Tag: covid-19

Dana Wilson Answers Your Biggest Zoom Questions

A lot goes into crafting a successful Zoom class. You can’t simply download the app and launch into your usual syllabus. Is your teaching space set up properly? Are you wearing an outfit that will pop on-screen? These and other factors can make or break your students’ experience. Commercial performer, choreographer and master teacher Dana […]

Marlana Doyle Was Poised to Open Her New School in Houston When COVID-19 Hit

When Houston’s beloved METdance lost its lease in 2019, artistic director Marlana Doyle struck out on her own to open the Institute of Contemporary Dance Houston. With a new building, school and performing company, Doyle had carefully set the stage for an April 2020 grand opening. “I wanted to create a space for everyone, from […]

How to Stay Safe When You Return to the Studio

As state governments begin to ease shelter-at-home restrictions and studios slowly start to reopen their doors, dancers likely are experiencing a mix of emotions: There’s excitement about returning to your artistic home and reuniting with your fellow dancers, but also nerves and anxiety about the potential safety risks. In preparation for the gradual reopening of […]

What Are the Implications of Offering Free Dance Online?

From mid-March into early April, dance communities around the world experienced a seismic shift as performance seasons were cancelled, training programs were suspended and physical contact outside one’s home was mandated unsafe. As dancers, we are taught to problem solve in real-time, so it came as no surprise when streamed performances and classes began popping […]

Are Dancers at Greater Risk of Disordered Eating During the Shutdown?

As we spend more time at home and less in the studio, many aspects of our routine simply aren’t up to us. In the midst of COVID-19–related shutdowns, some dancers may be struggling with their relationship to food, whether they’re feeling guilty about stress eating or are developing dangerous disordered eating behaviors, such as restricting […]

Letter From a Ballet Teacher: How My Own Home Isolation as a Teenager Deepened My Love for Dance

As a ballet teacher adjusting to the startling new world we are living in with Covid-19, I keep thinking of my dance students and the worry they must feel adapting to this stressful situation. Being stuck at home can be frustrating and scary, particularly when your ballet studio feels like a second home. I wanted […]