Eleni & Coronavirus - Update
We are now in our twelfth week of lockdown and, whilst some of the restrictions have been eased slightly, we are still living this new life of working from home and keeping two metres apart. We hope you are all keeping well and busy, and enjoying some of the sunshine which seems to be making ever more frequent appearances!
Our first blog post was an overview of Eleni’s initial reaction to the coronavirus situation, and since then, the Eleni team have been coming up with different methods to stay creative and adapt to this new way of working. We have been keeping in touch with each other through emails and voice and video calls, as well as with other dance and arts organisations, who are all in the same unfortunate, never-seen-before situation. We are considering what we can do to try and still deliver dance to our community, despite not being able to meet in person. This will involve not only formulating a short-term plan, but contemplating how we can integrate this new manner of operating into the longer term, since it looks like we will be under at least some form of lockdown for the foreseeable future.
But it’s not all doom and gloom! Whilst we know that for many of you, the preferred option would be to dance together in person, we have heard anecdotal stories about the positive side of doing things online – some people may prefer to participate in the comfort of their own homes or other familiar environment, while those with mobility difficulties don’t have to travel to take part in exercise tailored to their needs. And let’s not forget the positive impact on the environment! While some of us may walk or take public transport to our classes, taking the car is unavoidable for some people, particularly in rural areas. Not travelling also has a financial benefit for many!
One of our recent social media posts was a quote which felt particularly apt for these different times: “Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room” (Mary Schmich). With not being able to gather in groups, and with theatres, church halls and community centres closed, dancing in our own homes and gardens has become the new norm. With this in mind, we are trialling three online classes via Zoom – an Adult Movement class (an online version of our usual Movers classes), a Zumba® Gold class, and a Youth Dance class. Due to the virtual nature of these classes, you can join in these classes from anywhere! The Adult Movement class will be on Wednesdays at 10:00am, the Zumba® Gold class will be on Thursdays at 10am, and the Youth Dance class will be on Mondays at 4pm. These are initially running until the week beginning 15th June, so we can judge interest and success rates. If all goes well, we will most likely extend this period. For more information, please email info@newdance.org.uk, message us on Facebook, or call 07399 642853 to be put in touch with the relevant group’s dance tutor.
Living under lockdown is not a situation any of us ever envisaged, but we must make the best of it! We hope that these online classes will provide at least some of you with an opportunity to dance, to laugh, and to stay positive. If you have any feedback for us at all, please do not hesitate to get in touch – we would love to hear from you!
Wishing you and your loved ones all the best,
The Eleni team.