With the coronavirus pandemic coming up on the 3-month mark, the new normal for kids this summer is doing nearly everything online. From sports to the arts and music, including dance, kids are having to adapt to a new normal.
It's a new world for everybody, including dancers who belong on stage.
"I just appreciate all that has gone into keeping us connected virtually to keep us strong as a dance community," Abbeigh Ardnt said.
She's a senior in high school and dances, and teaches for the Power Dance Company in West Bloomfield.
Ryann Nicole Taylor, the studio's owner, said the staff has noticed an improvement in the dancers, despite being virtual.
Eventually, masks and social distancing with few people in the room will come in.
"I teach in Japan all the time and kids come to class in masks all the time when they have a cold just to not infect everyone else," Freelance dancer Christopher Huggins said.
Huggins is a former member of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. he teaches all over the world and is now doing Zoom classes for Legacy Dance Studio.
With dance, it's a battle to keep students attention.
Spring is typically time for round the clock rehearsal for recital and competition. Power Dance Company is competing virtually.
Legacy's Director Crystall Winkler who has been teaching dance for more than 30 years knows what's at stake with COVID-19.
Winkler – who danced in New York – also wants her students to continue to grow.
"Students can go online and just take classes from choreographers and artists from all over the country," she said.
Additional Coronavirus information and resources:
Click here for a page with resources including a COVID-19 overview from the CDC, details on cases in Michigan, a timeline of Governor Gretchen Whitmer's orders since the outbreak, coronavirus' impact on Southeast Michigan, and links to more information from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the CDC and the WHO.
View a global coronavirus tracker with data from Johns Hopkins University.
Find out how you can help businesses and restaurants struggling during the pandemic.
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See complete coverage on our Coronavirus Continuing Coverage page.
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