HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) - After nearly four months of Zoom dance rehearsals, dancers met in person for an outdoor ballet practice in Chesapeake this week.
Jessica Fox, owner and artistic director of 4th Avenue Arts, had one rule for the dancers: Bring your own dance flooring.
The idea was dreamed up by theatre props master, John Jervis and allows the dancers to bring their own mat of flooring used in the dance studios so they can practice moves successfully.
The meetings are a refreshing normal for recent Chesapeake High School graduate and longtime 4th Avenue dancer Karrah Parsons.
“It was great to just be present again and see my friends. I was struggling a lot because since I was 3, you always look forward to your senior show and things like that, and it was all taken away. Getting to come back builds me back up and reminds me this isn’t forever,” said Parsons.
In order to bring everyone together, Fox and other board members had to plan how they would ensure the safety of those participating in rehearsals.
Dance studios are required to adhere to the gym and recreational COVID-19 guidelines set by Gov. Jim Justice. The guidelines require an extensive sanitation process of all equipment between use and smaller capacity limits on those entering facilities.
Unlike gym equipment, dancers are not stationary. The innate conflict that comes lack of guidance for those in performance spaces is an issue Fox also had in mind.
The group landed on an outdoor rehearsal option to give dancers the opportunity to social distance their mats, move freely, and dance without masks.
They also have each dancer take their mats with them and sanitize them between rehearsals.
“Ultimately, we wanted to make a decision that wasn’t just making sure we checked off requirements. We wanted the experience, if we brought it back, to be thoughtful and right,” said Fox.
After a four-week test run, Fox received a positive response from families and dancers. Now the rehearsals will run on a weekly basis until the fall dance season begins, said Fox.
Although, the adapted rehearsals aren’t the same, Parsons said she and the dancers are adjusting and remaining grateful to be together at all.
“This group of people is really close. We aren’t afraid to hug each other. We always would sit in a circle and talk about how our school days went. Also, dance itself is very physical, but now we can’t touch each other, so it’s an adjustment, but I’m still happy,” said Parsons.
Looking forward, Fox hopes to hold fall rehearsals in the studio if cases begin to decline and performance spaces are given the green light to resume.
Fox is less certain how she and other small businesses in the arts will compensate for the loss of revenue that comes from losing in-person performances.
“It’s devastating; we all have to rethink our business models. So much of what we do comes down to creating something others can see, so we obviously have to still work on that. We have a few ideas but nothing certain,” said Fox.
As of right now, she is celebrating small steps to getting her dancers back on the stage.
“I hoped that bringing this back could be both safe and cathartic. I wanted the girls to be able to get back to the familiar and just breathe,” said Fox.
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