Wednesday, March 18, 2020
Staying Connected From Our Living Rooms: What It's Like Dancing During a Pandemic
Dance Magazine: It's Sunday and it's quiet; all the usual weekend noise of the college town in which I live has lessened considerably. I set up my computer on my dining room table, move some chairs away, and click on the link to Dance Church's first online class. I see a familiar scene: dancers in a studio chatting, stretching, doing things we all do while waiting for class to begin. It's comforting to watch . There's blissful, beat-driven music playing and soon, Kate Wallich comes on the screen; she's smiling warmly as she reads through the ground rules before we begin without stopping. It's an experiment, she says, and I feel lucky to be a part of it.
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I suppose that this is all even more difficult for people like performers and dancers whose work tends to require you to be in a space physically interacting with others. I can't imagine how all of this change has impacted their daily lives, but it was really pleasant to read this article and hear the positivity coming from Schmuhl and how she's enjoying the virtual classes. I know that it doesn't measure up to what she's accustomed to but I hope she is able to stay positive and enjoy moments where she is still being able to dance. I do worry, though, that the past few days could have been psychologically perceived as being on "vacation" for most of us, but as the weeks progress, we will get tired of being away from what we considered to be our normal lives. Hopefully that is just the pessimist in me and that's not the case and that everything will be fine.
Learning online in the arts is very difficult for us, but I really can't imagine how hard it must be for performers. So much of their work depends on in person, intimate connections with one another. I think that like many other college students, they are all starting to embrace the new way of learning. It is definitely hard, and while it may get easier it will never be perfect. Ilove this account of a girl who is making the best of the situation, and looking at it in a positive light. The corona virus is like nothing many living people have ever experienced before, and we are honestly so lucky that we have the technology to not have to completely stop studying what we love. This pandemic really is proving how much can be done with modern technology. I hope that we can all continue with optimism until things get better.
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