Has COVID-19 affected you and the activities you love to do? COVID 19 has brought us all many struggles, we have fought for lives, for communication, and support. Dancers are some of the many people who have been profoundly impacted by the effects of COVID. Canceled classes and performances and restructured classes have made deep impacts on dancers. Some dancers are facing the challenge of being able to continue dancing, while others face mental health problems, like depression and anxiety. COVID 19 separated us and disconnected us from our loved ones. Covid has also brought us a new understanding of ourselves and what we value the most in life. Dance studios around the world have worked hard to have dance classes continue, whether on Zoom or at the studios, where dancers have to follow strict guidelines. Dance studios are typically where people can go to be free to express themselves and talk to people around them that have the same passion and love for dance. It's a community that gives everyone a sense of identity and belonging.

For many people, dance is a part of their everyday lives, whether they are professional or they like to dance around the house for fun. Dance is a way for people to express themselves and find joy. It is athletic, creative, and artistic. I asked Rowan, my friend, and fellow dancer, why dance is important to her. She explained, “For me dance is a way for me to express myself but also my favorite way of getting exercise. I also like the community that you meet, because everyone is close and you become really good friends.” For many, dance is an outlet where they can express themselves and be creative, and each studio has its close family bonds. I also interviewed Melissa, who is a teacher and owns her own dance studio. I asked her why dance is important for her: “Dance is important to me in so many different ways. When I'm dancing I'm completely present in the moment, connecting my brain and body in a way that only happens when I'm dancing. It brings me a sense of being fully alive and very grateful that my body can dance. Being a dance teacher, choreographer, and performer gives me the incredible joy of sharing my love of dance with my students and the audience,” she replied. Dance can mean something different for each individual, but I think they would all agree that it is something that brings them happiness.

Before Covid, dance studios around the world were having daily classes, yearly rehearsals, and performances. Dancers were able to hang out in between classes and could partner in class. There was less stress, you didn't have to follow the many restrictions or the guidelines. The New York Times published an article by Siobhan Burke who wrote, “The pandemic brought dance to a halt on multiple fronts, shutting down not only theaters but also the spaces where dancers train. Alongside the gradual return of live performance in New York, dance studios have been making a cautious comeback, as they reopen for in-person classes with safety protocols in place.” This was the start of virtual learning for schools and dance studios.

When social distancing took place, dancers began to feel disconnected, as people around the world switched to the digital distanced world. Some studios provided classes on Zoom where dancers took classes from their homes. This resulted in the challenges of finding enough room in your home and having equipment (like a bar) that you would need in class. You had to get a dance mat, because your floor was either slippery, carpeted, or you just didn't want to scratch your floor. Combinations that you would typically do across the floor in the studio, were limited to you dancing in place. Being particularly careful to not knock off something on a nearby table. Melissa gives an insight into how she felt when classes were online, “Teaching my dance classes virtually during the lockdown took a lot of energy and was a challenging experience especially when I couldn't see my students. Sometimes I could only see part of them and sometimes their bad internet connection made it so I couldn't see them at all. The students had the challenge of dancing in small spaces without the proper equipment while still trying to improve. This takes persistent perseverance and passion. It was wonderful when the students got to come back to the studio!” Covid has had an effect on teachers teaching online as they have tried to continue helping their dancers grow. She also explained that Covid has had some positive sides, “Some of my adult students love taking classes virtually because they don't have to drive to the studio. The younger dancers had the opportunity to work on their dance skills more since they were taking school virtually and didn't have as many other things going on.” For some people dancing online was a blessing as they had more time to dance. Fortunately, studios were able to adapt so the dancers could be either online (on Zoom) or in-person. But Covid has made us think about what is important to us. Dancers were given a moment to think about where they wanted to go with dance. Whether they wanted to pursue it as a career or just for fun.

The dancers that continued in person may not have felt as physically disconnected, but with the small number of dancers in the studio in-person and the requirements, like being 6 feet apart, many still felt disconnected. For many dancers, it's about dancing together and creating choreography as a group. The studios were very quiet as Covid made us wary to go near each other. During the interview I asked Rowan about the effects Covid has had on her life, specifically dance. “When it started we didn't have dance for..maybe like a month. And then we went on Zoom, and dancing in the living room was really hard. Because we didn't have enough space. And then as cases kind of went down and we were able to get vaccinated, they opened the studio back up. And we were able to rehearse and take classes there. But I think it was really hard because a lot of the restrictions made class more rigid. And we were at the level where you needed to have more hands-on instruction, but we couldn't because we still had to be socially distanced. And so it was actually kind of stressful to dance,” Rowan answered. For many dancers they discovered how dance was becoming more stressful, some dancers took a break, allowing them to see if they wanted to continue pursuing dance. I asked Melissa what advice she would give dancers struggling with the effects of Covid. She replied, “If you love to dance, keep dancing and don't let anything get in the way. If you want to dance, dance! If you're struggling with physical or mental health remember that dance can be therapeutic and healing. You may have to adjust the way you dance and your mindset around what you think dance should look like. Dance can take all kinds of shapes and forms and can be done by people of all ages and levels of physical and mental abilities.” Rowan also mentioned that taking a break can be beneficial. “I realized that I did really like ballet… I just needed to approach it from a different direction.” Rowan and many other dancers found that Covid made them think about their priorities and what makes them truly happy. We have all discovered something new about ourselves during this pandemic, and in some ways, we have become stronger in knowing who we are.

Though Covid has had many negative effects, Covid also brought some benefits because it helped us to discover what we are really interested in. When I interviewed Rowan she explained how Covid gave her the push to switch studios and how it allowed her to make new friends that she would not have met otherwise. “It was kind of nice to have a bit of a change. I'm not sure I would have found that if I hadn't switched because of Covid,” Rowan stated. For Melissa, she said that Covid gave her new opportunities: “Studying with my teachers in NYC virtually has been very helpful for me as a dancer, teacher, and choreographer.” Though Covid has had negative effects we can see how there have been benefits, specifically focusing on the dance world. Studios have been trying to cope with Covid and making it possible for the dancers to continue dancing. Melissa explained that “though there have been financial ups and downs,” she feels “grateful to have been able to teach the whole time.”

Studios around the world have all been affected differently, but the main thing they have in common is the fight to give dancers the space and the time to do what they love, to dance. For the dancers, Covid has given us struggles that we have had to overcome but also allowed us to find ourselves and what is important to us. Covid has allowed us to see what we truly enjoy and love to do. It allowed dancers to find themselves and who they are. Dance studios continue to be a place where people can come together and dance. As we continue to face challenges that seem daunting, it's important to remember what really matters to you. This is a great time to find who you are and what you love to do.