Ballet In Lockdown
In March when lockdown first came into place, I wondered how long it would last - my initial thoughts were that if the first 3 weeks didn't show an immediate and appreciable drop in cases we'd be in for the long haul and basically could write off the rest of the spring and most of the summer for physical classes. I was proven correct in that assumption, especially as the 4th July relaxations seem to specifically exclude dance classes from restarting. In 'The New (Ab)normal' I wrote a bit about things, and also about how I was struggling but not quite as much as I had been initially (post1) (post2)...
So for the typical recreational dancer what has lockdown meant?
It's meant we've not been in the studio since mid March... and that we've not seen our 'ballet families' in person since then (unless your household and your ballet family intersect)
Regardless of whether you have been working in your 'real life job' or not, the initial promise of ' ooh i can take all these different classes' has waned ...
follow along classes on facebook / instagram / youtube lose their appeal for many quite quickly ... and while most people fully realise that studios and teachers have to keep up an income; charging that you'd charge for an interactive video conferencing class or IRL class for a follow along video doesn't really cut it in the value stakes ( and that doesn't mean that teachers should be giving these away for free either, before anyone levels that accusation)- This doesn't mean they don't have a place and in some circumstances they are better than nothing - especially if a purchase / subscription means you have access to them for a decent period / forever )
Interactive classes however are a different kettle of worms and a pragmatic and welcome solution to the difficulties and while class a home with either a self built or improvised barre is poor substitute for class in the studio, it's still got the important component of the IRL class - observation and correction from the teacher.
So for the typical recreational dancer what has lockdown meant?
It's meant we've not been in the studio since mid March... and that we've not seen our 'ballet families' in person since then (unless your household and your ballet family intersect)
Regardless of whether you have been working in your 'real life job' or not, the initial promise of ' ooh i can take all these different classes' has waned ...
follow along classes on facebook / instagram / youtube lose their appeal for many quite quickly ... and while most people fully realise that studios and teachers have to keep up an income; charging that you'd charge for an interactive video conferencing class or IRL class for a follow along video doesn't really cut it in the value stakes ( and that doesn't mean that teachers should be giving these away for free either, before anyone levels that accusation)- This doesn't mean they don't have a place and in some circumstances they are better than nothing - especially if a purchase / subscription means you have access to them for a decent period / forever )
Interactive classes however are a different kettle of worms and a pragmatic and welcome solution to the difficulties and while class a home with either a self built or improvised barre is poor substitute for class in the studio, it's still got the important component of the IRL class - observation and correction from the teacher.
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