city’s show.
Company has had a significant impact on Luminesque over the years, and we wanted the name to better honour the important role these dancers play. The new name is Luminary, which means a natural body of light, as well as a person who is an influential inspiration within a given sphere.
The structure of the program is staying the same - this is simply a name that better reflects the light, leadership, and artistry these dancers bring to Luminesque.
ADDED A NEW LEVEL TO PROGRESS (LACE-UPS)
We’ve been auditing feedback about our levels and placement system for the past five years, and we’ve heard a lot from you. Because this community has such high retention, many dancers are growing together over time, which is beautiful, but it has also created friction within the levels.
We’ve especially heard from Kitten Heels dancers, that “feeling stuck at the first level forever” can feel like failure, particularly when you’re dancing alongside people who are brand new. By Application courses helped with this for a while, but they also created issues of their own.
We’ve created a new level for experienced beginner/early intermediate dancers called Lace-Ups. This level is based on experience, specifically two terms in Kitten Heels, rather than a placement process. We’ve heard that placement can feel inaccessible and needlessly stressful, and we wanted to create a path that honours your time, growth, and lived experience in the room.
Lace-Ups honours the deep mental understanding that long-time Kitten Heels dancers have built within Luminesque and dance, while still nurturing their physical skills through appropriate curriculum and vocabulary. It also allows Lace-Ups to explore more meaningful, intimate, expressive, and dynamic choreography than we could safely offer with newer dancers in the room.
There is now essentially no difference between what Lace-Ups, Pumps, and Stilettos are allowed to do in choreography beyond what is physically safe to execute. That means every level will receive cool songs, intricate musicality, floorwork, deep stories, and opportunity to perform intimacy or partner work.
Kitten Heels will remain our beginner and entry level, and will be where most new dancers start until they’ve been in Progress for at least two terms.
Adding Lace-Ups also allows us to push Pumps toward a more advanced intermediate level, and allows us to maintain and further challenge the advanced/professional level of Stilettos. The addition of Lace-Ups aims to smooth out some of the messy edges in the transition from the previous iteration of Kitten Heels into Pumps, which then in turn releases the pressure Pumps feel to move into Stilettos to maintain their Intermediate/Advanced focus.
Anyone currently in a given level does not need placement to remain in that level. Anyone who has been in Kitten Heels for more than two terms can automatically move into Lace-Ups without needing a placement as of Fall term.
The primary goal of these level shifts is to truly create cohorts people feel comfortable growing within for years, without needing “the chase” of moving levels to feel fulfilled.
ADDED A NEW PERFORMANCE PROGRAM (ESSENCE)
We’ve heard that many dancers want performance opportunities with less financial and time commitment. We’ve also become more confident in our ability to assess risk, discern what a dancer can and cannot do safely, and intervene when appropriate to prevent injury.
Express has been enjoyable for the dancers in it, but it also felt needlessly exclusionary to beginner dancers. We’ve heard from beginner dancers who have more time and capacity that they want to perform in more dances. We’ve heard from Pumps dancers who want the opportunity to perform in three dances, like the Stilettos do, while also recognizing that they need more time to learn and integrate choreography safely.
We’ve heard that dancers sometimes need to travel, shift capacity, or dial back their commitment during certain seasons of life, and that the “Progress or nothing” choice is at times a painful one. We also know the jump into Luminesque to join Progress can feel steep for new dancers, or for dancers coming from other programs that are shorter, simpler, or less financially demanding.
To support all of this, we’ve created a new 10-week performance program called Essence, open to all levels. Learn all about it on the website here!
RETIRING “NEW TO LUMINESQUE” COURSES
There have been many wonderful things about New to Luminesque over the past few years, and we’re grateful for what that program offered. At the same time, we’ve heard that the pace was often not feeling enjoyable for staff or dancers, and the financial and time commitment was becoming increasingly difficult as an entry point.
We’ve also heard that dancers want to be able to dance with friends who are already at Luminesque when they are at a similar dance ability. With the addition of Essence, we anticipate that many new dancers will begin with New to Heels, move into Essence Beginner, and then join Kitten Heels once they know Progress is “worth” the deeper commitment.
Anyone looking to dive into dance with us can now join Kitten Heels, or join Pumps or Stilettos through a placement class. This means newer dancers will begin entering the community at all levels. This may feel like a bit of a culture shock at first - but it’s one we feel we need, to combat a growing sense of exclusion that feels counter to our community and equity values.
ADDED “TEAM COMMITMENTS” TO THE PROGRESS PROGRAM
Now that Essence exists as a lower-commitment performance option, we want to push what we can achieve choreographically in Progress. We feel more grounded in asking for a higher level of commitment from Progress dancers because there is now another pathway available when that level of commitment is too much for the season someone’s in.
We’ve added Team Commitments, along with clearer consequences for inconsistent attendance in Progress. Our hope is that Progress becomes a space where dancers with high levels of commitment can thrive together, grow more rapidly, and create more impactful art as a team.
The goal is for every Progress course to carry the focus, care, and commitment that dancers previously associated with By Application courses.
RETIRING “BY APPLICATION” COURSES
We originally added By Application courses as a temporary solution while we assessed what our level structure needed. We’ve heard that the process was at times needlessly complex and confusing, and that it created unnecessary disappointment and feelings of being left out.
We also understand that these courses became an important container for dancers with high commitment, especially those who have been in Luminesque for a long time. We want to protect that sense of teamwork and shared investment, while making that special feeling available to more dancers with fewer barriers.
With the addition of Essence, dancers who need a lower-commitment option have somewhere great to go. They can still dance with friends and be on stage, without the pressure.
And with the addition of Progress Team Commitments and the expansion of Luminary, we believe there will be more opportunities for dancers to find the highly committed, teamwork-focused spaces they’re craving (without all the extra barriers and bureaucracy).
PAUSING EXPRESS TO REGROUP THIS YEAR
Express has been successful in its Nasty format, and we know many dancers have deeply loved the radical, sexual energy of those shows. At the same time, Express had challenges integrating with Progress, largely because dancers were using the program for two different needs.
We believe Essence now better serves the need for a shorter and more financially accessible program, without being exclusionary by level. We also believe that pushing the limits of Progress, adding Team Commitments, and expanding Luminary to Victoria will better serve the desire for deeper embodied storytelling.
We’re also launching more professional and paid performance opportunities in Victoria (with Vancouver to follow) and we believe these will speak to the desire for pro-level performances. Stilettos will also be ramping up in difficulty with the addition of Lace-Ups, so even right at home in Progress you’ll be seeing even more groundbreaking pro-level work.
By pausing Express, we acknowledge that the main unserved desire is the solos program. That program was not designed in a financially sustainable way with adequate reciprocity for the value being offered (multiple directors, multiple studios, choreography coaching, professional video, etc. which are all high cost/high value). The Nasty show itself is also not financially viable without more dancers participating in the show (and thus more friends in the crowd).
Because we know how much the energy of Nasty has mattered, we’ve designed two Progress shows this year that lean more deeply into those themes of erotic energy and revolution. We’re pausing Express for a year so we can regroup, redesign the solos program, and explore how that opportunity might be reintegrated into Luminesque in a way that’s financially sustainable.
ADDED A NEW TRAINING PROGRESSIVE (FINESSE)
We’ve heard that some dancers want to train with Luminesque without performing. We’ve also heard a clear need for more in-depth cross-training opportunities for Heels dancers, especially for intermediate/advanced skills.
Some dancers have also shared that they don’t always feel safe or supported at other studios, and many have returned injured. We believe meaningful progression comes from working with the same cohort over time, which also means drop-in classes haven’t fully met the need for deeper growth.
We also anticipate that some technique gaps may arise in Essence Intermediate/Advanced, because that program does not include a technique development component and doesn’t require placement. To operate within our integrity, we wanted to offer dancers a way to build or refresh those skills before diving in when they need that support; and have a place to send them if it’s clear they’re falling behind.
Fiona has been working her dance nerd magic on a new curriculum, and it’s finally ready. We’re debuting Finesse this summer as intensives, and it will continue throughout the year as a continual cross-training opportunity.
We’ve also priced it extremely competitively if you’re already in a performance program - this term, offering 50% off for anyone who’s currently dancing in Essence, Progress or Luminary while they take it - which means 9 hours of high-quality dance education for only $111.
EXPANDED NEW TO HEELS AVAILABILITY ALL YEAR
We’ve seen huge success with our New to Heels program. After six weeks, dancers are feeling connected, grounded and ready to strut right into drop-ins or programs with confidence.
New to Heels is doing a strong job of giving new dancers a solid foundation to build from. It also has a very flexible refund policy, so if someone realizes Heels is not for them, they can step away without a significant financial loss, which was not possible with the New to Luminesque program.
Almost everyone who finishes New to Heels feels ready to pursue the stage, which has been so exciting to see. We’ll continue offering this as the first step before Essence, and it is also a great option for dancers who don’t want to, or don’t feel ready yet, to perform.
New to Heels will run all year long on a rotating cycle in every location, so please tell your friends!
PAUSING PREVIEW CLASSES
We’ve heard that the jump from one free class into a five-month program can feel like too much. Preview classes also come with a significant cost to run, and participation has been dwindling. Because they are free, we’ve also experienced a high number of no-shows or attendees who did not have any intention of ever joining a program.
New to Heels is doing a much stronger job of introducing dancers to the style, and it is financially accessible enough that many people are willing to jump in without needing a trial class first.
If you have friends who want to try Luminesque, we encourage you to invite them to a donation drop-in this summer or to join New to Heels!
PAUSING DROP-IN CLASSES
Our focus at Luminesque is building community, long-term progression, and meaningful cohort-based growth. Drop-ins have started to feel in conflict with our values and intentions.
They also require significant operational, marketing, and studio time costs, and registration has been dwindling as our focus has shifted more fully toward programs. We only have so much time available in our studios, and we want to prioritize offerings that best support sustained growth and community connection.
There are many businesses in the city that offer great drop-in options. Many of our own teachers also teach drop-ins elsewhere, and so we encourage you to take class with them in those spaces. We may also offer drop-in spaces within Finesse whenever they aren’t already sold out.
If you have a drop-in pass, we recommend using it this summer. Any remaining classes can be converted into account credit for programs by request. We may bring drop-ins back sporadically or after a deeper audit, but we are not able to make any promises at this time.
SCALING BACK WORKSHOPS
We want to encourage our team to offer their own areas of expertise on their own terms. Workshops also require significant operational, marketing, and studio resources, and they do not always support our broader goal of long-term progression and community building.
We will still be sponsoring space for Friends of Dorothy, of course! But beyond that, you’ll likely see fewer workshops directly from Luminesque, and more workshops in the space offered independently by our team and guests.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
We can make our best decisions based on data, conversations, and what we’re seeing across the community - but we know we can’t possibly think of everything or see every perspective on our own.
Please share what you’re loving, what feels sticky, and what questions these shifts bring up for you. Your feedback helps us continue evolving in alignment with our community, our values, and the dreams we’re building together.
That said, we also ask that you trust that a ton of feedback, thought and consultation went into these decisions, so please be patient as we wait to see how all these shifts roll out over the next year before jumping too quickly to conclusions.
