Can't stop us dancing!
The plan for this blog was to look back at how we at Sara Horner School of Dance have kept dancing, during the pandemic, but it is hard to believe in 2021, dance classes are still not how we would want them to be – in person, with friends, in a large dance space, no furniture or light fittings in the way! But……we are still dancing, and Covid can’t stop us!
Like everyone at this time, I have had to change the way I do things. In the autumn, when we were able to dance in person, our dance classes looked very different. After a thorough COVID-19 risk assessment and constant reviewing of government guidelines, Covid secure measures were put in place – mask wearing, one-way systems, social distancing markers, continual cleaning…. but it was so important that my classes remained a happy and enjoyable experience for everyone despite these changes.
During the lockdowns, my kitchen has become my dance studio. In Lockdown 1, I was expecting my baby boy, so I tried to record as many classes in my kitchen before his arrival, as well as sending out dance activity sheets to keep my little dancers going. I called upon Miss Ceris and Miss Zoe for recorded adult classes and a ‘Cats’ inspired musical theatre class. It was devastating to get back to our face-to-face classes in September, only for Lockdown 2 to send us straight back to our dance spaces at home. This time I made and sent videos of the ballet and tap dances we had just started learning; ‘Birthday Surprise’, ‘Little Miss Muffet’, ‘Mamma Mia’, ‘Footloose.’ Thankfully, our children’s classes were able to resume in person in December, which meant we could have fun ‘Christmas Party’ themed classes with a small gift for everyone at the end of term.
Well, here we are in Lockdown 3! Who can believe it?! Every Thursday, my students see me dance in my kitchen, LIVE! We are now Zooming. We have scavenger hunts, show and tells, a ‘love’ themed week for Valentine’s Day, a wear your PJs to tap class week, a Disney themed week, a make your own ballet skirt week…it has been so much fun. Every month, ‘Certificates of Participation on Zoom’ are emailed out too. Seeing everyone every Thursday evening has really kept me smiling and I am overwhelmed by the loyalty and support my students have shown. They are doing amazingly. I’m a super proud dance teacher.
With Boris making another announcement tomorrow, we will be ready to adapt our classes again when the time comes. Whatever happens, we will still be dancing.