Pointe: It's a rare ballet company that can present three months of in-person performances despite (and amidst) the chaos of 2020. Against the odds, Richmond Ballet is doing just that, pulling off a COVID-era adaptation of its perennial Studio Series. Arriving at Richmond Ballet's Studio Theatre on a recent Thursday evening, I fully expected to feel discouraged by a highly, um, sanitized version of live dance performance.
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I think at this point people are desperate to perform, to interact in person. It seems as if Richmond ballet has a pretty good plan to create their performances safely. In all honesty, I would be happy to do a show even if there was no audience, although one would be lovely. It is good to see that they are following size and distance regulations with their audience which really demonstrates that it isn't about making money, it is about being able to perform and create art. I think however while Richmond ballet has found a good way to be able to perform a lot of theaters don't have this option. They are fortunate that they can have live performances and I think that it is also good that they broadcast their performances on zoom too. The prospect of live theater is a very exciting thought. I cannot wait until I can begin to do theater again and see it again too.
I loved reading this article- it is another reminder that it is possible to adapt to our current situation and still create wonderful art. Richmond Ballet seems to be taking all of the proper precautions to return to the studio, which was good to hear. And while their audience size decreased from over 200 to around 60 people, there is still that in-person energy that can be so important. Side note, I absolutely love that they added masked into the costume design. To me, this showed that they are incorporating the constraints and requirements of a pandemic into the artistry needed to put on a show. I think everyone is craving that in-person experience of.. frankly anything. But this sounds like something, while a risk of course, where all of the good precautions are being taken. I’m glad to hear that this is happening, and look forward to seeing where this goes.
I find myself wondering about the backstage management of these performances. From my experience working in dance, backstage is typically a sweaty mess of warmups and water bottles. Furthermore, I wonder if the dancers are using breathing techniques to help manage the (O2 level studies aside, if someone is exerting themselves it can feel harder to breathe in a mask) labor of breathing through a mask. In high altitudes, it is not uncommon for venues to supply oxygen for backstage use; I wonder if this company is taking similar precautions to help their dancers. Ultimately, I would guess that the company has grown accustomed to the masks, and grown accustomed to taking extra precautions with wardrobe and personal effects, just as we have all gotten used to the new routines in our lives. That said, it is also entirely possible that there is no one backstage and the tech crew runs the show primarily from the booth.
Reading this article, I could feel the enthusiasm in artists wanting to get back on stage in order to share their work with the world. The ability to create new shows based around the circumstances, such as "Waltzes Once Forgotten" and "To This Day" outlined in the article, is invaluable to the continuation of artistic expression. But their needs to be a public aspect of sharing the work in order for this ballet company to achieve their goals (or at least the goals of their artistic director). Obviously, the how is the biggest barrier. How do you keep your dance area properly sanitized when there's lots of physical activity and presumably sweating? How are the dancers enforcing social distancing and mask wearing either as part of the show or apart from it? How is the backstage aspect of the show being handled? If they can fulfill the necessary requirements and still operate in a safe fashion, then I see no reason why they wouldn't be able to continue their mission. However, seeing things like this sometimes makes me scared that a dance or theatre company like this could become a hotspot at a moment's notice.
It is really interesting to see how different organizations all across the country and world are either closing down for a prolonged period or deciding to put in the work to be able to survive and have the show go on. In this instance, the Richmond Ballet is pulling off a COVID-era adaptation of its studio dance series. It is encouraging to see them really be careful regarding COVID safety precautions. They are following all of the size and distance regulations with their audience which really shows their commitment to audience safety over commercial success. One aspect of their approach that I really appreciate is that they are putting shows on for a live audience in addition to recording and broadcasting the performance on zoom as well. I really like Chase’s questions regarding how the backstage environment of this COVID production is looking like, especially because Dance is such a sweaty mess.
Reading this article was inspiring as an artist, and gave me hope. One line that struck me was
"If anything, we're dancing more than ever before for each other, as dancers."
We've been so divided since the shut down, and now we are finding ways to not only adapt to a pandemic world, but to overcome certain boundaries that have never existed before.
I also found the masks that the dancers were wearing on stage to be somewhat beautiful, yet haunting. I feel like there is a lot to explore in performance with a mask, and what it now represents.
Aside from all of that, the company seems to be taking all of the necessary precautions, and making sure that their dancers are safe. One thing that wasn't mentioned in the article is testing however. I do hope that the dancers are regularly getting tested, because even with social distancing and masks, dancing through a space where many people have been, can still be dangerous.
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