COVER STORY
During the Pandemic...
COMPILED BY SIMA SADYKHOV AND DAVID GETCHELL
Befriending a Unicorn by Matt Sorrentino. See Matt's story below.
American Dancer sent out a notice asking members how they used their time while unable to pursue their normal competitive or social dancing. We heard from quite a few of you and were surprised at the range of activities represented. We have collected some of those below. If you are interested in keeping this going for another issue, send your submissions here. We request you send one picture or video and limit your story to 100 words or less.
"Although COVID has brought its challenges, it has also brought its opportunities for growth, and learning how to dance while staying healthy and safe has certainly been one of them!"
Jon Chow of the NorCal chapter: “I stopped playing golf and did not touch my clubs for five years to devote more time and energy to dancing. I thought I would never play again. But when competition dancing stopped due to the virus, I started playing again. To my surprise, I actually play better now than ever before — maybe the movement techniques and balance I learned from dancing carries over to golf.”
Cheryl Witt from the (Albuquerque) Northwest chapter in New Mexico, building a pergola.
Mike and Ann from Central Pennsylvania say: “My wife and I have been avid ballroom dancers for well over a decade. We take lessons regularly and attend many social dances and, of course, USA Dance chapter events. When lockdown started in March, our dance studio no longer had in-person dances. But the owner quickly put on free Zoom dance events on a weekly basis during the Summer months and many of us joined.
“My name is Erica Lawler. I am a member of the Tri-Cities USA Dance Chapter #6060 and live outside of Richmond, Virginia. I’ve spent a lot more time with my dairy goat herd this year as a result of the pandemic. Goats aren’t much for dancing, but they are very lively! In tough times, there’s nothing so uplifting as a group of spring kids frolicking and leaping off of every surface in sight. I took advantage of the extra time at home by learning how to make two new cheeses this summer: feta and mozzarella. Our chapter usually serves refreshments at our dances so perhaps when we’re all back together on the dance floor, there will be some homemade cheese over on the snack table!”
Rod and Ann Hart have hunkered down and are trying to weather the virus storm. “We occasionally push the furniture around and practice dance steps in our living room. I (as you will see in the video) hunt for focus groups to serve on, increase my volunteer work at a local food bank, or try to find projects to do as in this video that I’m making for my electric company.”
Annette Dunseth from Minot, North Dakota enjoying her birthday.
James Kleinrath and Melody Singleton from NorCal chapter #4004 enjoy Thanksgiving for two
Julia and Bill Wacker
Fishers, IN
Heartland, Carmel Dance Studio, Carmel, Indiana
“Dancing keeps us in shape for skiing, and skiing for dancing; walking 1.5 – 2 miles five times per week is a big help in allowing us to do both!
“Thanks to Roger and Amy, and all other USA and Heartland officers and volunteers for your work! Bah Humbug to the virus, Merry Christmas and a healthy New Year to all!”
Lolita Brawner, president of chapter #6010, sends this story.
From Dancing to Puppy Love!
Written by Rebecca Kelley-Fournier
Tallahassee Chapter 6010 and Chapter 6010 Kidz has two young men, Jacob and Zachary Fournier, ages 9 and 11, respectively, who have embraced the ballroom dance life. Eager to dance the night away with ladies, young and old. Bringing smiles to faces with every dance step. But with COVID, virtual school, and dance coming to a screeching halt, they wanted to do something for their community and to keep busy.
After several brain-storming white-board sessions, these little entrepreneurs decided that the dogs in their neighborhood needed some nutritional all organic, all natural, no sugar, no preservatives, and no artificial flavors, dog treats.
They came up with the logo, the name, and flavors they were going to sell. Spot On! Dog Treats. They had a marketing plan, a price point, a revenue goal, and how they were going to be packaged. The works! To get the word out, with the first batches, Zachary and Jacob, gave samples to all the dog owners in the neighborhood, along with a “pop-up barkery” stand. It was a success.
Over the summer, Zachary and Jacob had plenty of “pop-ups” around Tallahassee. Local dog parks, veterinarian clinics, grooming locations, and condos. They also made personal and shipping deliveries.
Large orders began to come in from Atlanta to Seattle. Business was booming.
In September, a local community organization, Fun4TallyKids.org, put on the 3rd Annual Kidz Biz Fair, despite COVID. It was held outdoors and Spot On! Dog Treats was represented. Spot On! was the talk of the fair. The final pop-up was held at a local craft fair in November.
On December 12, USA Dance 6010 was able to put on a dance to celebrate the end of the year. Nine months later, the boys still have not lost their dance moves. Wooing the ladies and making them smile from ear-to-ear.
That night, we also gained two more members of the Tallahassee Chapter 6010 Kidz group. I cannot wait to see what is in store for our youth members in 2021.
“I’m Lisa-Anice Sutphen the lead and founder of Dance and Fitness Concepts and a USA Dance Member from the San Francisco Bay Area.
“I managed to switch a number of clients online for Restorative Training, and that’s kept up with basic bills. We’ll be starting classes in Dance Technique, yoga, Pilates, and chair fitness in January. Gotta get rid of those COVID pounds!”
"Dancing has been an amazing journey in our lives, working together, bringing joy, keeping us active and keeping our spirits up during these difficult times"
Matt Sorrentino, from the Rhode Island Chapter, put down his shoes and took up a pen. On his monitor you can see “Beholding a Unicorn” that he created over the course of a month during the pandemic.
From Gokturk Yurtyapan of the Seattle Chapter: “I always loved the sheer joy of wind that blows through my hair and the immediate, pure happiness I feel speeding, gliding on a small piece of board under my feet. I loved Snowboarding! It was fun, it was outdoors, it helped me to discover new places and the joy of being fast.
Dancing through the Pandemic by Jaslyn Kwan
How do we keep the dance spirits alive during this unprecedented and isolated period? Well, since we have more time, my mom and I started exploring dance photography. She loves taking pictures and I love striking dance poses – we make a perfect pair! We visited all kinds of trails, parks, beaches and even local stores and streets. I took inspiration from pictures of amazing dancers around the world and it was a lot of fun!
Another of my favorite pastimes during this time is mixing routines from all the dance styles that I love – ballet, contemporary, and ballroom latin. Music is universal and so is dancing, regardless of dance styles. I love feeling and moving to music and I always wanted to just dance. Staying at home gave me lots of time to finally fulfill my wish to choreograph something! YouTube and Instagram have been some therapeutic media for me to share these pieces. Hopefully soon enough, I’ll be able to perform and dance my heart out in front of a live audience again!
I remember how we said that 2020 was going to be the best year, but this is how it turned out… Reminding myself that everyone is in this together and we are all trying to make the best of the situation really helps me during this time. Even if COVID-19 has affected us, at least it created many new experiences. When this is all over, I can’t wait to spend precious time with my friends and family. I’m very grateful to my parents, teachers, and friends who helped and supported me to get through this time. I have no doubt that 2021 will be a better year!
“Life before covid was very busy and hectic. Constant traveling and training together with workload didn’t leave much to explore in areas that now I realize are not less important”, writes Anya Sheedy of Massachusetts chapter.
“As dance lessons changed from in person to virtual, it gave me the possibility to focus on things that normally wouldn’t be a priority. Having the ability to teach more theoretical knowledge, that some may think is boring, actually resulted in a much faster improvement from my students. I feel that learning names of figures, their exact alignments and understanding music was challenging but very rewarding, in particular, for my younger dancers. Being able to deliver this information to them on a deep level, not only made them better but also made me a better teacher.”
My partner Alexandru and I had the time to actually study our videos from past practices and competitions as well as revisit and revamp our routines. Usually, we are so busy that we don’t have time for something that is so essential. We were able to become more artistic, creative, and learned how to enjoy the moment.”
Before the pandemic I always wanted to give more attention to my self-development but never had time to do so. During quarantine I decided to work out a lot and that really improved my physical and mental well-being.”
Last and not least, I have found a new passion and something that I genuinely enjoy doing in my free time. Tik Tok videos are a great avenue for me to be super creative as well as spread positivity and love for dancing.”
I recognize that this year was incredibly tough for so many people. I wish for us to come back to normal as soon as possible! I am also grateful for the lessons I have learned during this time.”
Ken Richards writes: “When the pandemic closed the BlueBallRoom in Wilmington, Delaware, Johny Postolachi, professional member of USA Dance, kept his students engaged with weekly Zoom lessons. He even pulled a number of them together to produce a solo-formation video, to the Aretha Franklin song, “Who’s Zooming Who”.
“The studio held weekly “Quarantainment Dance Parties” to keep everyone connected. The parties featured, stretching exercises, a line dance lesson, some ballroom techniques and plenty of conversation and goodwill. Once “Phase-1″ reopening was announced in the state, the studio was able to welcome students back inside, however, the teachers still needed to keep their social distance. Johny and the BlueBallRoom team got creative using canes and pool noodles as arm extenders to keep the training moving forward. You would be surprised how one’s leading and following can improve, from six-feet away, with this method of connecting with your partner.”
Karen and Gary from Portland, Oregon – “We are a couple in our mid-60s. We took our first dance steps, under our beloved coach Anya Klimova-Preston, in our early 50s and competed joyfully in standard and Latin for 15 yrs. We retired just over a year ago and began learning to social dance. We took bachata and salsa at a Portland studio and asked the instructor, Eugene Yeboah, for private lessons. COVID hit, the studio closed, and we worked at staying outside as much as possible. Why not dance in the park? Eugene liked the idea and had a dance mat. Over the summer and into the fall, we danced in a local park relearning most of our Latin and standard dances for social settings on small floors. We were able to move our furniture around, in our small living room, so we have a practice floor. Dancing has been an amazing journey in our lives, working together, bringing joy, keeping us active and keeping our spirits up during these difficult times.”
Melody Singleton, Senior V standard and smooth competitor, used her time off the floor to take a class covering the history of fashion.
Nancy Welch, the president of the Suncoast chapter #6004, tells us that David Snyder has been sending poems to his dance friends every Saturday for the last 2-3 months. Here’s an example:
Senior III competitors Mike and Rose-Ann Lynch (MidAtlantic Chapter) wasted no time finding a dance space during the pandemic. They cleared the basement and put in a metallic epoxy floor with mirrors, so they could practice. “It is the next-best thing to a studio, and we can dance whenever we want. We also remain active and consistent in our daily routine: walking the dogs, running, and good-old-fashioned Marine Corps sit-ups and push-ups.”
“My name is Raya Ilieva and I’m eleven years old. I love dancing, writing, reading, and spending time outdoors. I’m a competitive ballroom dancer, and since my dance partner is fourteen, we compete in Junior II (although technically I should be in Preteen II). My mom is Ellie Pojarska. I live in Belmont, CA, but dance at Dance Vita Ballroom in San Mateo. In the spring, for a few months the studio was completely closed and we were conducting lessons via Zoom. Here’s a piece I wrote entitled, “Dancing During Quarantine”
I was devastated when my dance studio closed, leaving me to do lessons through Zoom or not at all. However, I have found a few ways to cope with the loss of dance and make it more bearable, even as my studio has re-opened with limited capacity and mostly only private lessons.
First, because I now have more time, my family and I have started taking daily walks of between two and four miles; we either hike the gorgeous trail behind our house or stroll through our neighborhood, and this offers both a chance to see the world outside of our home and get some exercise in the process. I’ve also taken up yoga and meditation––I find yoga to be beneficial for
my strength and flexibility as a dancer, and I enjoy meditation because it allows me to calm down and relax. During the period in the spring when the studio was completely closed, I also had a creative setup for Zoom lessons: I cleared shoes and throw rugs from one stretch of our hallway, then propped my computer on a chair and did lessons in the hallway. It allowed me to work on technique and little bits of choreography that can be done in a small space. When I needed more space, I’d go on my living room rug and dance in socks!
Finally, I am exhilarated to be back in the studio, albeit dancing with masks and keeping social distance from everyone except my dance partner. Although COVID has brought its challenges, it has also brought its opportunities for growth, and learning. How to dance, while staying healthy and safe, has certainly
been one of them!
Gil and Jan Berenguer of the Charleston Chapter told us: “My wife and I live outside of Charleston in a 55-and-up community. We are fortunate that the community has a dance floor. Since the community has not been having social dances we have been able to use the floor for practice. We also found an online ballroom dance class. We can honestly say we have danced more since the pandemic than before it happened. Our dance club has since opened up the floor for rental, so we have also been going there. That being said, we do miss the the social part of dancing and hope to an end to this pandemic. Hope everyone is safe and practicing social distancing.”
During the Saturday night events, only five couples are allowed on the 4,000 sq foot floor, and we all follow social distancing rules. Well, there is an exception at times when Stephen Murray, young and exuberant at age 20, decides to hone in on the photo op – as you can see above. Shown, from left to right, are Joan Robinson, Sunny Kim, Stephen and Michael Spann.
Estella and Bob Clasen, of the New York chapter, kayaking this past summer.
"COVID times definitely made me appreciate the things I have and the people around me more than I had before, and I got to spend more time with my close ones than I could have otherwise."
Na and Ivan Parra of the NorCal chapter said of their son:
Mark recently completed his four-year ,800+ supervised hours of Movement Educator and Coordination Coach training in the Boston Feldenkrais Method® Training Program. To introduce the benefits of the learning method, Mark conducted a seven week, one-hour-per-week, introductory training for his fellow board members. Although the method is usually taught in person, Mark adapted the lessons for easy virtual attendance through Zoom with great success.
“Using my lats and core muscles as part of my pulling motion with arms improves my time for 50 yards of freestyle by at least two seconds. Pointing my toes and lowering my kick by three inches below the surface of the water also improves my times. Slight changes like these can make for big differences in the pool and on the dance floor. Interestingly, in the pool you can measure the difference based on how long it takes to swim 50 yards. As another swimming exercise, I focus on a single muscle group and concentrate on “firing” that muscle only. Alternatively, I fire a sequence of muscles from my gluts to the quads or hamstring through the calves finishing at the foot arch. This is a challenging drill similar to one I am instructed to do on the dance floor. “By the way, I always swim with flippers to help protect my shoulders and elbows from injury. Plus it helps to strengthen my legs more. Typically, I swim for 60 to 80 minutes per session. At this pace, I swim between two to three miles 5 to 6 times per week. I’ve lost 12 pounds over the last six months and feel really good.”
Sue Plasai took advantage of extra time to herself to practice on her Koto – a Japanese stringed instrument.
When life hands you a lemon, make lemon-aid. After exhausting every non-surgical method for managing advanced osteo-arthritis in both hips over the last five years, Antoinette Datoc (Greater Atlanta Chapter # 6005) decided to use the pandemic-related suspension in dance competitions to undergo bilateral hip replacement surgery on October 16 and December 29.
Hips Don’t Lie!
In his plentiful free time due to COVID quarantine, Donovan Kirrane picked up shoe shining and shoe restoration as a way to keep busy and get creative! To stay physically fit and COVID safe, Donovan and his partner Olga endeavored the Massachusetts Midstate Trail. They hiked 57.7 miles leaving only 31 to go in the next season!
Rog and Amy Greenawalt (Heartland Chapter 2022, Indianapolis) and their “Daily Driveway Dancing” (spring of 2020)
Gary Clark, the president of the Rocky Top chapter in Knoxville, Tennessee. writes:
“In 2019 I bought an 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope so that I could get a better look at the stars, planets, nebulas, and other objects in the night sky. This was my first major telescope purchase and I had no previous experience operating a telescope. I kept the telescope at my in-laws’ house in Colorado, since they have favorable weather for stargazing and they are located farther from city lights than I am in Illinois. I spent a long time learning about polar alignment, computerized go-to mounts, eyepieces, filters, stars, constellations, planets, and polar coordinates. One problem I had, however, was that the only time I could spend using the telescope was when I visited Colorado, so I bought a second, smaller 72 mm refractor telescope that I could fit into a suitcase so that I could practice at home in Illinois. “When the lockdowns and event cancellations began in 2020, I had more time that I could spend working with the telescopes. I learned how to attach my DSLR camera to them to take pictures of the amazing things in the night sky. I also learned that auto-guiding the telescope is essential for making good pictures of most deep sky objects like galaxies and nebulas, since it is necessary to keep the camera precisely pointed at the same point in the sky for up to 10 minutes per exposure. I also learned that most astronomical photographs are composed of stacks of individual frames that increase the signal-to-noise ratio of faint objects in space. “I have really come to appreciate the beauty of the stars in a dark sky. So much of my life happens under bright artificial lights that its sometimes easy to forget about the stars. After learning more about what to look for in dark skies, I realized that it’s really bright in my suburban neighborhood and almost all of my neighbors keep their outdoor lights on all night long, and that makes it hard to see the sky. Now I really appreciate “dark” houses. “Standing outside with the telescope and searching the night skies has renewed my appreciation for the quiet, dark outdoors. While the pandemic has eliminated my competitive dance opportunities for at least a year, I am happy that I’ve learned a lot more about astronomy in the downtime.”
From Fancesca Fortunato of New York City, “I’m a new member of USA Dance. Joining was an act of faith and hope, for my future as a DanceSport athlete. I live in New York City and compete at Silver level (senior C) in Standard. Before COVID, I was taking group classes and privates with independent teachers at Ballroom Hub, a rental space for Ballroom students and teachers in Manhattan. I had just done my first amateur competition in May of 2019, partnered by a higher-level amateur teacher (Sam Wert). I was excited about continuing in the Amateur Ballroom World.”
“When the shutdowns happened, most studios in New York City were forced to close (many went out of business; a couple have managed to remain open for private lessons only.) Ballroom Hub closed permanently in the Spring (though I believe the owners are seeking a new space in which to re-open.) Thankfully, my group class teacher, Catherine Edgar, started offering online classes via Zoom. I was able to continue training with her twice per week, and, eventually, found another teacher (James Repetti) with whom to take online private lessons and start working on routines. With resourceful teachers, and serious daily practice on my own, I have been improving and staying connected to my passion for Ballroom.
I am very thankful to James, who has organized a virtual competition (Team Repetti New Year Challenge) which is free for competitors to enter. So, I am practicing the routines that he helped me create and will compete with them (by video) in January. It’s wonderful to have a goal again.
I hope that my fellow dancers (especially other seniors) are finding their own good ways to keep their dancing spirits alive and kicking!”
Lisa Sandoval from the Los Angeles Chapter writes: “My 17-year-old son Cory and his best friend Heidi Young (both members of our high school dance team) have continued to make it work. They meet their talented West Coast Swing dance partners, who live in Arizona, at the halfway mark in Redlands, CA (home of the Schwimmer’s Dance Center) to continue to practice and move forward.
“Due to COVID-19, the national US Open Swing Dance Championships was cancelled. The kids were determined to continue to improve their dancing and started working on their routines for next year. We are so grateful to Buddy and Benji Schwimmer for believing in our kids and choreographing their newest routines for the US Open. They will compete in the West Coast youth division when the competition resumes, hopefully next November. Watching these talented young people dance and work hard is the closest thing we have been to being a part of the dance community since the pandemic began.”
USA Dance member, Lilian Paternostre writes:
” I received a phone call in May: “Hi, are you interested in taking over the studio?” I was completely blanking. “What? How? What do you mean?” My good old dance studio, where my husband and I started 10 years ago, and which has been our happy place, safe-haven, and where I discovered my passion for dance, was possibly endangered — a victim of the COVID pandemic? It took me but a few seconds to decide to do whatever possible for its continuation!
It was a process, but finally in October we could announce that my professional partner, Vladyslav Dolya, and I were taking over the studio, where so many people have found a great place to dance, socialize and make friends, bring their kids to learn something new, or delve into competitive ballroom dance. It truly is a commitment to the community, where we hope to welcome dancers from many different backgrounds with many different goals, as well as inspire people to start dancing.
While a stream of ideas for the future came quickly, we knew we were facing survival mode initially, and of course our priority had to be how to dance safely. We discovered, that while respecting all restrictions and preventative measures to contract the virus, it is still possible to dance, teach, practice, yes and even attend online competitions!
Putting on a mask is easy, sanitizing the hands, ditto. “Oh, and just let us know when you want to come in, but keep your distance please.” Where there is a will there is a way, and it has proven true for us.
Technology appeared to be very helpful, and the former owners already started virtual activities, Zooming and streaming classes, which we are obviously perpetuating.
Of course, like everybody else we are longing to host social events where we can mingle again, start kids’ classes, “live” showcases, and competitions. In lieu of live events, we attended an online competition in December that was a highlight and great motivator! Our studio was even awarded no less than “Top Studio”.
The studio is doing well under the circumstances, thanks to our very loyal customers. Our short-term motto is “Charlottesville Ballroom is here to stay and serve our community!”
