HOW THE PANDEMIC AFFECTED DANCERS

Jessica Teaona, New England Tahitian/Polynesian Dancer, Belly Dancer.

The COVID-19 pandemic upended the lives of all people across the world. As everything shut down, people lost the ability to do social activities and keep up with their physical health in the same way they once did. Dancers were no exception. But was it all bad? What did it teach us?

The Challenges
I remember the eerie, uncertain feeling I got when we first got the shelter-in-place order in Dallas County, Texas. As scary as it seemed, it was just for two weeks, right? Well, we all know how that went! I was, as many dancers probably were, unsure if I would be able to continue taking dance classes or when I would perform again. Luckily, I was still able to take my kathak classes via zoom, though there were no performances in the foreseeable future. I had a day job, but many dancers and dance teachers I know did not. They were totally out of work from the beginning. I held onto my job until I was finally laid off a few months after that initial lockdown.

The Good
With all the free time, I decided to practice dancing a lot more (among other hobbies, such as gardening and bird watching, which I had always wished for more time to do). I took some private raqs sharqi lessons with Vanessa of Cairo, which were phenomenal! As time went on, many dance teachers from around the world started holding online workshops and ongoing classes. Some even offered scholarships for those who had lost their jobs, making it possible for me to keep learning even after being laid off. I am forever grateful to these teachers for their generosity. Many of those who began teaching online were teachers I had always dreamt of learning from, but I hadn’t had a chance to go to Egypt, Turkey, Tahiti, South Africa, or various parts of Europe to learn from them (not to mention California, where many amazing ‘ori Tahiti teachers reside). Of course I was going to take as many of these classes as I could! For a while, it seemed like I was in a special workshop at least once per week. It was amazing! I learned so much more in a few months than I could have ever learned before the pandemic, all thanks to everyone’s need to find a way to stay afloat financially and mentally during one of the most challenging times in all of our lives. I would say that the extensive use of Zoom to reach students like me all across the world was a great outcome.
It was, in fact, almost too good. I started to experience a bit of burn-out after several months of taking ALL of the classes. While I did continue to take some, I did start to slow down a bit a few months into 2021. Luckily, that’s when things started changing. Once restrictions started lifting and gatherings were allowed, many teachers returned to teaching exclusively in person. Events started coming back to life as well, meaning many dancers could get back to performing. That was right when I started my dance business, and it was an interesting start! I continue to take online workshops even now, though definitely not as often. The one good residual effect of the pandemic, for me, is that I can still learn from someone all the way in Tahiti from my living room in Rhode Island, USA. Of course, I will travel there and to many other places when I’m able. Nothing compares to learning in-person! Until then, however, I am grateful to have another way to learn.
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What Did the Pandemic Teach Us as Dancers?
In the end, aside from dance moves, life during the pandemic either sharpened or taught us several skills.

1. How easy it can be to connect with people across borders
2. New ways to keep ourselves physically and mentally active
3. How to better listen to and support each other
4. That bonds we build and the sharing of the arts we love are more important that financial gain
5. Resourcefulness
6. Self-reflection and self-awareness
7. Our limits (and how too much of a good thing too fast can lead to burn-out)
8. How to use Zoom! :)

What would you add to this list? How did the pandemic affect your journey in dance (or any line of work)? I would love to know if you were able to find “the good” like I was!

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