Dance Hacks during Social Distancing
If you’re sitting at home like me, watching the coronavirus spread, constantly refreshing the news on your computer or phone, and wondering when you’ll get back into classes or rehearsals, take heart! You are not alone! Below are just a few of my favorite hacks that dance artists are coming up with to stay connected and creative during this time. -Emmaly
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Here’s an aggregate list of online classes, prompts and performances called Dancing Alone Together:
https://www.dancingalonetogether.org/
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Detour Dance in the Bay Area has put together Jukebox, an online locker of creative prompts and responses: http://www.detourdance.com/jukebox
The description on the site reads: You’re invited to be a part of a digital play space that allows all sorts of creative minds to offer and respond to tasks, assignments, and exercises. Video. Audio. Photography. Performance. Theater. Drag. Clown. Sculpture. Woodwork. Design. Poetry. Illustration. Blogs. Everything. Anything. You can interact with Jukebox in whatever way or frequency that feels appropriate to you. You can revisit prompts several times or skip over any ones that don’t appeal to you. No timeline. No check-in. There’s just letting it exist. You define your relationship with it!
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Kinetic Light has introduced #CreateConnectKL on social media with the following message/instructions:
As the daily normal has changed for so many people, we acknowledge that many of our disabled friends and colleagues already have deep knowledge of isolation, social distance, and lack of access to public space or resources. Many of our artists – including yours truly at Kinetic Light – are newly impacted with the cancellations of rehearsals, performances, and exhibitions. What do artists do in times of trouble? We CREATE ART. We invite you to create with us.
Two ways to participate:
*Question*
Invent and submit prompts for creation – we’ll select prompts to share (planning on every other day, but this may shift). Prompts can be up to 10 words or an image (with description, please!). Tag your prompts with #CreateConnectKL #QuarantineShorts #KineticLight so we can share.
*Respond*
Choose a prompt and create a short artistic response in any medium – dance, music, written or spoken word, visual art – your choice. Then post to Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #CreateConnectKL #QuarantineShorts #KineticLight – please include an image or video description for accessibility. Tag fellow artists. We will reshare some of our favorites!
Follow along as a daily practice or pick just one prompt that resonates with you: this is a tool for your personal practice and so our community can share and connect.
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Joy Prendergast (@joy_moves) in Fort Collins, CO sent me this list of virtual dance classes happening both in her community and beyond:
FLUX + FLOW Dance and Movement Center in Columbus, Ohio has put their entire schedule online for free (again suggested donation) for anyone to view live or on their FB Page. Super fun and accessible classes.
https://www.facebook.com/fluxflowdancecenter/?epa=SEARCH_BOX
Impulse Dance and Fitness (where I work) is loading online classes to their Instagram story that anyone can access and watch.
https://www.instagram.com/impulse_dancefitness
https://impulsedancefitness.com/
Canyon Concert Ballet (also where I work) is planning to post mini-series of classes on YouTube. You can follow the schedule on their Instagram and Facebook pages.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzBwahbvQm_3DILKzCpT-GA/videos
https://www.instagram.com/canyonconcertballet/
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The European Dancehouse Network (@dancehouses on Twitter) has put together a survey to get a better picture of how the dance sector is affected: https://www.ednetwork.eu/news/coronavirus-the-dance-sector
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Hope everyone stays grounded, healthy and creative during this time!